| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| kydeere40744 |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 09:09:29 AM
The "big city" paper, Lexington Herald Leader, plans to do an article in the Saturday paper about Urban City Chicken Raising. There is a photo on their website: www.kentucky.com
The caption says: "Urban chicken raising is gaining in popularity and may be easier than you think. This chicken belongs to Ann Bell Stone of Elmwood Stock Farm, near Georgetown, who raises organic chickens for eggs. See Saturday's Inside|Out for the story."
The article will probably be on there as well. I'll try to post it up tomorrow when I get the chance.
~Jessica in Kentucky & Farmgirl Sisterhood #137~
Be sure to visit my blog & Crafty Clipart for some of my photographs:
http://bluegrassprincess.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyclipart.com |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Jeanna |
Posted - May 27 2008 : 10:38:52 AM
I am blessed that I live within city limits but they have not "outlawed" farm animals except for swine. So I have a small flock of young hens. Hope to have eggs by fall.
Jeanna
Farmgirl Sister #41
If both of our troubles were hung on a line--You would take yours and I would take mine. |
| Mumof3 |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 5:01:52 PM
Jessica- I would love a hard copy of the article. I will e-mail you my address. I have two new additions to my little flock- Blanche and Hazel! They are Buff Orpingtons, about 12 weeks old. The other little flocklings were not too amused, but by the end of the day, they seemed to be resolved that the new girls are here to stay. :)
Thank for giving me such wonderful ammunition.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com
www.madrekarin.etsy.com |
| chessie |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 4:03:41 PM
I have been wanting chickens for years now and i am close to getting some here in Vista, CA. Yippee!
To that end, my Mom sent me the link to a LA Times article that ran this week on this very subject...it is very interesting and also, as mom says "ironic".
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-rooster25-2008may25,0,45789.story?page=1&track=ntothtml
Here's the text portion of the article...
Once predominantly African American, the area has seen an influx of Latino immigrants, along with their roosters, chickens and other barnyard beasts not typically part of the urban scene.
By Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
May 25, 2008
When her neighbor's roosters and chickens persisted in running through her yard, G. Stone took matters into her own hands.
She marched next door and issued a warning: Do something about the uninvited guests or the birds "were going in my pot."
But Stone, a retired Los Angeles County librarian who lives northwest of Watts, shook her head in exasperation as she recalled the incident.
"I've lived here for 50 years," she said. "All of a sudden, there's an influx of chickens. You're not supposed to have chickens in the city."
For many, the image of South Los Angeles is that of a paved, parched, densely packed urban grid. But increasingly, it is also a place where untold numbers of barnyard animals -- chickens, roosters, goats, geese, ducks, pigs and even the odd pony -- are being tended in tiny backyard spaces.
"Most people don't realize just how many farm animals there are in the city," said Ed Boks, the general manager of the city's Animal Services department.
Indeed, about a block from the beauty parlor where Stone was getting her hair done earlier this month, a pair of goats chewed something dark and unidentifiable as they stood placidly near the traffic whizzing by on Avalon Boulevard. A pit bull next door eyed them lazily.
The cacophony of cock-a-doodle-doos south of the 10 Freeway is one of the louder manifestations of a demographic change that has transformed South Los Angeles in the last few decades.
Once primarily an African American community -- and still the cultural and political heart of the state's African American population -- the area has absorbed tens of thousands of immigrants from Mexico and Central America and is now predominantly Latino. In Southeast L.A., the black population has dropped from 71% in 1980 to 24% in the 2000 census; the Latino population grew from 27% in 1980 to 74% in 2000.
For some folks, the rooster has become a potent symbol of the way their neighborhood is changing.
"Sometimes, I think it's Mexico," said Tony Johnson, who lives in Southeast L.A. He confessed that after being roused early some mornings, he has fantasized about silencing the birds permanently. "Boom. Boom. Boom," he said, pantomiming how he would do it.
But a few blocks away, Jose Luiz, 43, seemed surprised that anyone would be bothered by the noise.
"It's natural to have roosters," he said as he surveyed a new community garden where corn, squash and tomatoes were growing. "I'm Mexican. We are accustomed to hearing them."
Zoning rules prohibit most of this husbandry, but overtaxed animal control officers rarely take action unless they get complaints.
Some of the birds may be being used in cockfighting. But animal control officers say most of the backyard roosters are not implicated in anything so sinister. They are simply part of the household, a hobby and a comfort for immigrants who hope to re-create a little piece of home in a faraway, foreign place.
Still, as deluged city officials and sleep-deprived residents have learned, one person's comfort is another's headache.
"I can't sleep," said Perry Partee, 55, who lives near Watts. He sternly dismissed the conventional wisdom that roosters crow at dawn; in fact, he said, they often get going much earlier.
Animal Services officials say there undoubtedly are more chickens and roosters in long-established Latino communities on the Eastside, such as Boyle Heights and El Sereno, where it is not unheard of to see flocks of the birds running down the sidewalk. But in those neighborhoods many residents are accustomed to, or at least not overly bothered by, the sights and sounds of free-roaming fowl.
In South Los Angeles, on the other hand, the crowing -- and bleating, quacking, honking, oinking and neighing -- has been a growing source of irritation, with callers lighting up city phone lines demanding that officials do something.
Take the recent rooster- related activities near 110th and Avalon.
An 11-year-old boy was chased home from school by a rooster, according to his mother, who did not want his name published.
Around the same time, on the same street, some roosters mysteriously disappeared out of a backyard, according to resident Dwight Johnson, who said the birds' owner walked up and down the street looking for them.
Animal Services Officer Jose Gonzalez, who patrols the southern part of the city, said he's getting around five calls a week about rooster noise. He's also had reports about a pig running down Central Avenue and a man who kept goats in his backyard and posted signs advertising slaughterhouse services.
Boks said Animal Services deals with about 150 reports of unauthorized slaughtering a year.
The rules about keeping animals in Los Angeles are complicated. For the most part, Animal Services officers rely on distance requirements, which vary from animal to animal. Roosters, for example, must be kept in an enclosed pen 20 feet from their owner's house and 100 feet from any neighbor's house. Other chickens, on the other hand, can be 35 feet from a neighbor's house, while horses must maintain a distance of 75 feet.
Because many Los Angeles lots are no larger than 100 feet long, it is physically impossible for many property owners there to legally keep roosters.
Hen-pecked by constituent calls about rooster noise, Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn recently proposed limiting each household to one rooster and setting up new procedures to deal with loud birds.
But animal control officers warn that they have a lot on their plates already, including vicious dogs, feral cats and thousands of stray animals crowding shelters, not to mention the occasional snake or bobcat.
The city employs 64 animal control officers to cover some 460 square miles; from May 1, 2007, through April 30, 2008, city shelters took in 628 farm animals, including 345 chickens, 11 goats and five pigs.
Officials vowed to keep studying the issue.
Officers will continue to respond when they get calls, and will investigate if they suspect cockfighting, animal cruelty or, as in the case of the freelance goat slaughterhouse, a health-and-safety issue.
Many residents, such as Stone, who was plagued by her neighbor's birds in her yard, took pains to stress that it was the roosters they deplored, not their owners.
Near where she spoke, the distinctive crow of an unseen bird cut through the noise of a police helicopter and the hum of traffic. Cock-a-doodle-doo, the bird cried. A moment later, a goose honked in response.
jessica.garrison@latimes.com
www.edgehillherbfarm.com "where the name is bigger than the farm, but no one seems to mind"
blog http://edgehillherbfarmer.spaces.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0
happy farmgirl #89 |
| tribalcime |
Posted - May 26 2008 : 11:55:57 AM
wayne and shirley and patrick are all mebers of the UU church on clays mill rd in lexington. They are great people and if you are local --wouldnt mind you dropping by at the UU to talk to them about their chickens either. There are actually a large group of members there who all raise chickens here in town. I have thought of it if i ever get the raccoon population under control.
LIfe is a witch ~~~ and then ya fly !! My blogspot .http://tribalwitch.blogspot.com/ |
| kydeere40744 |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 3:28:28 PM
Karin - I can see if I can get a print copy of the article for you if you would like for me to. I think my hubby's mom gets the paper on the weekends. The article will be online for about 5 more days if I'm not mistaken.
~Jessica in Kentucky & Farmgirl Sisterhood #137~
Be sure to visit my blog & Crafty Clipart for some of my photographs:
http://bluegrassprincess.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyclipart.com |
| miss wilma |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 3:14:15 PM
Karen bootlegging works with chickens to, You just keep your chickens and be happy with them
Farm Girl #96
http://www.picturetrail.com/misswilmasplace
http://misswilma.blogspot.com/ |
| Mumof3 |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 2:42:46 PM
I am going to copy this article and send it to our Board of Commissioners. Maybe they will take notice then! Clearly they think I am a nut, but when encountered with evidence that backyard chickens are a "cause" they will have to make some changes to allow them here. Until then, I live with my little rebel flock.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
Wherever you go, there you are.
www.madrekarin.blogspot.com
www.madrekarin.etsy.com |
| nitere |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 2:27:01 PM
i wondered how our dog would react, but she is completely unfazed by them :)
farmgirl sister #37
http://www.buraellen.blogspot.com |
| Tammy Claxton |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 2:25:20 PM
I want chickens, but I'm afraid my cats won't take too kindly to them.. :(
Crafty Bay Farmgirl Chapter
"What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger"
Farmgirl #152
http://countryintheburbs.blogspot.com/ |
| nitere |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 2:21:39 PM
thanks for the article. we live in the actual city limits of atlanta and we have three chickens. we have had them for several years now. i was suprised to find out that keeping chickens is allowed in the city. i love having fresh eggs!
farmgirl sister #37
http://www.buraellen.blogspot.com |
| miss wilma |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 07:37:51 AM
Jessie this is great, Sterl is wanting to get some chickens, we havent had any in 40 years so if he will fix it so they stay out of my flowers I will finally agree
Farm Girl #96
http://www.picturetrail.com/misswilmasplace
http://misswilma.blogspot.com/ |
| kydeere40744 |
Posted - May 25 2008 : 06:45:26 AM
Here is the article. There are photos on the website. As published in the Lexington Herald Leader:
http://www.kentucky.com/150/story/412848.html
Raising chickens in your own backyard
By Susan Smith-Durisek, Contributing Columnist
When was the last time you encountered a real live chicken? Sure, you've probably eaten eggs or snacked on nuggets or wings within the week, but odds are it's been a while since you've met any poultry, nose-to-beak. Doesn't it seem odd that such an important part of our daily diet has become so absent from our daily view?
For city folks like Wayne and Shirley Davis, however, chickens remain a normal part of everyday life. Wayne sent an intriguing note a couple of months ago, which in part read: “We have chickens in our fenced back yard. Keep 2-4 hens and always have eggs. Come by sometime and see our hens and our neat little hen house.”
Who could resist?
Members of a growing movement of urban chicken enthusiasts, the Davises live near Lexington's Southland Drive neighborhood. Wayne Davis is well-known throughout Kentucky for encouraging installations of nesting boxes for wild birds, particularly bluebirds, warblers and Carolina wrens. His involvement with domestic bird-keeping began about two years ago, when daughter Beverly Davis, who had chickens at her farm, brought them a few of their own to raise. The birds have a secure roost, where there's a nest to lay eggs and a safe haven at night, but are free to roam the fenced yard during the day. One of their original hens, a Dark Cornish named Black, lays an egg every day or so now. A younger pullet hatched in February, called Little Black Hen, is expected to begin laying in August.
The hens have become pets, and recognize the Davises, and flock to them looking for treats. Beverly Davis says that the chickens “know their people, and if there's a stranger, they're skeptical.” Learning from experience, Shirley points out that there are ups and downs in raising chickens. The benefits? The grass-fed chickens eat weeds and insects, fertilize the grass, and of course produce eggs, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. The drawbacks? They are part of the nature's food chain. One was attacked by a Cooper's hawk, and another by a raccoon. Shirley notes that they've learned ways to keep chickens safe, including securing them in coops at night and protected under large, portable runs during the day.
Chicken keep
Keeping chickens in Lexington is legal but local ordinances and neighborhood restrictions may set limits.
So check before you invest in poultry.
Most of the regulations involve using common sense in getting along with your neighbors. For instance, the city's noise ordinance would probably prevent you from keeping a rooster that crows at 5 a.m. You must also keep your animals confined to your own property and complying with sanitation and health regulations. There are also rules about sale and slaughter, and chickens should not be used for fighting or games.
Patrick Buck, who has bred Serama bantams for 21/2 years at his home on Carneal Road, enjoys raising the miniature chickens.
Because they are what he calls “the smallest breed in the world” he can have a large flock and not annoy the neighbors.
He's now working on breeding a “frizzled” feather characteristic, which creates the ruffled effect of a bad hair day, into his Serama line.
Buck's first experience with poultry was on his grandfather's farm near Elizabethon, Tenn., where they kept black Rosecomb bantams.
When he moved into a home of his own, Buck was well-prepared to start his own flock. Although he currently keeps about 15 Seramas, he has named only one as a pet, a hen called Arnhild, Norse for Eagle of Battle.
Smaller breeds fare well in the city because of smaller space requirements, ease in handling and clean-up.
In raising the smaller bantams, Buck says it's very important to provide secure quarters at night, which shows in his sturdy outdoor cages with strong wire cloth sides to protect them from predators.
Proper chicken caring
At Elmwood Stock Farm just outside of Georgetown, Ann Bell Stone keeps about 300 hens, mostly Barred Plymouth Rocks and Arcaunas. In the spring the farm produces about 220 organically raised eggs daily, depending on the amount of daylight.
Most of the eggs are sold through a subscription service, but you might also find some at the farm's booth at Lexington Farmers Market.
Stone thinks the eggs from her pastured poultry have a more intensely colored yolk with a higher profile, and an enhanced nutritional content as a result of the chicken's free-range diet.
Caring for chickens can be a good project for kids, and fairly cost-effective for an urban family. But before bringing home hens, she advises, you need to be ready with shelter, food, water and fencing. At the farm, they've converted hay wagons into movable coops by building levels of nests and roosts onto the open running boards. Protective roofing provides shade and protection from predators. Electric fencing surrounds each wagon, yet the chickens are free to fly or wander the pasture. Birds are flocking creatures, so they rarely fly over the fence.
Since there are no neighbors nearby, roosters also crow to warn of impending dangers.
A protected run and secure coop, a water supply device, feed and feeder, a source of calcium for strong egg shells, and bedding straw or wood shavings are the basic necessities. There are books, magazines, Web sites and support groups for finding out more information on raising chickens. Your county cooperative extension office, with 4-H groups and advice from agents is a good place to begin.
Before long you, too, could be crowing about the joys of raising chickens.
CHICKENS 101
Frequently asked questions about chickens and eggs:
#9632; Do you need a rooster for a chicken to have eggs?
No. Mature hens will lay normal unfertilized eggs at a rate somewhat less than one a day. A rooster is needed only if you want fertilized eggs which the hen can sit on to hatch chicks.
#9632; Does the color of the eggshell matter?
No. Different breeds lay different colored eggs, some white, brown, beige and in the case of Arcauanas, even pastel shades.
#9632; Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Now that's a question you'll need to decide for yourself!
Poultry Palooza: Info on the Web
Bluegrass Poultry Association: Virtual gathering spot for local enthusiasts. http://bluegrasspoultry.com.
Backyard Poultry: Bi-monthly magazine for North American poultry enthusiasts. www.backyardpoultrymag.com.
Poultry Press: Monthly newspaper promoting standard-bred poultry since 1914. www.poultrypress.com.
American Bantam Association: For bantam enthusiasts, with youth group activities. www.bantamclub.com.
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy: Protecting rare breeds from extinction. www.albc-usa.org.
FeatherSite: The Poultry Page: A photo-zoo of breeds, and poultry raising connections. www.feathersite.com.
American Poultry Association: Promotes standard-bred poultry activities including shows and poultry fanciers. www.amerpoultryassn.com.
American Pastured Poultry Producers Association: Issues in raising poultry on green pasture land; supports local farm/table connections. www.apppa.org.
The Official PoultryBookstore Blog: An active blog for people raising small poultry flocks; www.poultrybookstore.blogspot.com.
BackyardChickens: Support and information for backyard chicken keepers. www.backyardchickens.com.
My Pet Chicken: Supplies, chicks, information. www.mypetchicken.com.
Chicken Cam: Live streaming video of a chicken yard; links to others. www.flyingskunk.com.
Reach master gardener Susan Smith-Durisek at durisek@aol.com. For more information about gardening, call the Fayette County Cooperative Extension Service at (859) 257-5582, e-mail cesfayet@uky.edu or visit www.ca.uky.edu/fayette.
~Jessica in Kentucky & Farmgirl Sisterhood #137~
Be sure to visit my blog & Crafty Clipart for some of my photographs:
http://bluegrassprincess.blogspot.com/
http://www.craftyclipart.com |
| KYgurlsrbest |
Posted - May 23 2008 : 09:23:19 AM
Thanks, Jess...that's going to be "fuel to my fire" about the City of Elsmere rezoning for hens :)
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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