Raising backyard chickens is a defining hobby of California’s urban farmsteaders. Foodies praise the golden yolks of eggs laid by hens who roam freely and scratch the soil for grubs. But after the devastating fires in Northern and Southern California last fall, that backyard chicken scratching struck Maurice Pitesky as a potential food safety concern. Pitesky, a veterinarian on the faculty at UC Davis who studies poultry health and food safety, reminded that “backyard chickens are eating off the ground all the time.” That means the birds and the eggs they produce are a function of the environment they live in. Read more

Leave a Reply