Law To Relax Rules On Colorado Small Chicken Farmers

It's about to get easier for small-time chicken farmers in Colorado to sell their birds to consumers, but not to grocery stores.

A bill signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper also expands the so-called "Cottage Foods" law to allow home cooks who make food that doesn't need refrigeration to sell directly to consumers.

The new law says chicken farmers who produce fewer than 1,000 birds a year are exempt from slaughter and processing regulations.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the bill makes food safety classes optional. Such classes remain mandatory for small foods producers.