Yesterday was “Chick Day” at Talmage Farm Agway in Riverhead and the event drew hundreds of people to the Osborn Avenue store to learn about raising chickens — and to get an up-close look at baby chicks as well as full-grown hens.
Feed company Nutrena gave three presentations on raising chickens — and there was record-setting attendance. Talmage Farm Agway general manager Bill Van Schaick said more than 160 people attended the free education sessions.
“Today happens to be National Poultry Day,” Van Schaick said. “That might have had something to do with it.” People came from all over the tri-state region for instruction on the care of chickens.
Talmage Farm Agway will take delivery of 6,000 chicks this year, Van Schaick said. The store will get in one shipment of turkeys, ducks and guinea hens, he said. Chicks can be sold only in groups of six or more, as per N.Y. State law. Older birds, called pullets, can be sold individually or in smaller groups.
The chick cages were a popular place for children yesterday, who watched the baby birds eat and petted their heads.
Representatives of the Suffolk County Farm were on hand with eggs in a hatching incubator and newborn chicks in a box under a lamp for warmth. They explained the incubation and hatching process to interested visitors.
Public interest in backyard chickens has risen as people grow more interested in knowing where their food is coming from and eating local, Van Schaick said.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti
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