June 2-6, 2025
UT/TSU Extension Lawrence County & Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with several local agriculture businesses and agencies would like to celebrate our farmers with the Lawrence County’s Salute to AG week.
This year’s theme—Poultry—puts a spotlight on one of the leading sectors in our local ag economy. Throughout the week, a variety of events, programs, and workshops will be available for the community to engage with and learn about the traditions and innovations that power Lawrence County’s agriculture economy. Join us as we recognize and support the farmers, producers, and families who help keep our community growing!
Monday June 2nd Backyard Poultry Workshop
Tuesday June 3rd Ag Appreciation Breakfast
Tuesday June 3rd Commercial Poultry Farm Tour
Wednesday June 4th Farm City Day
Thursday June 5th Farm To Table Dinner
For more information please call (931) 762-5506.
Articles for Salute to AG Week
Backyard Chickens: A Growing Trend
The age-old question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” has puzzled many for generations. While the answer remains elusive, this riddle has sparked curiosity and interest in raising backyard chickens. Recently, the popularity of backyard chickens has surged due to egg shortages and rising egg prices. Eggs are not only a nutritional powerhouse but also a staple of breakfast tables worldwide. What better way to tackle this challenge than by raising your own chickens and producing fresh eggs?
Before you bring home your first chickens, there are several important factors to consider. Raising backyard poultry requires significant time, effort, space, and supplies. The costs associated with materials, feed, bedding, and healthcare can make home-raised eggs more expensive than store-bought ones. Developing a budget and paying attention to details is crucial before making your final decision. Additionally, if you live in an urban area, check local regulations to ensure that keeping chickens is permitted.
Most backyard chicken flocks start with the purchase of baby chicks. Caring for baby chicks demands considerable time and labor, as they require special care for several weeks. Baby chicks need a controlled, draft-free environment known as a brooding area. They must be kept warm at around 90-95 degrees Fahrenheit initially, with the temperature gradually reduced by 5 degrees each week until they are ready to acclimate to the outdoors. Some people prefer to skip this phase and purchase pullets, which are young hens that have just started laying eggs. The Lawrence County 4-H Chick Chain Sale in October is an excellent opportunity to buy pullets.
Backyard chickens need a safe, spacious, and well-ventilated coop to protect them. Few backyard flocks are truly free-range due to the risk of predators and diseases. Coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, and hawks pose threats, as do household pets like dogs and cats. Chicken coops help safeguard chickens from diseases and parasites that are more common in free-range birds that interact with wild birds. Avian influenza remains a concern for all poultry owners, making sanitation and biosecurity top priorities.
Raising backyard chickens can be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby, involving the whole family. Producing your own food is incredibly satisfying, and eggs from your chickens just seem to taste better than store-bought ones. UT Extension offers a wealth of information and resources on backyard poultry, including an educational program called “Master Backyard Poultry Producer.” For more information on this class and other poultry resources, visit UT Poultry — https://utpoultry.tennessee.edu/
Lawrence County Commercial Poultry Industry
Commercial poultry production is big business in Lawrence County. According to the 2022 census, Lawrence County ranks 2nd in the state in both number of Layers 20 weeks and older at 438,897 and 2nd in number of pullets for replacements at 299,949. The commercial poultry industry also plays a major role in the $101 million annual market value of Lawrence County farm products which makes agriculture the number economic driver in the county!
In Lawrence County as well as our neighbors in Wayne and Giles Counties, the primary integrator or poultry company that farmers/growers’ partner with is Aviagen. Aviagen is the largest broiler breeding company in the world with 44% of global market share and operates in over 85 countries. In the integrated commercial poultry system, the contract poultry grower owns the real property, the barns, and associated equipment on the farm. The poultry integrator/company (Aviagen) owns the eggs/birds throughout the process. The farmers/growers in Lawrence County are in partnership with Aviagen and are either Great Grandparent Farms, Grandparent Rearing Farms or Grandparent Lay Farms. To date Lawrence County has the following number of commercial poultry farms and houses totaling 80 farms with 149 houses.
23 Great Grandparent (GGP) Farms with 26 houses
23 Grandparent (GP) Rearing Farms with 54 houses
34 Grandparent (GP) Lay Farms with 69 houses
The 80 Commercial Poultry Farms in Lawrence County that partner with Aviagen are all primary breeder farms that are part of the integrated process of providing the genetics through great grandparent and grandparent stock. The structure of the poultry industry genetics starts with the pedigree or elite farms that produce the fertile eggs that will hatch to produce the GGP flocks and the GGP flocks yield chicks for the GP flocks. Throughout this breeding process the integrator/Aviagen is constantly selecting birds for traits that improve production efficiency, feed efficiency, growth rate, meat yield and quality and other positive traits. Lawrence County Commercial Poultry Farmers are at the heart of this process with the GGP and GP Farms.
The GGP and GP Lay Farms have the highest level of labor requirements as these barns are primarily raising fertile eggs for hatching. The growers are paid based on the number of hatching eggs produced. Growers are compensated for good management when egg numbers rise above expectations. These farms are by far the most labor-intensive stage of production. Daily requirements include egg gathering, feeding and watering as well dally environmental and maintenance needs. More equipment and equipment maintenance are needed on these barns which makes them more expensive to build and maintain than GP Rearing Farms.
The GP Rearing/Pullet Farms gets the hatched baby chicks and raises them for approximately 21 weeks. At this point they are caught and moved to another farm for the next stage of the process. The birds in these houses are the integrator’s most critical and expensive part of the live production process. Rearing/Pullet farms typically raise 2 flocks annually. Interaction with the birds is coordinated by the feeding and lighting schedules and most labor occurs in the early mornings. The pullet growers are
responsible for the daily feed, water environmental controls and any other daily needs. Typically, pullet growers are paid based on the housing space and the labor requirements are less than the farms that raise eggs.
Biosecurity is of the utmost importance for Aviagen and Lawrence County Poultry Growers. Avian Influenza has been and will continue to be a serious concern for the poultry industry. Thankfully Lawrence County has not been affected and that is mainly due to the diligence of our growers led by the structure and biosecurity requirements of Aviagen.
One of the most impactful benefits of Lawrence County’s Commercial Poultry Industry is the amount of jobs that it creates in all corners of the county. These jobs are very reliable, good paying and often times allow folks to work in close proximity to their homes in the most rural parts of the county. As we continue to see the vast number of farms being lost to development, the commercial poultry industry has provided an agricultural economic opportunity for families to keep their family farm and provide a very good source of income for families.
From Grocery to Plate: Ensuring Poultry Safety at Every Step
Stacy Clark
Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent
UT/TSU Extension Lawrence County
Food safety is a critical component of every step in the culinary process—from selecting ingredients at the store to preparing and cooking them at home. This is particularly important when handling poultry, as improper storage, preparation, or cooking can significantly increase the risk of foodborne illnesses, including Salmonella. Given the perishable and contamination-prone nature of raw poultry, it is essential to follow food safety guidelines. This article outlines the key practices for ensuring poultry is handled, cooked, and stored safely—whether in the kitchen or on the grill.
Shopping and the Trip Home
The first step to food safety begins at the grocery store. Follow these tips to keep poultry safe from the store to your refrigerator:
- Shop for meat, poultry, and seafood last to limit the time these items are unrefrigerated.
- Keep raw meat, poultry, and fish separate from other foods, especially fresh produce, by using individual bags.
- Store groceries in the coolest part of your car—away from sunlight and heat.
- Refrigerate or freeze meat promptly. In hot weather, poultry should be refrigerated or frozen within 1 hour; in cooler conditions, no more than 2 hours.
- Use a cooler with ice packs if you anticipate delays in getting home or during hot weather transport.
Handling Food Safely at Home
Once poultry is home, how you handle it is just as important as how you cook it. Follow these steps to minimize the risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illness:
- Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry.
- Clean spills immediately, especially juices from raw poultry, which can contain harmful bacteria.
- Sanitize all surfaces and tools that come into contact with raw meat, including cutting boards, knives, countertops, and sinks. Use hot soapy water.
- Marinate poultry in the refrigerator, never on the counter. Discard any marinade that was in contact with raw meat and do not reuse it.
- Use a food thermometer to ensure poultry reaches the correct internal temperature.
- Use a clean plate to remove cooked meat from the grill or oven—never reuse a plate that held raw meat.
- Refrigerate leftovers promptly—within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour in temperatures above 90°F (32°C).
Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Times
Proper storage helps prevent bacterial growth and preserves food quality. Refer to the following chart for safe refrigeration and freezing guidelines:
| Product/Food | In the refrigerator (40° F or below) | In the freezer (0°F or below) |
| Fresh chicken or turkey (whole) | 1 to 2 days | 1 year |
| Fresh chicken or turkey (pieces) | 1 to 2 days | 9 months |
| Raw eggs in shell | 3 to 5 weeks | Do not freeze |
| Hard-cooked eggs | 1 week | Do not freeze |
| Egg substitutes, opened | 3 days | Do not freeze |
| Egg substitutes, unopened | 10 days | 1 year |
| Raw egg whites or yolks | 2 to 4 days | 12 months |
| Cooked poultry (leftovers) | 3 to 4 days | 2 to 6 months |
Safe Cooking Temperatures
Using a food thermometer is the only reliable way to ensure poultry and egg products are cooked to a safe internal temperature. Use the chart below as a reference:
| Food | Internal Temperature (degrees F) |
| Turkey & Chicken | |
| Whole | 165 |
| Breast | 165 |
| Legs & thighs | 165 |
| Stuffing (cooked separately) | 165 |
| Ground | 165 |
| Eggs | |
| Fried, poached | Yolk and white are firm |
| Casseroles | 160 |
| Sauces, custards | 160 |
Whether you’re preparing poultry indoors or grilling outdoors, every step—from shopping to serving—matters when it comes to food safety. By practicing safe handling, storage, and cooking techniques, you protect yourself and others from foodborne illnesses and ensure your meals are not only delicious but also safe.
Crazy Chicken People
You started out so innocent. All you wanted was to be a little more self-sufficient—and to save money while doing it. How did this vision become so distorted? Why did no one warn you of the descent into chaos that your beautiful little vegetable garden would eventually cause? Somehow, you’ve gone from having a cute and manageable garden, to getting a call from the post office to let you know that your order of thirty chickens has just arrived.
So, where did you go wrong, and how can others avoid ending up in this same situation? Well, your first mistake was the garden. It was probably cute and little at first, producing just enough to give you the satisfaction of growing your own food—but not enough for you to can or freeze anything. As the gardening season ended, you probably thought, “I need to scale up next season. That way I can enjoy my food year-round!” This seemed like a great idea, so the next season, you put your plan into action. It was amazing at first, but then you started to run out of freezer space, and you realized that some things just don’t freeze well. This led to canning. LOTS of canning.
When your canning season came to a close, you were pleased with your labor…but you also became bored. After all, canning and gardening had taken of your free time for the last six months. This boredom led to you sitting on the couch watching YouTube. For some reason, the algorithm decided since you were already canning and gardening, you should probably start learning about breadmaking too. You began with basic recipes, and slowly progressed into sourdough. After all, why pay $6 at the store for a sourdough loaf when you have the ingredients at home?
Please note: breadmaking is the gateway drug to chickens. If you haven’t made it to this stage yet, there’s still hope—you may be able to save yourself from the chaos that is chicken parenthood.
Once you reach the sourdough stage, it’s too late. If you have sourdough starter at home, you might as well start building the coop now. Your chicken-free days are numbered. After all, if you can keep sourdough starter—the adult version of Tamagotchi—alive, you can probably keep chickens alive, too. And let’s, you’re tired of going to the store for eggs.
Obviously, you won’t start with many. Eight or ten chickens should be more than enough. You began doing research and decided that you wanted different egg colors, so you needed a few different breeds. What started as looking at egg color somehow evolved into looking at pretty birds. Before you knew it, you had purchased thirty chicks—and now you don’t know what to do with them.
Somehow, your cute garden—meant to save you money—has led you down a rabbit trail that has cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
So, now that you’re officially a crazy chicken person, how do you save money feeding your little freeloaders? The good news is your chickens will be more than happy to take care of most of the kitchen and garden scraps you produce. The bad news? That means there won’t be much left for the compost pile.
These recommendations are supplemental foods for your chickens. They are NOT intended to replace or eliminate the need for a well-balanced feed.
What NOT to feed chickens:
Fatty, salty, or processed foods. They can technically have some dairy, but it should be very limited. Do not give chickens moldy or rotten food. Undercooked or dried beans can harm chickens. Other hazardous foods are avocado pits and skins, apple seeds, rhubarb, raw potato peels, the leafy and green parts of plants in the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant…), raw meat, caffeine, chocolate, citrus, onions, and garlic. If you are unsure if your chickens can have something, research it. Always err on the side of caution if you cannot find reliable information.
What to feed chickens:
Chickens can eat most garden scraps. My family’s flock particularly enjoys sweet corn, brussels sprout leaves, blueberries, squash and leafy greens. Just be warned that once they get a taste for produce, you might need to fortify the garden to prevent a chicken raid. Chickens are also able to eat meat if it is cooked and in small pieces. Bready foods are an option, but should be in moderation as an occasional treat.
So, if you’ve found yourself knee-deep in feathers and feed bills, don’t panic—you’re not the first, and you won’t be the last. The Lawrence County Extension Office has seen it all, and we’re here to help. We can’t fix your chicken math, but we can help you manage the aftermath. Just be sure to call us before you progress past chickens and start ordering goats.