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Ken Enneking, manager of the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse, talks about what's needed to start raising chickens next to a metal tank with young pullets on Monday. For a relatively modest investment, almost anyone can get into the egg production business, at least enough to supply their own family, he said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Ken Enneking, store manager, holds a days-old bard rock pullet chick on Monday at the Tractor Supply Store on Hwy. 110 in Tyler. Cute now, the chick will grow to be a laying hen, and people need to understand the requirements of the critter before investing, Enneking said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Dakota Nelson, a clerk a the Tractor Supply Store , straightens bags of feed on the shelf Monday at the store on Hwy. 110 in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

A sign near the containers of chicks details what people need to know before investing in raising chickens on Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Days-old pullet chicks examine an invading camera in their enclosure Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Store manager Ken Enneking said this is the first time the company has tried marketing chicks in the fall for the portion of the population who likes to raise their own eggs and meat birds. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Pullets, or egg-producing females, huddle together for warmth in an enclosure on Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Cute now, the chick will grow to be a laying hen, and people need to understand the requirements of the critter before investing, Enneking said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Ken Enneking, manager of the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse, talks about what's needed to start raising chickens next to a metal tank with young pullets on Monday. For a relatively modest investment, almost anyone can get into the egg production business, at least enough to supply their own family, he said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Ken Enneking, store manager, holds a days-old bard rock pullet chick on Monday at the Tractor Supply Store on Hwy. 110 in Tyler. Cute now, the chick will grow to be a laying hen, and people need to understand the requirements of the critter before investing, Enneking said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Dakota Nelson, a clerk a the Tractor Supply Store , straightens bags of feed on the shelf Monday at the store on Hwy. 110 in Tyler. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

A sign near the containers of chicks details what people need to know before investing in raising chickens on Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Days-old pullet chicks examine an invading camera in their enclosure Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Store manager Ken Enneking said this is the first time the company has tried marketing chicks in the fall for the portion of the population who likes to raise their own eggs and meat birds. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

Pullets, or egg-producing females, huddle together for warmth in an enclosure on Monday at the Tractor Supply Co. store on Hwy. 110 between Tyler and Whitehouse. Cute now, the chick will grow to be a laying hen, and people need to understand the requirements of the critter before investing, Enneking said. Andrew D. Brosig/Tyler Morning Telegraph via AP

At Tractor Supply Co. on Texas Highway 110 South toward Whitehouse, it sounds like springtime - at least, the peep-peep-peep coming from the display of newly hatched chicks does. Manager Ken Enneking said that for the first time, the store is selling chicks in the fall, in time for them to mature enough to weather the winter, and to be laying eggs by spring.

"We've already sold quite a few," he said early Monday, after he finished cleaning the three tanks lined with shavings and filled with curious chicks. "We'll have another batch come in Thursday or Friday. I'll also try to have some more coops to sell; I sold out of those completely over the weekend."

The chicks come in three varieties: pullets (which will become laying hens), Cornish rocks (chickens of either sex that are more suited for meat production) and "straight run," which could be anything at all. The chicks arrive already sorted, because determining the sex of a newly hatched bird is tricky.

The store sells the chicks in batches of six.

"Most of our customers live in the country, but we do get a few who live inside the city limits and want to try backyard chickens," Enneking said. "We will have coops available for that. More and more people are getting interested in backyard chickens."

Fred Hall, an agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, said he sees two trends converging in the backyard chicken movement.

The first is a renewed concern for sustainable agriculture.

"You have a lot of people who are a generation or two removed from grandma's and grandpa's farm, and still feel linked to it," Hall explained. "They have a tie to agriculture and they want their kids to develop that kind of tie, also."

At the same time, there's growing concern for organic food without a lot of additives.

"People want to know what they're consuming, what they're serving to their kids," he said. "What better way than to raise it yourself?"

Combined, these trends have led to a boom in backyard birds.

"It's not as easy as it looks," he warned. "There's real animal husbandry involved. You have to understand a little of the biology of the animals involved, as well as good, practical management skills. But that's the fun of it - the learning and the teaching of those things."

It all starts with a plan - not with an impulse buy. Too many backyard chicken projects end badly because people didn't plan well, he said.

"If you look at it statewide, there's an increase of birds going to shelters," Hall said. "The birds get older and aren't laying eggs. But it's a pet and they don't want to put it on the grill. Once it's in a shelter, especially a no-kill unit, the shelter is stuck with maintaining it. That's something I try to explain to new people, to let them know there's an end to everything. With chickens and goldfish, it's probably quicker than you'd think."

That's why a business plan is a necessary first step.

"For example, is Henrietta Hen going to stay with us until she dies?" he asked. "That's OK as long as you're willing to take that responsibility. That's part of the reason we stress not giving chicks at Easter. We don't know if that family is really interested in that responsibility."

Families have to think about how much work goes into raising chickens.

"I think this is probably the biggest mistake I see," he said. "It can be way more maintenance than they expect. The second thing I see is people pick the breed that isn't suited to what they want. If they pick a bantam and they have small eggs, and they're big bakers, that's a problem. Or they may get a breed that's not suited to the heat here, as well. Heavier breeds can overheat."

He added that a backyard chicken operation isn't a money-saving proposition.

"You're not going to save money on eggs," You have to be doing this because there's a certain amount of enjoyment in it. By the time you purchase the feed, the equipment, the birds, you're going to have some money invested. And it's going to be more than if you just went to the store and bought a dozen eggs, even organic eggs."

The city of Tyler's rules for backyard chickens are fairly simple. Inside the city limits, residents can keep up to six adult chickens, as long as they're in a coop and are kept 50 feet from any property line.

That leaves out homes on smaller lots - a resident's property has to be at least 100 feet wide and 100 feet long in order to meet the requirements.

Still, city of Tyler Animal Shelter Manager Shawn Markmann said he's seeing more and more families raising backyard chickens.

"There's a push for sustainable farming, and people are thinking more about where their food comes from, so backyard egg projects are becoming popular," Markmann said. "I'm all for it, and I think the city ordinance allows for that sort of thing, as long as they're respectful of their neighbors and keep their flock up."

The most common mistake Markmann sees is improper coop arrangements.

"It has to be a pen that's capable of preventing their escape," he said. "That's the terminology used in the ordinance. That's the standard we have to go by. Some folks build really nice pens, others just have a structure with some chicken wire, and they just hope it will keep the chickens confined. We have to explain how industrious chickens can be about getting out."

And not only that, how industrious predators can be about getting in.

But what happens when chickens do escape? The result, Markmann said, is a population of feral chickens - something the animal control department has to deal with. He calls it a "chicken chase."

"In a city this size, you probably have quite a few," he said of feral flocks. "The calls come in waves. You might go for months without hearing about any, and then we might pick up two or three in a week."

His department tries to prevent chickens from being released by talking with residents before it becomes a problem.

"Most of our enforcement is really just education," he said. "People get chickens because they want the eggs, and that's great. But we'll come along, and we explain that you have to take care of them, that they can't be running loose."

At Tractor Supply, Enneking said a backyard chicken operation takes some dedication, commitment, but a relatively minor investment for an agricultural endeavor.

"At the top end, you'll spend say $18 to $20 for the birds themselves," he said. "Then you'll need a brooder lamp and bulb, a feeder for feed and water, and a tank of some kind to put them in until they have their feathers and are ready to go out. You'll need shavings for the bottom of the tank."

In all, he said, families should be able to start a backyard operation for $50 or less.

There's a time commitment, as well. Newly hatched chicks can take six to eight weeks to mature enough to be safe in a coop. And it takes a full six months for hens to start laying.

During those months, numerous predators are going to go on the prowl for those backyard fowl.

"Everything from cats to dogs to coyotes to raccoons to possums to hawks," Enneking said. "They all want them."

Still, for families with some patience and willingness to learn, backyard chickens can be a rewarding hobby.

"A lot of people really enjoy this," he said.

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“Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” (Titus 2:2)