CLUCK "Re-Coops" - Two Meetings in February

Sarasota CLUCK is back in gear with two important events in February. (And with 99,595 pageviews on January 26th, we're about to celebrate 100,000 pageviews!)

First, on Saturday February 8th, another Chickens 101 Workshop is being offered by our local Sarasota Extension Office. (See poster below for details). If you've been curious about chickens and or have some and need more information, don't miss this half-day workshop. 

Then, ten days later, on Tuesday February 18th at 5:00 p.m. we're holding a CLUCK meeting in downtown Sarasota for the purpose of "re-cooping". Yes, we're restarting the campaign to legalize backyard hens in suburban areas of unincorporated Sarasota County. We've been biding our time, and believe this is a great time to restart the effort. The location is still being determined. Leave a comment and we'll be sure to let you know where we're meeting. 

Manatee County Approves Backyard Hens!

After a long campaign led by Manatee CLUCK, the Manatee County Commission voted on June 4th to allow single family homeowners in the unincorporated county to have up to four backyard hens.

Detail of artwork by Old Miakka artist, Jean Blackburn, which may be seen at Bradenton Riverwalk

The vote was 4-2 with Commissioners Chappie, Gallen, Bustle and Whitmore voting for Whitmore's motion. Commissioners Benac and Baugh voted against. Commissioner Benac conceded chickens could be pets, but voiced concerns about the impact on neighborhoods. Her position evolved more than Commissioner DiSabatino who seemed stuck on her position that chickens can only be farm animals. 

Commissioner DiSabatino had a conflicting appointment, but prior to leaving reported she would have voted against the motion -- shattering any illusion that she was open-minded since her announcement preceded the public testimony.

There was some confusion regarding the draft ordinance because staff had submitted CLUCK's preferred limit of 12 chickens and the Board seemed intent on voting on staff's preferred alternative, which was four hens. The motion that passed also increased the side setback from 20 to 25 feet. 

Much credit is due Rob Kluson who combined professional expertise and volunteer dedication to shepherd the process and keep Manatee CLUCK chicken advocates motivated for several years.

Manatee County joins Hernando and Pinellas counties and the City of Sarasota as governments that have recently voted to relax regulations on keeping backyard hens. 

The ordinance wording may be found by clicking on this highlighted text. 

Backyard Chicken Keeping @ Ecofest April 14th 2012

Are you planning to go to Ecofest, this April 14th? If so, consider checking out a 45 minute presentation that starts at 2:00 p.m.  Poultry breeder, Glenna Roberts, Urban Chicken Tractor Builder, Ira Kleinschmidt and County Extension Agent Rob Kluson will be talking about backyard chicken keeping. Look for them close to Five Points Park.

CLUCK ALERT: CHICKENS & HURRICANES

With Irene about to buzzsaw up the east coast of Florida possibly as a MAJOR hurricane that will affect us here in Sarasota, it is worth contemplating chickens and hurricanes.

" Along toward low gray-yellow twilight, Postmaster Smallwood, on his knees beneath his store, is raking out the last of his drowned chickens. . . . He is a big man and bangs heavily against the wall of the frame house, causing his wife, somewhere inside, to cry out in alarm, Slowly he straightens, arches his stiff back. He takes a deep and dreadful breath, gags, coughs and shudders. He hawks the sweet taste of chicken rot from his mouth and nostrils."

Wet Hen from Six Orange Carrots website

That quote is from the beginning of Peter Matthiessen's Killing Mister Watson, and no chicken owner wants to go through that. So before Irene, or some other storm, arrives it is worth thinking about those hens.
Tropical depressions and hurricanes can pound our area with persistent rain for days. This can create three problems, wet birds, wet feed and wet litter.  Chickens do not like being wet (ever hear "madder than a wet hen") and wet feathers can alter the appearance of a hen and lead to an attack on it by the others. Wet birds are more susceptible to disease, so the coop needs to provide a dry retreat for the hens. Wet food spoils so you need ways to store and deliver feed that remains dry. Finally chicken droppings become more obnoxious and smelly when they get wet, so work on a design that keeps litter as dry as possible. If your yard floods, this may mean a little elevation.

One aspect tropical storms and hurricanes is high winds that can drive rain almost horizontally. You may want to provide a capacity to block wind-driven rain from getting in the coop. Walk-in coops in particular need secure anchoring, while mobile chicken tractors can be hauled into a carport or garage when a tropical storm approaches.

This, of course, is where the City of Sarasota requirement for a movable coop pays off. 

Here are CLUCK's recommendations for hurricane preparation (many suggested by Dr. Robert Kluson):

1) Clear space in your garage (or carport) for your movable coop.

2) Make sure feed is in a container and location that will not get wet. Bring it in the house if need be. 

3) Stockpile some newspaper, cardboard or other material for a bottom layer so that droppings are not ending up directly on the garage floor.

4) Check the mobility of your coop and be prepared to move it in before wind speeds complicate the process. 

5) Have a system to provide several days food and water to the birds if you have to evacuate.

If you do not have a movable coop: 


1) Check its stability and consider using screw-anchors and rope or webbing to better anchor it. 


2) Make sure feed is in a container and location that will not get wet. Bring it in the house if need be. 


3) Consider adding temporary panels to reduce wind driven rain, but remember the birds need good ventilation -- don't wrap it in polyethylene and cook them -- they need air. 


4) Set aside dry bedding material so that after the rain stops you can get birds up out of the mud.


5) Plan on keeping them cooped up and off the ground for awhile.


6) Have a system to provide several days food and water to the birds if you have to evacuate.

Projected path of Irene as of 5:00 pm Monday

Third Chickens 101 Workshop A Success!

Cars lined the driveway at the Lauterbach Farm as the curious and committed filled a barn for a four hour workshop that covered diverse topics related to backyard chickens. Local ordinances, getting started, breeds, biosecurity and many other topics were all covered. In addition to material presented by Extension Agent Rob Kluson, local experts Janice and George Lauterbach, Glenna Roberts, and Ira Klineschmidt supplemented Powerpoint info with personal experience and a wide variety of chickens.