And the blog is coming out of hiatus!
Some of you readers may remember I went to school in San Diego, so it should be no surprise I get to share this great video about Urban Chickens in San Diego, produced by Dominic Fulgoni:
I can certainly associate with Shelly Stewart's story as to how she got into urban chickens (fresh eggs, control over food sourcing). It's also great to see that the Department of Animal Services reports they don't have problems with urban chickens as many would expect.
Hope you and your hens are having a great summer!
View the Original article
Showing posts with label urban. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban. Show all posts
Friday, September 23, 2011
Black Friday Deals for Urban Chicken Lovers
Black Friday deals on urban chicken coops? Yes, indeed! If you've been sitting on the sidelines of the urban chicken movement waiting for an incentive to buy your coop and chicks in advance of the 2011 season, now's your chance.
Omlet is having a Black Friday sale on all their Eglu coops, offering $200 off an Eglu Classic, $100 off an Eglu Cube and $50 off an Eglu Go. You'll recall that I got started with urban chickens thanks to an orange Eglu Classic, and I'm a huge fan of the design and simplicity of these robust plastic coops.MyPetChicken.com is offering $25 toward the 2011 chicks with the purchase of any coop (including their overstock coops on sale). They've also got all kinds of fun gifts for chicken lovers.While most of us don't really start planning for next year's garden until the turn of the year, if you do a little planning ahead (like: now) you could save a lot of money on backyard-fresh eggs for next summer.
Happy Holidays to you!
DISCLOSURE: I don't receive any commission on any sales from Omlet or MyPetChicken, I'm just a huge fan of their businesses and all they've done to keep the urban chicken movement growing strong. Please support them this holiday season.
View the Original article
Omlet is having a Black Friday sale on all their Eglu coops, offering $200 off an Eglu Classic, $100 off an Eglu Cube and $50 off an Eglu Go. You'll recall that I got started with urban chickens thanks to an orange Eglu Classic, and I'm a huge fan of the design and simplicity of these robust plastic coops.MyPetChicken.com is offering $25 toward the 2011 chicks with the purchase of any coop (including their overstock coops on sale). They've also got all kinds of fun gifts for chicken lovers.While most of us don't really start planning for next year's garden until the turn of the year, if you do a little planning ahead (like: now) you could save a lot of money on backyard-fresh eggs for next summer.
Happy Holidays to you!
DISCLOSURE: I don't receive any commission on any sales from Omlet or MyPetChicken, I'm just a huge fan of their businesses and all they've done to keep the urban chicken movement growing strong. Please support them this holiday season.
View the Original article
How to give away an unwanted urban chicken, part 1
Wow, we had some great comments on last month's post about what to do when chickens no longer lay eggs both here on the blog and on the Urban Chickens Facebook page. Given the choice between processing a hen and giving her away, the vast majority of respondents recommended finding a new home for the chook.
View the Original article
View the Original article
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Georgia to Legalize Urban Chickens at State Level?
If you've taken a look at the nascent Urban Chickens Network Legal Resource Center, you know that trying to keep track of the seemingly endless variations of ordinances regarding keeping chickens in the backyard is a difficult task, at best.
It seems every town and city has to have its own version of the law allowing urban chickens (if, indeed, they are allowed), and depending on just where you're geographically located, you may not enjoy the same chicken-owning rights as your next door neighbor.
Thanks to frequent reader Linda S, I've been alerted to an interesting approach being proposed in the state of Georgia. The Georgia General Assembly is considering a statewide law governing the growing of crops and keeping of small animals in HB 842 - Agriculture; preempt certain local ordinances; protect right to grow food crops; provisions.
The First Reader Summary says
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to agriculture, so as to preempt certain local ordinances relating to production of agricultural or farm products; to protect the right to grow food crops and raise small animals on private property so long as such crops and animals are used for human consumption by the occupants, gardeners, or raisers and their households and not for commercial purposes; to define a term; to provide for effect on certain private agreements and causes of action; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.Now, whether or not the bill passes, I like this approach: deal with matters on a state level so that the constituents don't have to scratch their heads wondering whether something legal or illegal based on the whims of the local government.
It'd sure go a long way toward simplifying the process of knowing where your food comes from.
Does anyone know of another state that is considering (or has even passed) such a law?
Oh, and have you yet added your own town's urban chicken ordinance to the Urban Chickens Network Legal Resource Center? We're at 36 cities and growing!
Photo credit: atlexplorer on Flickr
View the Original article
It seems every town and city has to have its own version of the law allowing urban chickens (if, indeed, they are allowed), and depending on just where you're geographically located, you may not enjoy the same chicken-owning rights as your next door neighbor.
Thanks to frequent reader Linda S, I've been alerted to an interesting approach being proposed in the state of Georgia. The Georgia General Assembly is considering a statewide law governing the growing of crops and keeping of small animals in HB 842 - Agriculture; preempt certain local ordinances; protect right to grow food crops; provisions.
The First Reader Summary says
A BILL to be entitled an Act to amend Chapter 1 of Title 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general provisions relative to agriculture, so as to preempt certain local ordinances relating to production of agricultural or farm products; to protect the right to grow food crops and raise small animals on private property so long as such crops and animals are used for human consumption by the occupants, gardeners, or raisers and their households and not for commercial purposes; to define a term; to provide for effect on certain private agreements and causes of action; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.Now, whether or not the bill passes, I like this approach: deal with matters on a state level so that the constituents don't have to scratch their heads wondering whether something legal or illegal based on the whims of the local government.
It'd sure go a long way toward simplifying the process of knowing where your food comes from.
Does anyone know of another state that is considering (or has even passed) such a law?
Oh, and have you yet added your own town's urban chicken ordinance to the Urban Chickens Network Legal Resource Center? We're at 36 cities and growing!
Photo credit: atlexplorer on Flickr
View the Original article
Urban Chickens Strengthen a Community (video)
(note: updated the embedded video to point to vimeo version on 3/3/10)
Lisa Schneider's created a nice mini-documentary showing just what happens to her El Cerrito neighborhood with the introduction of backyard chickens.
Are we bowling alone? Think again! Schneider shows how the act of owning urban chickens helps weave connections within and across a neighborhood. She shows that they're not just one person's chickens, they're the community's chickens.
In interview after interview you can see a social community has been created resulting in greater emotional and social support for everyone involved.
I found I could recognize many of the same reactions that Schneider's neighbors had mirrored those of my own neighbors. Have you seen the same thing happen when people discover you own urban chickens?
View the Original article
Lisa Schneider's created a nice mini-documentary showing just what happens to her El Cerrito neighborhood with the introduction of backyard chickens.
Are we bowling alone? Think again! Schneider shows how the act of owning urban chickens helps weave connections within and across a neighborhood. She shows that they're not just one person's chickens, they're the community's chickens.
Chickens Create Community on Elm Street from Linda Schneider on Vimeo.
In interview after interview you can see a social community has been created resulting in greater emotional and social support for everyone involved.
I found I could recognize many of the same reactions that Schneider's neighbors had mirrored those of my own neighbors. Have you seen the same thing happen when people discover you own urban chickens?
View the Original article
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Urban Chickens help teach children about food
I'm a huge fan of Jamie Oliver, naked chef and -- more recently -- food activist.
Just a year after I became an urban chicken farmer, I started seeing Oliver's work in England on behalf of chicken welfare. He's been credited with convincing some of the larger grocers in the UK to stop purchasing battery hens -- those chickens raised in horrid cramped conditions for the 39 days it takes to get from chick to plucked carcass in the local meat section.
Now, Oliver is setting his sights on the obesity epidemic caused by the crap food the majority of us eat day in and day out. I'm thrilled to see he received a TED prize this past week. You can watch the video here: Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food. It's about 21 minutes long, but it's worth every moment.
View the Original article
Just a year after I became an urban chicken farmer, I started seeing Oliver's work in England on behalf of chicken welfare. He's been credited with convincing some of the larger grocers in the UK to stop purchasing battery hens -- those chickens raised in horrid cramped conditions for the 39 days it takes to get from chick to plucked carcass in the local meat section.
Now, Oliver is setting his sights on the obesity epidemic caused by the crap food the majority of us eat day in and day out. I'm thrilled to see he received a TED prize this past week. You can watch the video here: Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food. It's about 21 minutes long, but it's worth every moment.
View the Original article
Do urban chickens attract urban rats?
#$! rats?
The sudden arrival of rodents in the neighborhood is an issue no one particularly likes. And when they do arrive (or simply come out of hiding), folks are quick to try and find someone or something to blame.
Enter urban chickens to take the blame.
I fear some urban chicken proponents might be too quick to state that urban chickens are NOT the reason rats show up in a neighborhood.
Let's look at the rat facts as related by Judy Haley in her ChronicleHerald.ca article, "Urban chickens bring urban rats":
rats flock to food sources; they remain close to the food source and breed; rats are attracted to bird seed and chicken feed; if rats were already present, they multiply once a new food source is introduced; and areas of clutter also provide nesting spots for rats.I won't argue with any of the above facts (I had a pet rat in college and can see each of these as true). Moreover, I can see where irresponsible storage of food or upkeep of one's yard could contribute to many of the attractions for rats.
However, to link the appearance of urban rats solely on the keeping of chickens in an urban setting seems to be using a bit too broad a brush to paint the blame. There are many food sources, not the least of which is improper keeping of trash in between pickups, leaving kibble in a bowl for "outdoor cats" or yard-kept dogs, seeds and pellets in a bird feeder, etc.
Responsible urban chicken farmers know to keep a clean coop, to only put as much feed as necessary out for the chooks while storing the rest in an air- and water-tight container, and disposing of any coop clutter (poop, nesting material, etc) quickly and thoroughly.
So, yes, the opportunity is there for irresponsible urban chicken keeping to attract rats, but common sense (which unfortunately seems in short supply in some places) should help keep rats from becoming a problem.
Have you noticed rats around your hen house? How have you taken care of the problem?
UPDATE (2/22): Following a discussion on rats on a listserv, I found this great resource from UC IPM on how to "manage" rats: Rat Management Guidelines.
Photo Credit: Matthieu A. on Flickr
View the Original article
The sudden arrival of rodents in the neighborhood is an issue no one particularly likes. And when they do arrive (or simply come out of hiding), folks are quick to try and find someone or something to blame.
Enter urban chickens to take the blame.
I fear some urban chicken proponents might be too quick to state that urban chickens are NOT the reason rats show up in a neighborhood.
Let's look at the rat facts as related by Judy Haley in her ChronicleHerald.ca article, "Urban chickens bring urban rats":
rats flock to food sources; they remain close to the food source and breed; rats are attracted to bird seed and chicken feed; if rats were already present, they multiply once a new food source is introduced; and areas of clutter also provide nesting spots for rats.I won't argue with any of the above facts (I had a pet rat in college and can see each of these as true). Moreover, I can see where irresponsible storage of food or upkeep of one's yard could contribute to many of the attractions for rats.
However, to link the appearance of urban rats solely on the keeping of chickens in an urban setting seems to be using a bit too broad a brush to paint the blame. There are many food sources, not the least of which is improper keeping of trash in between pickups, leaving kibble in a bowl for "outdoor cats" or yard-kept dogs, seeds and pellets in a bird feeder, etc.
Responsible urban chicken farmers know to keep a clean coop, to only put as much feed as necessary out for the chooks while storing the rest in an air- and water-tight container, and disposing of any coop clutter (poop, nesting material, etc) quickly and thoroughly.
So, yes, the opportunity is there for irresponsible urban chicken keeping to attract rats, but common sense (which unfortunately seems in short supply in some places) should help keep rats from becoming a problem.
Have you noticed rats around your hen house? How have you taken care of the problem?
UPDATE (2/22): Following a discussion on rats on a listserv, I found this great resource from UC IPM on how to "manage" rats: Rat Management Guidelines.
Photo Credit: Matthieu A. on Flickr
View the Original article
urban chickens are excellent composters
Putting it bluntly: urban gardeners are silly for not also having urban chickens.
It turns out nitrogen-rich chicken poop isn't the only way that urban chickens rock the compost pile.
According to an (otherwise mediocre) article in the Columbia Missorian:
A study found that a hen can consume about 7 pounds of food scraps a month, or about 84 pounds a year.
"If a city had 2,000 households with three hens or more each, that translates to 252 tons of biomass that's diverted from landfills,"
View the Original article
It turns out nitrogen-rich chicken poop isn't the only way that urban chickens rock the compost pile.
According to an (otherwise mediocre) article in the Columbia Missorian:
A study found that a hen can consume about 7 pounds of food scraps a month, or about 84 pounds a year.
"If a city had 2,000 households with three hens or more each, that translates to 252 tons of biomass that's diverted from landfills,"
View the Original article
Reason # 372 to keep urban chickens: they make us self-sufficient
This week has been a great example of why I love writing this blog. Readers know the other day I posted about how efficient chickens are as composters in our backyards.
In response to that post, I got a delightful comment from Pat Foreman going deeper into the issue of chickens and sustainability and how, by raising urban chickens, we're actually doing quite a bit to help sustain this big green planet of ours.
It turns out Pat has written a book based on another book written over 50 years ago, The Have-More Plan: A Little Land – A Lot of Living which inspired millions of people, recovering from World War II, to be more self-sufficient. (NOTE: I haven't read the book yet, but it's on order)
Pat and I exchanged a couple messages and she agreed I could re-post her comment here so we could all benefit. Here it is:
City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Supplies
View the Original article
In response to that post, I got a delightful comment from Pat Foreman going deeper into the issue of chickens and sustainability and how, by raising urban chickens, we're actually doing quite a bit to help sustain this big green planet of ours.
It turns out Pat has written a book based on another book written over 50 years ago, The Have-More Plan: A Little Land – A Lot of Living which inspired millions of people, recovering from World War II, to be more self-sufficient. (NOTE: I haven't read the book yet, but it's on order)
Pat and I exchanged a couple messages and she agreed I could re-post her comment here so we could all benefit. Here it is:
City Chicks: Keeping Micro-flocks of Chickens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Supplies
View the Original article
Friday, September 2, 2011
Backyard Bunnies are NOT the Next Urban Chickens
An article appeared over on the GOOD blog this week proclaiming backyard bunnies to be the next urban chickens, and it seems this proclamation has some resonance amongst the sustainability crowd, as it was tweeted and retweeted quite a bit over the last few days.
Let me set this straight. Backyard Bunnies are NOT the next Urban Chickens for one simple reason: you don't kill your chicken at harvest time.
Urban chickens will provide a regular supply of protein-packed eggs for at least three years (sometimes much longer) and there's no blood on your hands. Raising chickens means entering a nurturing relationship with an animal that rewards you sustainably and over time.
Bunnies, on the other hand, only give up their protein once: and that's after the slaughter. And I'm not so sure mainstream America are ready to have a bunch of slaughter operations going on in the suburbs. (Heck, they're having a hard enough time with the chicken poop).
Sure, there are many reasons why rabbits are, indeed a good source of meat, as the GOOD article details, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
If you want to know how difficult it is to kill a bunny, I recommend reading Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
View the Original article
Let me set this straight. Backyard Bunnies are NOT the next Urban Chickens for one simple reason: you don't kill your chicken at harvest time.
Urban chickens will provide a regular supply of protein-packed eggs for at least three years (sometimes much longer) and there's no blood on your hands. Raising chickens means entering a nurturing relationship with an animal that rewards you sustainably and over time.
Bunnies, on the other hand, only give up their protein once: and that's after the slaughter. And I'm not so sure mainstream America are ready to have a bunch of slaughter operations going on in the suburbs. (Heck, they're having a hard enough time with the chicken poop).
Sure, there are many reasons why rabbits are, indeed a good source of meat, as the GOOD article details, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
If you want to know how difficult it is to kill a bunny, I recommend reading Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
View the Original article
Urban Chicken Coop Tours in 2010
Spring is almost here!!! I've started to see news of urban chicken coop tours float through the internets, so I'm going to list those I know (and ask you to help me grow the list):
April 3, 2010: Austin's Funky Chicken Coop Tour April 11, 2010: Pioneer Valley (Western Mass) Local Chicken Coop TourApril 18, 2010: Dallas, TX A Peep at the Coops tour May 8, 2010: Bend Oregon's First Annual Chicken Coop Tour May 15, 2010: Raleigh's Hen-side the Beltline Tour d'CoopMay 22, 2010: Davis (CA) Tour de Cluck
June 6, 2010: Southern Illinois Coops du Jour June 27, 2010: Salt Lake City Tour de Coops
July 10, 2010: Seattle Tilth's City Chickens Tour July 24, 2010: The Portland (Ore) Tour de CoopsJuly 24, 2010: Everett, WA Coop TourSept 11, 2010: Los Angeles, CA (Westchester area) Cluck Trek October 30, 2010: McClellan, SC Eggstravaganza Cities where there were tours last year but I've not yet seen news about 2010: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Madison, Spokane, Tucson. As soon as I can confirm dates for this year, I'll add them to the list above.
As I said last year, Whether you're still at the planning stages of urban chicken farming or have had your own coop for years, going on chicken coop tour is a great way to see how others look after their chooks, get some inspiration for changes you might make to your own urban chicken setup or just meet your fellow backyard chicken fans on a beautiful day around the city.
If you know of a coop tour I've missed, please drop me a line or add it in the comments and I'll update this post to include it. Thanks, and have fun on your tours!
Photo credit: aehack on Flickr
View the Original article
April 3, 2010: Austin's Funky Chicken Coop Tour April 11, 2010: Pioneer Valley (Western Mass) Local Chicken Coop TourApril 18, 2010: Dallas, TX A Peep at the Coops tour May 8, 2010: Bend Oregon's First Annual Chicken Coop Tour May 15, 2010: Raleigh's Hen-side the Beltline Tour d'CoopMay 22, 2010: Davis (CA) Tour de Cluck
June 6, 2010: Southern Illinois Coops du Jour June 27, 2010: Salt Lake City Tour de Coops
July 10, 2010: Seattle Tilth's City Chickens Tour July 24, 2010: The Portland (Ore) Tour de CoopsJuly 24, 2010: Everett, WA Coop TourSept 11, 2010: Los Angeles, CA (Westchester area) Cluck Trek October 30, 2010: McClellan, SC Eggstravaganza Cities where there were tours last year but I've not yet seen news about 2010: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Madison, Spokane, Tucson. As soon as I can confirm dates for this year, I'll add them to the list above.
As I said last year, Whether you're still at the planning stages of urban chicken farming or have had your own coop for years, going on chicken coop tour is a great way to see how others look after their chooks, get some inspiration for changes you might make to your own urban chicken setup or just meet your fellow backyard chicken fans on a beautiful day around the city.
If you know of a coop tour I've missed, please drop me a line or add it in the comments and I'll update this post to include it. Thanks, and have fun on your tours!
Photo credit: aehack on Flickr
View the Original article
The Hen Cam: Raising Urban Chickens Vicariously
If you are one of the unfortunate many who can't keep chickens on your own either because they are illegal or you don't have room or you simply don't have the time, there's still a way for you to get your urban chicken on!
View the Original article
View the Original article
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Urban Chickens and Conspicuous Consumption
The most often-asked question I hear from reporters or other curious folks is "how expensive is it to raise urban chickens?" My answer is always the same: it all depends on how much you want to spend on your coop.
The hens themselves are cheap, their food is cheap, straw/woodchips/water is cheap. The coop is ususally, decidedly not cheap.
And why is that? As long as our chickens have a dry, draft-free, safe place to sleep and a box to lay their eggs in (more for our convenience than theirs), they're fine.
We humans are the ones who insist on aesthetics. And the cost curve for aesthetics is steep as soon as you move away from the "homely, but it'll do" point and toward the "I'd be proud to show this off on a coop tour" end of the spectrum. So why bother?
The clue to this answer comes courtesy a blog post by Seth Godin (author of Linchpin
View the Original article
The hens themselves are cheap, their food is cheap, straw/woodchips/water is cheap. The coop is ususally, decidedly not cheap.
And why is that? As long as our chickens have a dry, draft-free, safe place to sleep and a box to lay their eggs in (more for our convenience than theirs), they're fine.
We humans are the ones who insist on aesthetics. And the cost curve for aesthetics is steep as soon as you move away from the "homely, but it'll do" point and toward the "I'd be proud to show this off on a coop tour" end of the spectrum. So why bother?
The clue to this answer comes courtesy a blog post by Seth Godin (author of Linchpin
View the Original article
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Another beautifully sculptured urban chicken coop
I'm a sucker for creative, cleverly designed and aesthetically pleasing coops.
So when a friend sent a link to the nogg, I got all warm inside thinking how cool it would be to have this cedar coop placed in the corner of my yard. From their press kit:
The nogg is a modern chicken coop that has been designed in the shape of an egg. It has been designed to house from 2-4 chickens and is to encourage domestic farming while adding a touch of playful elegance to sit beautifully in any garden, urban or rural environment. The nogg is designed to enhance and compliment its surroundings and fit sculpturally with this aesthetic assumption.In a sign of true chicken design pedigree, the nogg folks hail from the UK (just like the Omlet design folks did before them).
And in a sign of just how design-minded the nogg manufacturers are, you can download over 100Mb of high resolution pictures of the nogg "sculpture" (aka "coop-porn") from their one-page website. Tip: you can also see the same images in a much lighter weight PDF by downloading the press kit.
So here's to delightful coop design! Sing your praises to nogg folks on twitter
View the Original article
So when a friend sent a link to the nogg, I got all warm inside thinking how cool it would be to have this cedar coop placed in the corner of my yard. From their press kit:
The nogg is a modern chicken coop that has been designed in the shape of an egg. It has been designed to house from 2-4 chickens and is to encourage domestic farming while adding a touch of playful elegance to sit beautifully in any garden, urban or rural environment. The nogg is designed to enhance and compliment its surroundings and fit sculpturally with this aesthetic assumption.In a sign of true chicken design pedigree, the nogg folks hail from the UK (just like the Omlet design folks did before them).
And in a sign of just how design-minded the nogg manufacturers are, you can download over 100Mb of high resolution pictures of the nogg "sculpture" (aka "coop-porn") from their one-page website. Tip: you can also see the same images in a much lighter weight PDF by downloading the press kit.
So here's to delightful coop design! Sing your praises to nogg folks on twitter
View the Original article
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