In 2020, the supply chain experienced disruptions that no one in my generation had ever seen. It became even more apparent to those who believe in the power of self-reliance that it is up to us to take care of ourselves. Backyard farming began booming, along with an increased interest in raising chickens.
Since then, efforts to balance self-sustainable lifestyles have been threatened. Government interference in normal healthy practices continues to grow amid concerns over “public safety.”
During the pandemic, my family added fruit trees to our already-growing vegetable garden and discussed getting chickens. It offered a sense of peace in a time of unprecedented government overreach.
The years to come offered plenty of related concerns. In 2022, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) unveiled its “People’s Garden Initiative.” This encouraged Americans to register their backyard, school, and community gardens and is still being presented as a beneficial collaboration.
But if you read the full breakdown, it advances “equity” and other “DEI” and Green New Deal initiatives that reek of a government takeover. I, like many other Americans who value their freedoms, have not registered my garden because my food belongs to me and is no one else’s business.
Now as avian flu is making headlines, fears that “they’re coming for your chickens” are being realized.
Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) admits that “the current public health risk is low,” it also posted that more than 90 million detections have been found in wild birds and backyard and
