Poultry

Poultry farming includes chickens, turkeys, ducks, and other fowl. The following resources are useful for anyone starting a poultry business or raising fowl. Chickens are allowed in many communities, though often with restrictions such as limits on the number of birds or minimum setbacks from property lines. Roosters are often not allowed, due to noise considerations.

If you have sick birds, it’s important to take action, as diseases spread quickly. The California Department of Food and Agriculture Avian Health Program has a free, bilingual hotline that can help you diagnose your birds. Call toll free, 1-866-922-BIRD (922–2473). There is also a low cost service to conduct a necropsy (post-mortem diagnosis) of backyard poultry available through the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory.

For more information on disease prevention and biosecurity of backyard flocks, scroll down to our resources on “Handling Diseases and Parasites in Poultry”.

In order to sell eggs, you first need to register as an Egg Handler through the California Department of Food and Agriculture Egg Safety and Quality Management Program (CDFA/ESQM). Apply by filling out this form.  The law requires that eggs be processed before selling them, which includes cleaning, grading, and placing the eggs in containers. Learn more through this guide for egg handlers.

General Resources For Starting Raising and Managing Poultry Business

UCCE

• UC Cooperative Extension Poultry Website

UC Davis

• Small Flock & Game Bird Information

NCAT

• Poultry publications (include budgets, housing dimensions, and other fact sheets)
• Small Scale Egg Handling

University of Wisconsin Extension

• Poultry in Urban Areas

University of Maryland Extension

• Raising your Home Chicken Flock

University of Missouri Extension

• Small Flock Series: Managing a Family Chicken Flock

Cornell University

• What Gardeners Can Do: Tips for Urban Chicken Keepers
• Lo que los jardineros podemos hacer: Consejos para los criadores de gallinas en zonas urbanas

Information on Incubation and Hatching

UC ANR

• Common Incubation Problems: Causes and Remedies - Publication 8127
• Hatching Egg Sanitation: The Key Step in Successful Storage and Production - Publication 8120

Handling Disease and Parasites in Poultry

• Who to Contact about Sick or Dead Birds
• Biosecurity for Poultry at Community Farms
• Common Lice and Mites of Poultry: Identification and Treatment - Publication 8162

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)

• Avian Health Program

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

• Biosecurity For Birds