The pandemic has caused an interesting twist in what Americans are storing in their backyards. Thanks to lockdowns and shortages of food, people are bringing chickens home to roost. Businesses that sell live poultry, chicken coops, and other supplies are seeing increased demand in their services as people are forced to hunker down and develop new hobbies to keep them occupied and fed.

According to AP, Mark Podgwaite, a chicken breeder from Vermont and the head of the American Poultry Association, says there has been an uptick in people interested in raising fowl since COVID-19 began.

“Without question, the resurgence on raising backyard poultry has been unbelievable over the past year,” he said. “It just exploded. Whether folks wanted birds just for eggs or eggs and meat, it seemed to really, really take off.”

According to Chris Lesley, editor-in-chief of Chickens and More, a magazine for those who want to raise backyard chickens, “The practice of keeping a few chickens in the backyard for eggs, meat, and company has been growing steadily for 10 years, but COVID-19 lockdowns have led to a massive boom in people starting new coops and expanding old ones.”

She added that the increase in “COVID-19 cluckers,” can also be attributed to the way the pandemic revealed weakness in our food supply system with grocery shelves often stripped bare, so Americans feel safer having their own food sources right in their backyards.

“Starting a chicken coop can feel like a protective measure, a way to ensure that, no matter what happens, the household will have eggs and meat, and if the chickens accompany a garden, vegetables,” said Lesley. “Especially in a time where nothing feels certain, that security will feel particularly important and comforting.”