What has CLUCK been up to since that unanimous vote on January 18th??

Has Sarasota CLUCK been kicking back and relaxing since the initial unanimous vote in favor of backyard chickens on January 18th? No way! Here are a dozen noteworthy accomplishments that have been logged since then:

CLUCK asks: Can toasted chicken feathers slash $5 million off the cost of a hydrogen-powered car?

Hydrogen-powered cars are nearly as dreamy as the personal helicopters we were promised -- and far more sustainable. Imagine burning a fuel and having the only "exhaust" being water! The big problem at the moment is improving the technology for storing the hydrogen, and that's where chickens enter the picture.

CLUCK Releases Case Statement

CLUCK has posted the full content of the case statement it submitted to the City of Sarasota in late December of 2010. This fourteen page document, prepared by committee during the holidays, contains the arguments CLUCK wanted included in the packet that would go to the City Commissioners prior to the vote on January 18th. 

Public Radio Food Show Profiles Backyard Chickens

The Splendid Table, the syndicated public [radio] show for people who love to eat featured (Jan. 29th) an 8:45 minute segment on backyard chickens. The host Lynne Rossetto Kaspar interviews author Jenna Woginrich.  Among some of the comments: "I learned pretty quick that they all have their own personalities and quirks and eating habits and they get moody, they get sick, they get healthy..."  AND "You want a bird that's calm and quiet and doesn't make a fuss, and I think a breed like a Buff Orphington or Brahma is a great first laying hen. They're good in most seasons and lay right through the winter and unlike other birds that can be a little more scrappy they are very calm, they don't make a big fuss, and your neighbors will never know you even have chickens if you stick to those heavy laying breeds." AND "If you can wait in line to buy a cup of coffee, you have enough time on your hands to raise chickens in your backyard."

Pelican Press Covers Chicken Story

The Pelican Press has printed a news story on the recent City of Sarasota chicken vote. It included the following quote:

Taylor has been the city's point man on chickens since CLUCK floated its idea. "Raising chickens is a nice idea in theory," he said, "but I believe the numbers who make this commitment will be so small, the whole issue will prove to be much ado about nothing."

If Sarasotans heed the chicken call and decide to become owners, they'll find Rob Kluson a helpful ally. He's the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS) extension agent in Sarasota County. He will offer a course titled Chicken 101.

To read the entire article, click here.

Does anyone really care about chickens in Sarasota?

I'm never sure exactly what to say when critical folks ask why the City should be "wasting its time" discussing backyard chickens. Because I would hope whenever dozens of citizens send emails, or 32 show up to testify in favor at a hearing, or 579 join a Facebook group, that their interests and concerns would be precisely the sort of thing the City would want to address. Now we have a new metric, a new milestone or measure of interest in local backyard chickens -- our Sarasotacluck.blogspot.com blog recorded its ten thousandth pageview today.

CLUCK NEWS: Chickens May Affect Where Young People Choose to Live!

One of our local chicken critics posted a entry that contained the following: "Chickens will not bring "young people" to Sarasota. Well-paying jobs will. This is a ludicrous argument and a sad day for this city." And a Janauary 19th letter to the editor in the Sarasota Hearld-Tribune attempted to make the same point: arguing (ironically, it turns out) that we should stop discussing chickens and find a way to get younger workers here. CLUCK begs to differ and has in previous blog entries such as: Can Backyard Hens Make Sarasota Hip?, and How ya gonna keep 'em in Sarasota? And now CLUCK is getting some reinforcement for the notion that chickens might actually help us retain or attract young competent people.