Jennifer Murtoff grew up around chickens.
“My grandfather was a farmer, and I’ve been around chickens for as long as I can remember,” said Murtoff, of Broadview.
When she was in fourth grade, she participated in an embryology project in science class through 4-H.
“I got to keep two chicks,” she said. “Then I inherited a classmate’s chicks, and my grandfather gave me a hybrid layer. Pretty soon I had an incubator and was hatching chickens, ducks and quail. In addition, I had geese, golden pheasants, peafowl, and I hand-raised a pigeon.”
Murtoff continued raising chickens until she entered college. In 2008, she turned her lifelong passion into a business when she founded Home to Roost LLC.
Home to Roost is a microbusiness that specializes in helping chickens and their owners. Murtoff teaches classes to educate people about chicken keeping. She also does house calls to assist with emergency troubleshooting and provide veterinary recommendations.
Through her business, she also boards birds—especially those with medical needs—and performs necropsies (chicken autopsies).
“It all began when I walked into my accountant’s office with my rubber chicken purse, and he told me he wanted to get chickens,” she said. “We started talking about my childhood experiences, and he said, ‘You could be a chicken consultant.’”
Immediately after the meeting, Murtoff mocked up business cards on Vistaprint, and people started taking her seriously.
“I love chickens and want them to be happy and healthy,” she said. “With the growing interest in the Chicagoland area, starting the business seemed like a natural way to accomplish that goal and use the skills and experience I gained as a kid.”
Murtoff has also provided chicken wrangling services for photo shoots, indie films and music videos.
“Chickens are a great neighborhood-building experience and fun for the whole family,” she said. “Many clients have told me that they’re better than television.”
While chickens can be fun, Murtoff said it’s important to remember that they are a 24/7 commitment.
“You need to feed and water them morning and evening, and let them out of and back into the coop,” she said. “If you leave town for the weekend, you should plan to have someone care for them.”
Hens lay the most eggs in the first two to three years of life, but they can live to be 10 years old.
Murtoff said that because of this, potential chicken owners should consider what happens to older hens who are no longer laying regularly. Chickens are also prey animals, and must be thought about differently than typical household pets.
“Is she a pet or livestock?” Murtoff asked. “Hens often stop laying in winter, due to shorter days, and during the molt, when they lose and regrow their feathers. If you hatch eggs, 50 percent will be male, so you need to figure out what happens to the boys before you set the eggs.”
Her advice for beginners? Do your homework.
“The more you know, the better,” she said.
Murtoff will be hosting the following upcoming classes on backyard chicken basics: July 31 at the Des Plaines Public Library; and Sept. 23 at the Lisle Public Library. For more information, visit https://htrchickens.com.
