TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA)-The McFerrins have had chickens for six years now.
They say it's something that do as a family to socialize together.
"It's a lot of fun.," says Stacy McFerrin. "It gives us something to do in the afternoon. We let them out in the afternoon so that they can peck around the ground for about an hour, and when it gets dark they go back in their pen."
These chickens aren't any different than any other chicken, but they are held and talked to like a family pet dog or cat would be.
City of Tupelo Environmental planner Sherrie Cochran says there are pros to having chickens as pets.
"For one thing you don't have to walk them," says Cochran. "They take care of themselves as far as that goes. You feed them and water them and keep their place clean, and the bonus is you get to have fresh eggs."
The McFerrins say chickens are a very easy pet to take care of.
"I put them on a feeder," says McFerrin. "I don't have to feed them but every three or four days. I use alfalfa in the pen. It helps when it gets wet or rains, it gives them something to walk on. There is nothing to it."
The McFerrins aren't the only ones who have caught on to the backyard chicken trend.
So many people are trying them out that Cochran and others with the city of Tupelo are hosting a competition for the chicks.
"We are featuring children who have aquired 20 chickens and raised them all," says Cochran. "There will be 180 in all. They will pick the best 6 and bring them to the Farmer's Market, and we will have a judge from Mississippi State to pick the best of the best to go on to the State Competition."
The competition will be Thursday at the Tupelo Farmers Market from 5:30-7:30.
