Huffington Post Writer Endorses Backyard Coop Relocation

Brooklyn Resident Megan Paska (winner of Huffpost Green's Cutest Beekeeper Contest) has posted an essay Urban Chicken-Keeping and Staying on the Neighbor's Good Side, which acknowledges that neighbor's reactions to pet hens can change through time. And while we'd like to believe those reactions trend positively, Paska acknowledges that relations can sour. In her case a pregnant neighbors heightened sense of smell created some chicken friction. Her solution -- move the coop, a response anticipated by our local City ordinance that requires a movable coop.

From Martha Stewart to the Planet's Poorest

Heifer International has helped over 13 million families in more than 125 countries move toward greater self-reliance through the gift of livestock. For $ 20 you can send a flock of chicks of 10 to 50 chicks to a family that needs them. Their Spring 2011 newsletter World Ark features a story about backyard chickens. Jump to the end of this entry to see the item.

Chicks: A Good Choice

A flock of chicks can help families from Cameroon to the Caribbean add nourishing, life-sustaining eggs to their inadequate diets.

The protein in just one egg is a nutritious gift for a hungry child. Protein-packed eggs from even a single chicken can make a life-saving difference.

Heifer helps many hungry families with a starter flock of 10 to 50 chicks. A good hen can lay up to 200 eggs a year - plenty to eat, share or sell. With Heifer recipients' commitment to pass on the offspring and training, the exponential impact of adding chickens to communities in poverty is truly a model that helps end hunger and poverty.

Because chickens require little space and can thrive on readily available food scraps, families can make money from the birds without spending much. And chickens help control insects and fertilize gardens.

In Tanzania, Omari and Kulwa were struggling to raise a family on just 50 cents a day. With the training and chicks they received from Heifer, egg sales have boosted their daily income to $2, so they can now buy food and still pay school fees. Now, through passing on the gift, all of the children in their village are going to school.

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.

Who Says Chickens aren't Talented?

This short video speaks for itself.

CLUCK Opinion: Let's Blame the Chickens?

An article in SRQ daily quotes one source as attributing Commissioner Dick Clapp's recent defeat to the the chicken vote, and apparently the anti-chicken vote at that. That's classic pretzel logic because both Dick Clapp and his opponent, Paul Caraguilo, stood on the same side of the issue, standing with the vast majority of citizen email, editorial positions, and public testimony, which strongly favored backyard hens. When two candidates have similar positions on an issue, voters are forced to look elsewhere for means to distinguish between them.

Stranger still because Caraguilo had been a strong backyard chicken supporter from the outset while Clapp's support clearly emerged only at the end of the campaign. If the supposed "chicken vote" had any negative effect on Clapp's candidacy, it might of been because his support came so late. 

CLUCK goes to the Sarasota County Fair

Not only can you see about 14 different breeds of chickens at the Small Animal Tent at the Sarasota County Fair, you can also see the remarkable difference in eggs, as well as baby chicks and a demonstration chicken tractor.

CLUCK: Still need a few volunteers for the county fair

Are you curious about the various breeds of chickens being raised locally? Do you have a couple of hours for some chicken-related public service? Would you like a free pass to get in the County Fair?  If so, please consider taking a shift at the small animal tent at the County Fair, which starts this Friday. This is a great chance to assess the moods of a variety of chickens, help staff a CLUCK information table, and examine in detail a working chicken tractor. You'll also have a chance to meet and talk with others interested in chickens.