CLUCK NEWS: Time to Stock Up if you want Arsenic-laced Chicken Livers

One of the more bizarre and challenging attacks thrown at CLUCK during the campaign to re-legalize chickens in the City of Sarasota was the accusation that arsenic in chicken feed would pass through the hens and contaminate our local soil. Arsenic is a known carcinogen, more toxic than old lace, with which it is frequently associated. It was not only challenging because we didn't know how big or real a problem it was, but also because there didn't seem to be any realistic way for CLUCK or the City of Sarasota to address it, if it was a problem. How do a few chicken feed purchasers change the ways of a feed company??

Well, crisis (if there ever way one) averted! Many news sources are reporting that chemical giant Pfizer, whose subsidiary Alpharma makes Roxarsone (aka 3-Nitro), the arsenic-containing additive, will be suspending sales next month.

CLUCK Analysis: More Indications Linking Chickens to College-Educated Young People

CLUCK has been ridiculed and dismissed for suggesting the ability to keep backyard chickens might play a discernible role in attracting young, college-educated, creative class workers to a community.

Now (June 13 and 20, 2011 edition) Newsweek has listed 10 HOT CITIES that are the "best destinations for recent grads". So how do these burgs rate on being chicken friendly? Well, 9 of the 10 allow backyard chickens and there is an active campaign in Oklahoma City. When you combine that with a similar ranking CLUCK published earlier, that means that out of 15 cities identified as being great places for recent college graduates, 93.33% allow backyard chickens. Coincidence? Possibly. But we continue to advance that proposition that 1) young people are attracted to other young people, 2) young people prefer to settle where they feel welcomed, and 3) allowing backyard chickens, supporting bicycling, having farmer's markets, and allowing a downtown scene with music and cafes are all indicators that collectively signal to young people whether a community is welcoming to them.