How Raising Chickens Helped With This Black Man’s Mental Health
hen Reec Swiney handed me a baby chicken, my heart melted. It was the first time I had held a baby chicken. I cupped my hands together to make sure it didn’t fall and stared into its tiny beady eyes. I instantly felt better, like the baby chicken could feel my love. The little guy chirped loudly for its siblings as it tried to flap its underdeveloped wings and fly into my lap.
Reec had just brought four new chicks home and getting them strong and healthy enough to join the flock wasn’t going to be easy.
Swiney, who is a Black man, is the founder of BlackYard Chickenz, a family company dedicated to teaching everything there is about raising healthy and happy chickens in an urban space. Swiney built a chicken coop in the backyard of his Atlanta area home and for the past year has been growing a small business dedicated to the beautiful bird. BlackYard Chickenz is an amazing resource for anyone interested in learning about raising livestock in their backyard. They also sell fresh tasty eggs to the community daily.