Next CLUCK Meeting: Give Peeps a Chance -- this time the county

The City of Sarasotans can now have chickens, so let's start working in the county! Come join us in an active discussion to plan our next steps toward changing the zoning for residential properties in Sarasota county to allow chickens. Wednesday May 4th 5:30-7:30 pm  Sarasota County Extension office, Twin lakes park 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241 Refreshments will be served

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CLUCK ASKS: Dyeing Chicks -- Totally Cute, Completely Inappropriate, or somewhere in between?

Image from Cuteoverload.com

Although illegal in some areas, the practice of dyeing chicks for Easter holds on in parts of the US, and appears to be common in some other countries. Dyed chicks in China. Dyed Chicks in India. Dyed Chicks in Yemen.  Dyed Chicks in Morocco. Farm Sanctuary produced a video about some dyed chicks they rescued in New York City.

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What many people don't know is that, at least in the US, the chick embryos s are dyed in the shell before they hatch, not afterwards. The resilient fuzzballs seem ignorant of their skittle-colored get-ups and ultimately grow new undyed feathers.

Here are some concerns:
Since this involves injecting dye into the shell, there is undoubtedly some loss
This practice may encourage people to buy chicks they are not prepared to care for
Frequently people end up with more cockerels (baby roosters) than they bargain for
This practice encourages kids and adults to view living creatures more as toys

Take our poll (on the right at the top) to register your opinions about dyeing baby chicks.

CLUCK NEWS: Bacteria-contaminated chicken apparently common in stores

AOLNews is reporting on two recent investigations that suggest large percentages of chicken meat sold in stores is likely to be contaminated with problematic bacteria, some of it antibiotic resistant. One nationwide study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reported that when they looked at 80 different brands of beef, chicken, pork and turkey (some from Fort Lauderdale) nearly half of the meat and poultry samples (47%) were contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. And more than half of those were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics.

Another recent study was conducted  analyzed "100 packages of chicken parts and fryers from 10 Seattle-area groceries during March. The analysis of these samples found that 65 percent of the birds tested had campylobacter, 19 percent had Salmonella and 2 percent had E. coli or listeria." Some had Staphyloccoccus aureus, including Multi-drug Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), which is very difficult to treat.

CLUCK Blog sets new record: 20,000 pageviews

What was once just a local chicken blog has caught on and is being viewed by chicken lovers and the chicken curious across the nation and planet. We started tracking pageviews last June and have been surprised at the responses. Pageviews peaked in January, the high-profile month the local City ordinance passed (see figure). Then numbers dipped in February as expected. But they started to rebuild in March (exceeding December) and the numbers for April (which is only 2/3rds over) have already exceeded total pageviews for January.The reason? With more than 130 distinct posts, the blog is becoming a go-to resource for people outside of Sarasota. 

CLUCK Chicken Advocacy Groups Proliferate

Wow. Check out C.L.U.C.K. on Facebook sometime. There are now thirteen backyard chicken advocacy CLUCK groups with Facebook pages across North America, and all seem to incorporate some acronym. More than a third are in Canada. The largest CLUCK group? Our own SARASOTA C.L.U.C.K. with nearly 600 members. The next closest has less than half that number.

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.