The Illusion of the Backyard

Listen now

Backyard chicken keeping has surged over the last two decades — driven by people who want to know where their food comes from and step away from industrial agriculture. That instinct is right.

But there's a question underneath the Saturday morning flock worth asking: what is the hen in the yard, actually?

The red junglefowl, her wild ancestor, lays 10 to 30 eggs a year. The modern laying hen lays 250 to 300 — the result of the same selective breeding logic that built the factory farm.

The backyard may be better, but it is not outside the system. This is episode one of a three-part series on backyard and local farming — and an invitation to follow the goodwill all the way through.

References & further reading

The Wild Ancestors

• Encyclopaedia Britannica — Red Junglefowl. Natural history, range, and behavior of the wild ancestor of the domestic chicken.
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology — Mallard. Natural history of the wild ancestor of most domestic duck breeds.
• Darwin, Charles (1868) — The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication. John Murray. Darwin's foundational observations on selective breeding and domestication, including extensive notes on chickens and ducks.
• Eriksson, J. et al. (2008) — Identification of the Yellow Skin Gene Confirms the Hybrid Origin of the Domestic Chicken. PLOS Genetics. Research on the genomic origins of domestic chickens.

Selective Breeding & Breed History

• The Poultry Site — History of the Leghorn Chicken. Development of the dominant commercial laying breed and its productivity characteristics.
• Livestock Conservancy — Rhode Island Red. Breed history, development, and characteristics of one of the most common backyard laying breeds.
• Livestock Conservancy — Pekin Duck. History of the breed's development in China and introduction to the United States.
• Ekarius, Carol (2007) — Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. Storey Publishing. Comprehensive reference on the development and characteristics of domestic chicken, duck, and goose breeds.

The Biological Cost of High Production

• Whitehead, C.C. (2004) — Overview of Bone Biology in the Egg-Laying Hen. Poultry Science. Research on calcium depletion and osteoporosis in high-production laying hens.
• Lay, D.C. et al. (2019) — Review of Laying Hen Welfare Research. Animals. Comprehensive review of welfare issues in laying hens including reproductive disorders.
• Humane Society of the United States — Welfare Issues for Laying Hens. Overview of health and behavioral issues common to high-production breeds in all settings.

Male Chick Culling

• Humane Society of the United States — Chick Culling. Explanation of the industry-wide practice and its prevalence across commercial and small-scale hatcheries.
• Good Food Institute — In-Ovo Sexing. Overview of emerging technologies that allow egg sexing before hatching, reducing male chick culling.
• Poultry World — In-Ovo Sexing: The End of Chick Culling? Industry reporting on the status and adoption of sexing technologies.

The Rise of Backyard Keeping

• The New York Times — Backyard Chickens. Reporting on the growth of urban and suburban chicken keeping in the United States.
• The Atlantic — The Problem With Backyard Chickens. Reporting on welfare and public health considerations in backyard flocks.
• Hamilton, Sheila (2020) — Homegrown Eggs. Storey Publishing. A practical guide that also reflects the cultural values driving backyard keeping.

Take Action

• Open Sanctuary Project — Caring for Chickens. Detailed, welfare-forward care guides for chickens in sanctuary and backyard settings, including information on aging hens and health management.
• Humane Society of the United States — Farm Animal Protection. Advocacy and policy work on farm animal welfare including laying hen standards.
• Adopt a Pet — Chickens for Adoption. Find laying hens available for rescue adoption in your area rather than purchasing from a hatchery.
• Livestock Conservancy — For those who do purchase from hatcheries, the Conservancy focuses on heritage breeds that are slower-growing and less overbred than commercial varieties.
• animalinthemachine.com — Show notes and episode archive.