CLUCK CITIES: # 18 Detroit -- chickens rebuilding neighborhoods

We've written about the affection and chicken advocacy expressed by Susan Orlean, Martha Stewart,  Alice Walker and Paula Deen. Now we notice Oprah has been on the case for more than three years. The April 2008 issue of O Magazine features a story "Gardening to Save Detroit" that explores how gardens, rabbits, and chickens are helping revitalize areas of Detroit by turning vacant lots into productive land. 

CLUCK NEWS: Paula Deen Joins Ranks of High-Profile Women Crazy About Chickens

It started with Martha Stewart, then came Susan Orlean, and Alice Walker. Now Food Network Star/Host Paula Deen is hooked on chickens and, like so many, was willing to flout local zoning laws to keep her pets, which were rescue chickens. Now when someone complained about other chickens in Deen's Savannah neighborhood, the Zoning folks took notice and Deen's hens are now threatened.

CLUCK bookshelf: Alice Walker -- The Chicken Chronicles

Author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean is a fan. Martha Stewart is onboard. And now author, poet, and Pulitzer Prize (not pullet surprise) winner Alice Walker is on the chicken bandwagon. The Diane Rehm show recently featured an interview with Alice Walker that focuses on her new book, The Chicken Chronicles.

Martha Stewart: Godmother of backyard chicken resurgence?

An article ran recently in the digital version of the Philadelphia Inquirer that featured Martha Stewart's recommendations on raising backyard hens. Read the article here. Some may dismiss Martha Stewart and her cultural phenomena because she was convicted of lying to investigators and served time, but she came back from that incident and has prospered. And cynics may deride her efforts to teach people how to make their homes homier or more domestic, but anyone whose net worth is estimated to be over $600 million and whose empire is based primarily on conveying their taste has obviously figured something important out about Americans. Still others may be surprised to learn Martha Stewart is a big fan of backyard chickens. While Martha only recommends two or three hens, she keeps dozens herself -- so you'll have to choose between do-as-I-say or do-as-I-do.