Dan Probst, a retired restaurateur who raises chickens in Hunt County, says his urban sales have risen fivefold since last year. Hens typically cost between $15 and $40. At their peak, they can lay an egg a day. "Explosive growth," he said. A pastime once limited to the occasional overachieving gardener, backyard chicken farming has caught fire among suburbanites craving a slice of the countryside and the promise of fresh eggs. Not all are enamored of the trend, which some view as but an eco-friendly fad. Concerns about noise, odors and sanitation abound. (Supporters say those worries are unfounded.) And...
