For those who know, there’s nothing like the taste of a truly fresh egg. That, and the rising price of store-bought and farmer-market eggs is fueling the high-flying trend of raising backyard hens.

If you’ve harbored a notion to go for home-grown eggs but are too chicken to start, an upcoming conference in Alabama may be just what you need to get in on the laying game.

Riding on the wings of a successful first year, the “Cooptastic” conference is back.

Designed for backyard poultry owners and wannabes, Cooptastic is slated to take place March 15-16 at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana.

“Cooptastic is the nation’s premier backyard poultry conference,” said Brigid McCrea, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System poultry specialist. “There are so few of these opportunities designed just for backyard poultry growers, so I am proud to have this type of outlet here in Alabama.”

Cooptastic offers sessions for egg-raising aspirants, and for the seasoned backyard veteran. (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)

The conference offers sessions on a variety of backyard-poultry topics, from food preservation to coop care and maintenance, chicken nutrition and much more.

“This year’s conference is chocked full of the science-based information that small-flock owners need addressed,” McCrea said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for people to speak one-on-one with some of the foremost individuals in the world of poultry science.”

And, for the first 75 registrants, the conference is free. After the first 75 register, the cost is a modest $35 for two days or $20 for one day. Lunch is included, but you must pre-register online to receive the meal.

There’s even an opportunity to stay overnight at the Alabama 4-H Center, located on 400 forested acres along the shores of Alabama Power’s Lay Lake. Contact the center for availability.

Each day, the conference will have two learning tracks for participants. On March 15 the tracks are “Hobby to Business” and “Homesteading.” On March 16, it’s “Beginning Poultry” and “Advanced Poultry Keeper.” See the full schedule here.

This year’s event is also drawing industry vendors, who will showcase products for homesteaders and backyard producers. Among the brands expected at the event, McCrea said, are Alabama-based Tucker Milling as well as Roots & Harvest, Stromberg’s and Nutrena.

Statistics estimating how many Americans raise backyard chickens are sketchy, but a study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2013 predicted that 13 million people, or 5% of Americans, would be rearing backyard birds by 2019.

Then came the COVID-19 global pandemic, which reportedly triggered a surge in interest in backyard chicken-raising. Spikes in egg prices in recent years also has spurred more folks to grow their own.

Sharon Bergeron, who lives in the Birmingham suburb of Mountain Brook, has three chickens – Lucy, Althea and Bertha. She had four, but recently lost Henrietta to a hungry hawk.

“We love watching them. We are also vegetarians most of the time, so we really enjoy their eggs for the protein content, and they are more nutritious than the ones sitting in the store,” Bergeron said. “And, we know exactly how fresh they are.”

Sharon Bergeron, with Althea. (Peter Bergeron)

A couple of the Bergeron’s chickens. (Peter Bergeron)

Bergeron gets, on average, two eggs a day, which is plenty for her family of three, plus enough to share with her egg-eager friends.

“Instead of showing up with a bottle of wine, I like to bring my girlfriends eggs. They love it,” Bergeron said.

To learn more about the upcoming Cooptastic Conference, visit the conference web page or contact McCrea directly at mccreba@auburn.edu.

Information from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System was used in this report.