Fowl language

‘Chicken Whisperer’ broadcasts in Americus

Carly Farrell

AMERICUS — Andy Schneider may not know why the chicken crossed the road or if the chicken or the egg came first, but he sure knows how to talk, or whisper, about chickens — and roosters and chicks.

Schneider, who is known as the “Chicken Whisperer” to his fans — and his sponsor, Purina, has an internationally-broadcast radio show via the Internet he hosts from noon to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and some Saturdays. He typically broadcasts, when he’s at home, from Alpharetta, but Thursday, his wife had a teachers’ conference at Lake Blackshear, so Schneider followed her to the area, and broadcast his radio show from Farmer’s Feed and Seed in Americus.

Schneider laughed and said before being asked, that he didn’t actually communicate with chickens. Most people hear “Chicken Whisperer” and think “Horse Whisperer,” referring to a group of people who seem to be able to tame horses with their minds.

Although Schneider has 32 chickens at home, he doesn’t try communicating with them.

“They’re my pets,” Schneider said.

His radio show is geared toward people who want to starts having chickens in their back yards in suburban and urban areas.

“I really began (the show) to help people start,” Schneider said. “I had to do a lot of learning by trial and error, and I hope my listeners can learn from my mistakes and not make my same mistakes.”

He began his career as a paramedic for Grady Hospital in Atlanta, but Schneider said most people can only do that job for a few years before it begins taking its toll on their bodies; he then began a small business selling hospital supplies and helping people in the medical field keep up with their certifications.

About three years ago, Schneider was driving to a conference to make a presentation in South Georgia when he passed a feed and seed store much like Farmer’s Feed and Seed in Americus; he stopped and bought a few chicks there and took them back home with him, and that’s when his new career was born. His wife took a liking to the chicks, and when Schneider was going on another trip to South Georgia, his wife asked him to bring back some more chicks because she enjoyed them so much.

He began his radio show about a year ago, and it’s taken flight since. He’s broadcast all over the world now, and has been featured on CNN, ABC and NBC. But, what he’s most proud of is being featured on the front page of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which was then picked up by the Associated Press, so his story was picked up by newspapers across the nation and world.

Schneider has guests — and callers — from all walks of life, and takes pride in being the only show to honestly be fair and balanced.

“I tell people I’m the only person in the media who’s really fair and balanced; chickens have a right wing — and a left wing, too!” Schneider said.

Career chicken farmers will ask Schneider how to utilize their farms best, while vegans and vegetarians will call Schneider to make sure they’re taking the best care of their pet chickens.

“It’s so diverse,” Schneider said. “But I love it!”

He said 84 percent of his listeners are women, and many of them want to maintain a more self-sustaining lifestyle. So, 60 percent of the time, Schneider talks about chickens, and the rest of the time, he discusses things such as baking bread and cooking meals and “how to live a simpler life.”

Schneider said chickens are not only good for producing eggs and keeping as pets, but they’re also a great way to reduce insects in back yards, to use as an educational tool and people can use their waste to fertilize gardens and crops.

They also are great at eating table scraps.

“They love eating scraps,” Schneider said.

Schneider said that if everyone were to have a chicken, and feed it the scraps from every meal, it would greatly reduce waste in landfills.

He said that a hen can eat seven pounds of scraps in a month, so that’s 84 pounds in a year, which could potentially save tons of waste, which would reduce the need for landfill space.

Schneider will begin his national tour in April in Tennessee. He’ll go on the radio for an hour, and then teach a class for about an hour and a half on his tour.

For more information, visit www.chickenwhisperer.net

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