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| BARRED ROCKS AT CRACKER COUNTRY |
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Help 4-H, Help Kids, Help Chicks, Help CLUCK
Sarasota County Fair Dates March 16th thru March 25th
Fridays – 2 to 11 pm*
*Note these are the times that the Fair is open to the public.
Some volunteer slots may already be filled, so contact Janie
at 941-232-8420 or Robert at 941-232-3090 to see what is still available.
This is just another way local CLUCK can promote successful, responsible chicken ownership in Sarasota County.
Glenda "Janie" Besselman
Administrative Specialist
Sarasota Soil & Water Conservation District
University of Florida/IFAS Sarasota County Extension Services
Sarasota County Community Services
USDA-NRCS Manasota Service Center
6942 Professional Parkway, East
Sarasota, FL 34240
941.907.0011 (office)
941.907.0015 (fax)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Chickens Don't Think I'm Weird: The Therapeutic Value of Chickens
A Nanci L. Valke story visible online at insidebayarea covers the poignant story of a nine-year old boy in Clayton California who has Tourette's syndrome. His tics are repellent to potential neighborhood playmates, but his five hens, (Chickadee, Peach, Daisy, Brownie and Daphne) are a comfort. "The chickens, they don't think I'm weird."
He's lucky because the town has allowed the family to keep the chickens, but only because the birds minimize the boy's symptoms.
This is not an isolated instance. Many chicken owners find spending time with their birds to be calming and it is not uncommon to hear references to "chicken TV". Chickens seem to balance what is attractive about pets (tameness, come when called, eager to see you, antics) with wild behaviors (foraging, dustbathing, asserting dominance) that provide insight into avian behavior. So a late afternoon spent in their company is both entertaining and informative.
It is indeed unfortunate when children with special challenges and attachment to their chickens are denied the therapeutic value of their company. Hats off to Clayton California.
It is indeed unfortunate when children with special challenges and attachment to their chickens are denied the therapeutic value of their company. Hats off to Clayton California.
Friday, January 13, 2012
CLUCK celebrates first anniversary of city chickens and plans county strategy
One year after final passage of the changes to Sarasota city ordinances to once again allow chickens, CLUCK supporters will gather commemorate our success and re-dedicate ourselves to a campaign to relax restrictions in the unincorporated county (and North Port).
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Black-skinned Chickens Shed Light on Evolution
With all the talk about genetic engineering and controversy regarding evolution, it is appropriate to ask what light chickens may shed on the question of how organisms change through time. A great place to witness species change is with domestic animals since people have been selecting for various traits for thousands of years, in the case of chickens about 8,000 years.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Pinellas Says Yes to Backyard Poultry
The County Commission of the most densely-populated county in the state okayed backyard chickens last night. Commissioners who govern the unincorporated portions of the County voted 5-2 to allow backyard chickens after a 18 month campaign spearheaded by Lisa McBride, founder of Pinellas Citizens for Backyard Poultry, and many 4-H supporters. The change affects approximately 280,000 people who do not live in one of the two dozen municipalities in Pinellas County. This covers a little more than one third of the land area of the county. Chickens are already allowed in five of the 24 cities (Belleair, Dunedin, Gulfport, Largo and St. Petersburg).
An Email from McBride contained the following paragraph:
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