Drills were buzzing and hammers were swinging as three teams of participants built their own chicken coop March 26-27 at Tillers International in Scotts.
This was the first of a few classes Tillers International will offer to teach area residents about raising, processing and cooking chickens.
"This is so awesome," said Barbara Jenness as her husband, Jim Hott, finished nailing on the steel roof of her coop. "I just love it."
Jenness and Hott own a goat dairy farm in Byron Center and want to add chickens so they can have their own farm fresh eggs.
"It would take a long time for me to learn this many things (about construction) if I were just to read about it," said Betty Hawkins of Kalamazoo.
The chicken coop they built is a two-story 68-inch by 42-inch by 64-inch "mansion" with an enclosed grazing area beneath the living space and a ramp for chickens to enter at night and keep them safe from predators. It also has a nesting box where the chickens lay eggs and an opening to retrieve them. The coop can hold up to six chickens.
"The design is a work in progress," said Dick Roosenberg, executive director of Tillers.
Roosenberg worked with Jack Gesmundo, president of the Tillers Board; Robert Burdick, Tillers construction coordinator; and volunteer Bill Brislen to build a test coop with a rounded roofline. They decided later to show participants how to build a coop with a gambrel roof that provides more space at the top instead. All four were at the workshop to assist participants at each step.
Students learned how to assemble the many parts for the coop, which had been pre-cut for time, space constraints in the woodshop and skill level of participants.
"There is an interest by urban, suburban and rural people in knowing where their food comes from," said Lori Evesque, education coordinator at Tillers. "We have learned that growing our own fruits and vegetables is one way to know this. The next logical step is to find a local farmer who raises chickens for meat or eggs and treats the birds in an ethical manner. For some people, the best way to do this is to raise them themselves."
In June, two other chicken classes will be offered at Tillers. One will focus on how to butcher chickens in a humane way.
It is not only for people who want to know how to do it, but it is also for people who want to have a better understanding of what goes into the process, Evesque said.
"It's all part of knowing where your food comes from."
The other class, "Everything But the Beak," will be taught by The Eclectic Kitchen's Channon Mondoux and Evesque. They will show students how to truss a chicken for roasting, properly cut it up and prepare a variety of dishes using the chicken's neck, skin, liver, kidney, heart, feet, and carcass.
"It's a shame when people don't know how to use as much of the chicken as possible. Not only does that save resources in hard economic times but it helps save some money by not relying on buying pre-cooked packaged meats," said Evesque.
A future chicken coop building class may be held this summer depending on how much interest there is.
Several municipalities have already cleared the way for keeping chickens in residential areas, said local attorney Suzanne Klein. These include Kalamazoo, Portage, Parchment, Oshtemo Township and Texas Township. Residents should check with their municipality for specific guidelines before deciding to raise their own chickens.
2011年3月31日星期四
2011年3月30日星期三
Batavia officials to talk chickens tonight
An ordinance allowing backyard chicken coops in Batavia is on the agenda for tonight's City Services Committee meeting.
Backyard chickens have become a topic of controversy in Batavia as supporters argue for sustainable, safe and organic living while those opposed expressed sanitary concerns and not wanting to see the city revert to a rural lifestyle.
If approved by the committee, the ordinance still has to be considered by the full city council. The next city council meeting is Monday, but it's unclear if it will be considered then because officials have said the ordinance would not come before the full council until the end of April or early May.
Tonight's meeting begins at 7:30 in the city council chambers, 100 N. Island Ave.
Backyard chickens have become a topic of controversy in Batavia as supporters argue for sustainable, safe and organic living while those opposed expressed sanitary concerns and not wanting to see the city revert to a rural lifestyle.
If approved by the committee, the ordinance still has to be considered by the full city council. The next city council meeting is Monday, but it's unclear if it will be considered then because officials have said the ordinance would not come before the full council until the end of April or early May.
Tonight's meeting begins at 7:30 in the city council chambers, 100 N. Island Ave.
2011年3月29日星期二
Coop visitors to gawk at bawking chickens
The second annual Chicken Coop Tour in Bend will be held May 7.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participants will be able to tour about 30 chicken coops in Central Oregon.
About 15 stops have been identified, and planners seek more birds of a feather who would like to make their coops a stop on the tour. The event benefits Together For Children, Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center and NeighborImpact Food Bank.
Tour booklets serve as tickets and map to coops, at a price of $10 or six items of nonperishable food per booklet, which covers entry for a carload of people.
Organizers also seek sponsors for the event. Sponsorship levels range from $50 to $250.
Then decide which chicken breeds you will raise. There are many to choose from. Some are prodigious layers. For example, the Leghorn and Rhode Island Red produce a large egg each day during peak times (the first one or two years of a chicken's life). Many have beautiful, unusual plumage. And don't forget Araucana chickens, which lay eggs in pastel shades of green and blue.
Buy chicks in early to mid-spring; that way, their feathers will have time to grow in before winter. Choose birds that are the same age and that will be about the same size, even if they are different breeds. "You've heard the term 'pecking order' — the dominant ones will literally peck at the others,'' says Bud Wood, co-owner of Murray McMurray Hatchery, in Webster City, Iowa, one of several companies that ship chicks. (They are also sold at feed stores; consult your local cooperative extension service for sources.)
When choosing a coop, allow 2 square feet per chicken, and set up an enclosed outdoor space (called a run). Place an egg-laying box inside the coop – a 12-inch cube will accommodate two to four hens. Add wood shavings or straw to fill the boxes. A flock of five hens will lay as many as four eggs a day during peak laying time. Wood recommends keeping just two or three hens – one will get lonely, but too many can be overwhelming.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., participants will be able to tour about 30 chicken coops in Central Oregon.
About 15 stops have been identified, and planners seek more birds of a feather who would like to make their coops a stop on the tour. The event benefits Together For Children, Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center and NeighborImpact Food Bank.
Tour booklets serve as tickets and map to coops, at a price of $10 or six items of nonperishable food per booklet, which covers entry for a carload of people.
Organizers also seek sponsors for the event. Sponsorship levels range from $50 to $250.
Then decide which chicken breeds you will raise. There are many to choose from. Some are prodigious layers. For example, the Leghorn and Rhode Island Red produce a large egg each day during peak times (the first one or two years of a chicken's life). Many have beautiful, unusual plumage. And don't forget Araucana chickens, which lay eggs in pastel shades of green and blue.
Buy chicks in early to mid-spring; that way, their feathers will have time to grow in before winter. Choose birds that are the same age and that will be about the same size, even if they are different breeds. "You've heard the term 'pecking order' — the dominant ones will literally peck at the others,'' says Bud Wood, co-owner of Murray McMurray Hatchery, in Webster City, Iowa, one of several companies that ship chicks. (They are also sold at feed stores; consult your local cooperative extension service for sources.)
When choosing a coop, allow 2 square feet per chicken, and set up an enclosed outdoor space (called a run). Place an egg-laying box inside the coop – a 12-inch cube will accommodate two to four hens. Add wood shavings or straw to fill the boxes. A flock of five hens will lay as many as four eggs a day during peak laying time. Wood recommends keeping just two or three hens – one will get lonely, but too many can be overwhelming.
2011年3月28日星期一
The Backyard Chicken Fight
Boise, Idaho -- "The Backyard Chicken Fight" is a new book by local writer Gretchen Anderson gives us a look into becoming your own "Old MacDonald" as a backyard farmer.
"Five-hundred million eggs were recalled last summer, so people are saying 'enough with that, I'm going to raise my own chickens and benefit from the eggs,'" said Anderson.
It's quickly becoming one of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S. -- raising your own flock in the back yard.
"I was fascinated with the stories from around the country of people who wanted to keep chickens, but their city or county said they couldn't," Anderson said, "People just want to have the right to do what they want on their property."
Local writer Gretchen Anderson decided to write about the battle between rural and urban, and the places where backyard chicken coops are "ruffling feathers."
"I think that we've come so far from being farm communities and now we've become metropolitan, and people unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about chickens," she said.
Her research led to her own backyard farming experience.
"We sure have had a good time with our chickens. They really are our pets, and they're very entertaining," she said.
With five chickens of her own, her coop averages four eggs per day.
"More people want to know where their food comes from," said Mike Staton, a chicken farming expert from Zamzow's.
Stanton helped Anderson put together a "how-to" guide, and they say great breakfast is only one of the perks.
"Natural pest control, natural fertilizer, the eggs and the entertainment, there's a lot of benefits to having them," Anderson said.
With the push toward green, more families are catching on.
"This is the next step in being sustainable," she said.
Many families are heading back to the good old fashioned roots of farming.
"Especially if you've got kids, it's a great way to teach them responsibility, and peak their interest in animals," Stanton said.
They say anyone can do it with a little guidance, and a backyard.
The book is called "The Backyard Chicken Fight" and it has everything you need to know about raising your own flock.
"Five-hundred million eggs were recalled last summer, so people are saying 'enough with that, I'm going to raise my own chickens and benefit from the eggs,'" said Anderson.
It's quickly becoming one of the fastest growing hobbies in the U.S. -- raising your own flock in the back yard.
"I was fascinated with the stories from around the country of people who wanted to keep chickens, but their city or county said they couldn't," Anderson said, "People just want to have the right to do what they want on their property."
Local writer Gretchen Anderson decided to write about the battle between rural and urban, and the places where backyard chicken coops are "ruffling feathers."
"I think that we've come so far from being farm communities and now we've become metropolitan, and people unfortunately there's a lot of misinformation about chickens," she said.
Her research led to her own backyard farming experience.
"We sure have had a good time with our chickens. They really are our pets, and they're very entertaining," she said.
With five chickens of her own, her coop averages four eggs per day.
"More people want to know where their food comes from," said Mike Staton, a chicken farming expert from Zamzow's.
Stanton helped Anderson put together a "how-to" guide, and they say great breakfast is only one of the perks.
"Natural pest control, natural fertilizer, the eggs and the entertainment, there's a lot of benefits to having them," Anderson said.
With the push toward green, more families are catching on.
"This is the next step in being sustainable," she said.
Many families are heading back to the good old fashioned roots of farming.
"Especially if you've got kids, it's a great way to teach them responsibility, and peak their interest in animals," Stanton said.
They say anyone can do it with a little guidance, and a backyard.
The book is called "The Backyard Chicken Fight" and it has everything you need to know about raising your own flock.
2011年3月27日星期日
Nonprofit's financial, management struggles have taken a toll
A 35-year-old Austin nonprofit that operates education and job training programs for youths is struggling with severe money problems that have led to layoffs, sporadic employee paychecks, bad debt and trouble with the Texas Education Agency.
American Youthworks recently laid off 14 of its 90 staffers. Employees have gone weeks without paychecks, and some have agreed to pay cuts .
The TEA , which gives the nonprofit about $1.5 million per year for its charter school and routinely reviews its performance, has tagged the school with a "warned" accreditation rating for the past two years because of its high debt.
The rating doesn't affect the school's state funding, but it is a red flag to families and donors that the school is on shaky financial ground,chicken coop said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe .
"They've been really good about checking in, informing us about what's happening and asking for advice," she said. "You can tell they're really trying to get the school back on track."
But the road back has been bumpy. Several months ago, student attendance — which always fluctuates — dropped lower than expected, which meant less state money. American Youthworks had anticipated an 80 percent attendance rate in one of its charter school programs between September and November 2010. Instead, it hit only 65 percent. That meant the school received $120,000 in TEA funding instead of the $190,000 it had anticipated, said Chief Operating Officer Chester Steinhauser .
Also, some state and city payments, which can take 90 to 120 days to arrive, had not appeared.
American Youthworks suddenly found itself in a cash crunch, Chief Executive Officer Parc Smith said . With no line of credit cover it, the nonprofit ran out of money to pay its employees. Staffers stayed anyway, he said, some at lower pay.
The nonprofit is doing everything it can fix the problems, Smith said. It is slowly paying off its debt, bringing in new financial leadership, working closely with the TEA and cutting expenses. Some of the buildings from which it once operated — a 17,000-square-foot office building and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Fourth Street in downtown Austin — are on the market for $9 million .
But unraveling financial problems that were years in the making has been a complicated, time-consuming process, Youthworks officials said. Founder and former Executive Director Richard Halpin retired in 2009 . Finance officers have come and gone. Board members say they don't have a clear memory of the series of events that led them here. And the nonprofit has a labyrinthine funding structure that involves dozens of grantors.
"Everybody has trouble parsing it out," said Steinhauser, who has been chief operating officer since 2010. "Unless you were there when they were weaving it, it's hard to understand."
Decades of involvement
American Youthworks was started in 1976 when Halpin, a one-time social worker, launched the Creative Rapid Learning Center , a nonprofit that offered job skills to youths and adults in East Austin. Over the years, it evolved, changing its name and broadening its mission to include General Educational Development classes, an energy-efficient home-building program and environmental projects such as water quality testing.
In 1996 , the nonprofit started one of the first open-enrollment charter schools in Texas. Its students were the kinds of kids who often abandon traditional education: homeless, pregnant, struggling with learning disabilities or saddled with criminal histories.
By the mid-2000s, American Youthworks programs were reaching about 500 students a year through the traditional charter school and job training. As the nonprofit grew, its finances became more complicated, with its roughly $7 million annual budget coming from dozens of federal, state, local and private funders, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the TEA. The nonprofit also made money through its service learning job programs, in which students are hired by state and local governments to perform tasks such as restoring grasslands, removing trees or doing stonework at local parks.
But by 2006 , American Youthworks was struggling to stay afloat, according to the nonprofit's board minutes in December of that year.
"Serious financial problems," the documents state. "We do not have the resources to do what we are doing for another year or two."
American Youthworks recently laid off 14 of its 90 staffers. Employees have gone weeks without paychecks, and some have agreed to pay cuts .
The TEA , which gives the nonprofit about $1.5 million per year for its charter school and routinely reviews its performance, has tagged the school with a "warned" accreditation rating for the past two years because of its high debt.
The rating doesn't affect the school's state funding, but it is a red flag to families and donors that the school is on shaky financial ground,chicken coop said TEA spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe .
"They've been really good about checking in, informing us about what's happening and asking for advice," she said. "You can tell they're really trying to get the school back on track."
But the road back has been bumpy. Several months ago, student attendance — which always fluctuates — dropped lower than expected, which meant less state money. American Youthworks had anticipated an 80 percent attendance rate in one of its charter school programs between September and November 2010. Instead, it hit only 65 percent. That meant the school received $120,000 in TEA funding instead of the $190,000 it had anticipated, said Chief Operating Officer Chester Steinhauser .
Also, some state and city payments, which can take 90 to 120 days to arrive, had not appeared.
American Youthworks suddenly found itself in a cash crunch, Chief Executive Officer Parc Smith said . With no line of credit cover it, the nonprofit ran out of money to pay its employees. Staffers stayed anyway, he said, some at lower pay.
The nonprofit is doing everything it can fix the problems, Smith said. It is slowly paying off its debt, bringing in new financial leadership, working closely with the TEA and cutting expenses. Some of the buildings from which it once operated — a 17,000-square-foot office building and a 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Fourth Street in downtown Austin — are on the market for $9 million .
But unraveling financial problems that were years in the making has been a complicated, time-consuming process, Youthworks officials said. Founder and former Executive Director Richard Halpin retired in 2009 . Finance officers have come and gone. Board members say they don't have a clear memory of the series of events that led them here. And the nonprofit has a labyrinthine funding structure that involves dozens of grantors.
"Everybody has trouble parsing it out," said Steinhauser, who has been chief operating officer since 2010. "Unless you were there when they were weaving it, it's hard to understand."
Decades of involvement
American Youthworks was started in 1976 when Halpin, a one-time social worker, launched the Creative Rapid Learning Center , a nonprofit that offered job skills to youths and adults in East Austin. Over the years, it evolved, changing its name and broadening its mission to include General Educational Development classes, an energy-efficient home-building program and environmental projects such as water quality testing.
In 1996 , the nonprofit started one of the first open-enrollment charter schools in Texas. Its students were the kinds of kids who often abandon traditional education: homeless, pregnant, struggling with learning disabilities or saddled with criminal histories.
By the mid-2000s, American Youthworks programs were reaching about 500 students a year through the traditional charter school and job training. As the nonprofit grew, its finances became more complicated, with its roughly $7 million annual budget coming from dozens of federal, state, local and private funders, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the TEA. The nonprofit also made money through its service learning job programs, in which students are hired by state and local governments to perform tasks such as restoring grasslands, removing trees or doing stonework at local parks.
But by 2006 , American Youthworks was struggling to stay afloat, according to the nonprofit's board minutes in December of that year.
"Serious financial problems," the documents state. "We do not have the resources to do what we are doing for another year or two."
2011年3月22日星期二
The Chicken Coop King
Ray Cooper is not the first small businessman to struggle to persuade retailers to grant him space for his unique product. An artisan craftsman of full-sized chicken coops made from recycled chicken barns, many of them a hundred years old, each of Cooper's coops requires a floor space equivalent of a California King-sized bed.
In other words, they are big, big coops. Think mini-van. Think tree house. Think, where do you put it?
"No, it wasn't easy at first," says the 52-year-old Cooper. "But then RiverTown gave me a chance and pretty quick we had a day when we sold two."
Cooper is an eco-Renaissance man who has dedicated himself to sustainable practices like keeping egg-laying hens. A soft spoken, yet energetic conversationalist, Cooper is passionate about recycling. He has recently become a vegetarian, lives within his means, hikes instead of driving when he can and is passing on his creative skills to his 22-year-old son and assistant, Kevin Cooper.
He doesn't want to be the Henry Ford of chicken coops, he says. Instead he wants to be a Green Michelangelo, rejecting staples altogether, taking the time to use screws instead of nails, and searching garage sales and thrift stores for vintage painted wood chickens to decorate the front doors.
He is also pack-ratting small stained glass windows that add sparkle, distinguishing these coops as rustic jewel boxes of barnyards.
"The windows can be a challenge because you don't find them small and when you do, you don't find them cheap," said Cooper with a grin.
A former handyman for his family's real estate business and milk truck driver, Cooper hopes to hone his chicken coop model, which maximizes the eaves for nest boxes and has removable wire grid floors, into the eco-Cadillac of coops.
They'll never be cheap, he says. But they'll be worth the cost to people who understand the challenges of lovingly collecting and rehabbing old, thick and wide redwood lumber. Cooper figures if he pays himself and his son $10 to $20 an hour, he'll be happy. That means he'll have to charge up to $1,000 a piece for the one or two coops he can fabricate each month in a small, cramped barn on a hill overlooking the Petaluma Outlets.
"I'm making them all from hundred-year-old, inch thick redwood, which I took down myself. These old barns lasted a hundred years and the coops will last another hundred years," he said.
He's so busy and entrenched in his creative labors, that he's yet to brand his coops. If you ask the folks at RiverTown who makes the coops, they'll write Cooper's name and phone number on your sales slip.
"Everyone is going back to the land and old ways. Chickens have never been more popular. More and more people are discovering them. If I can do work I'm passionate about and receive the fruits of my own labors? That's all I can ask," Cooper says.
In other words, they are big, big coops. Think mini-van. Think tree house. Think, where do you put it?
"No, it wasn't easy at first," says the 52-year-old Cooper. "But then RiverTown gave me a chance and pretty quick we had a day when we sold two."
Cooper is an eco-Renaissance man who has dedicated himself to sustainable practices like keeping egg-laying hens. A soft spoken, yet energetic conversationalist, Cooper is passionate about recycling. He has recently become a vegetarian, lives within his means, hikes instead of driving when he can and is passing on his creative skills to his 22-year-old son and assistant, Kevin Cooper.
He doesn't want to be the Henry Ford of chicken coops, he says. Instead he wants to be a Green Michelangelo, rejecting staples altogether, taking the time to use screws instead of nails, and searching garage sales and thrift stores for vintage painted wood chickens to decorate the front doors.
He is also pack-ratting small stained glass windows that add sparkle, distinguishing these coops as rustic jewel boxes of barnyards.
"The windows can be a challenge because you don't find them small and when you do, you don't find them cheap," said Cooper with a grin.
A former handyman for his family's real estate business and milk truck driver, Cooper hopes to hone his chicken coop model, which maximizes the eaves for nest boxes and has removable wire grid floors, into the eco-Cadillac of coops.
They'll never be cheap, he says. But they'll be worth the cost to people who understand the challenges of lovingly collecting and rehabbing old, thick and wide redwood lumber. Cooper figures if he pays himself and his son $10 to $20 an hour, he'll be happy. That means he'll have to charge up to $1,000 a piece for the one or two coops he can fabricate each month in a small, cramped barn on a hill overlooking the Petaluma Outlets.
"I'm making them all from hundred-year-old, inch thick redwood, which I took down myself. These old barns lasted a hundred years and the coops will last another hundred years," he said.
He's so busy and entrenched in his creative labors, that he's yet to brand his coops. If you ask the folks at RiverTown who makes the coops, they'll write Cooper's name and phone number on your sales slip.
"Everyone is going back to the land and old ways. Chickens have never been more popular. More and more people are discovering them. If I can do work I'm passionate about and receive the fruits of my own labors? That's all I can ask," Cooper says.
2011年3月20日星期日
Norfolk woman not chicken in questioning ban on hens
Next month, Bryn Bird is planning to set some chickens up in a coop behind the Five Points
Community Farm Market at Church Street.
Bird, a manager there, hopes patrons visit the hens and see how quiet they are.
"Hens aren't loud, roosters are loud," said Bird, and they produce less waste than a dog.
Bird, 27, said she's bringing the hens to Five Points because it's fun and because "we can."
Their presence also will be part of an effort to topple the city's prohibition against
keeping live chickens at home. Bird and others hope the chickens will "usher in a
conversation" that will help convince officials and residents it's time to change the law.
South Hampton Roads' four other cities also have prohibitions against keeping live chickens
in most residential districts.
Bird believes residents should be able to get their eggs from their own backyards.
"There is a big desire of people in Norfolk to keep backyard chickens," Bird said. She said
she knows some who are already doing it.
Regular Five Points customer Mark Haynes, a resident of Virginia Beach, said his wife "would
love to get chickens."
"I'm not sure if we're going to have live chickens at home," Haynes said. "We'll have to look
more closely at regulations."
Haynes said having chickens "should be just like having a dog."
"I've got two yellow Labs," he said. "If they're running amok in the neighborhood, then
that's a problem." He agreed with Bird that hens are quiet, adding, "unless you run up on a
chicken" that then runs and clucks.
Christina Close, a customer from Chesapeake, said she would be shocked if a lot of people in
Norfolk really want to have chickens. She has reservations about the animals' welfare and
cleanliness.
She prefers to get her eggs from the store.
Bird grew up on a farm and never had to buy an egg until she left.
"That was kind of shocking," she said.
The attempt to change the city's rule grew out of an effort to overturn a regulation against
keeping bee hives at home. In fact, the bee hive and chicken prohibitions are covered in the
same ordinance pertaining to residential districts: "Except as otherwise noted, there shall
be no raising or keeping of livestock, poultry, fowl, rabbits, bees and the like on less than
five acres, and the keeping of four or more dogs or cats above the age of six months shall be
prohibited."
The effort to remove the portion about the bees has received some city support but has not
been formally discussed by the City Council.
While working on the bee prohibition, Bird said, she learned that keeping bee hives is not
prohibited on industrial property. That made her wonder if keeping live chickens on
industrial property might also be OK. Deputy City Attorney Adam Melita confirmed that is so.
Bird got approval to bring live chickens to work. She placed an order with a hatchery in Ohio
for three chickens, which are to arrive in April.
There are no plans to sell the eggs. Between the three hens, Bird said, they'll lay only 21
eggs per week. "We have enough farmers who provide us with chicken eggs," she said. "We're
fine." Bird said she and other employees will likely eat the eggs.
Community Farm Market at Church Street.
Bird, a manager there, hopes patrons visit the hens and see how quiet they are.
"Hens aren't loud, roosters are loud," said Bird, and they produce less waste than a dog.
Bird, 27, said she's bringing the hens to Five Points because it's fun and because "we can."
Their presence also will be part of an effort to topple the city's prohibition against
keeping live chickens at home. Bird and others hope the chickens will "usher in a
conversation" that will help convince officials and residents it's time to change the law.
South Hampton Roads' four other cities also have prohibitions against keeping live chickens
in most residential districts.
Bird believes residents should be able to get their eggs from their own backyards.
"There is a big desire of people in Norfolk to keep backyard chickens," Bird said. She said
she knows some who are already doing it.
Regular Five Points customer Mark Haynes, a resident of Virginia Beach, said his wife "would
love to get chickens."
"I'm not sure if we're going to have live chickens at home," Haynes said. "We'll have to look
more closely at regulations."
Haynes said having chickens "should be just like having a dog."
"I've got two yellow Labs," he said. "If they're running amok in the neighborhood, then
that's a problem." He agreed with Bird that hens are quiet, adding, "unless you run up on a
chicken" that then runs and clucks.
Christina Close, a customer from Chesapeake, said she would be shocked if a lot of people in
Norfolk really want to have chickens. She has reservations about the animals' welfare and
cleanliness.
She prefers to get her eggs from the store.
Bird grew up on a farm and never had to buy an egg until she left.
"That was kind of shocking," she said.
The attempt to change the city's rule grew out of an effort to overturn a regulation against
keeping bee hives at home. In fact, the bee hive and chicken prohibitions are covered in the
same ordinance pertaining to residential districts: "Except as otherwise noted, there shall
be no raising or keeping of livestock, poultry, fowl, rabbits, bees and the like on less than
five acres, and the keeping of four or more dogs or cats above the age of six months shall be
prohibited."
The effort to remove the portion about the bees has received some city support but has not
been formally discussed by the City Council.
While working on the bee prohibition, Bird said, she learned that keeping bee hives is not
prohibited on industrial property. That made her wonder if keeping live chickens on
industrial property might also be OK. Deputy City Attorney Adam Melita confirmed that is so.
Bird got approval to bring live chickens to work. She placed an order with a hatchery in Ohio
for three chickens, which are to arrive in April.
There are no plans to sell the eggs. Between the three hens, Bird said, they'll lay only 21
eggs per week. "We have enough farmers who provide us with chicken eggs," she said. "We're
fine." Bird said she and other employees will likely eat the eggs.
2011年3月14日星期一
City slickers play Old MacDonald
In the name of urban farming, there were a lot of ways BJ Hedahl could have transformed her
spacious, fenced backyard in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood: putting in an organic garden, a
beehive or a chicken coop maybe.
But no. Hedahl wanted ducks. Or rather duck eggs: richer, denser, with yolks bigger than your
chicken variety, she said.
Here on a recent afternoon were her four ducks, hopping out of the kiddie wading pool that's
plopped in the middle of her yard, each webfoot capable of producing about 300 eggs every
year.
As one after another waddled by, I couldn't help but do the math. That's a lot of quiche.
But these ducks aren't a lot of work, she said. "They're lower maintenance than chickens and
I think (the eggs) taste better." Hedahl now runs workshops showing Seattleites how to raise
ducks in their yards.
These days, around Seattle you can find just about every conceivable workshop related to
urban farming. The slow-food, eat-local movement has spurred hordes of city slickers to adopt
some small measure of homestead mentality into their daily life.
Workshops are packed.
The nonprofit Seattle Tilth, which offers the widest range of city farming know-how workshops
in Western Washington, reports record attendance in recent years. Chicken-raising courses
have wait lists. Sessions on beekeeping for honey fill quickly. The group's annual summer
self-guided tour of chicken coops around Seattle has expanded to include homes with bees,
ducks and goats, and now extends to the Eastside.
The widespread interest has led Seattle Tilth to diversify its class offerings to include
raising ducks and goats.
Raising urban dairy goats, which was previously rare (and before 2007 illegal) in Seattle,
has become trendy here and in other parts of the country.
Three years ago, Jennie Grant, who teaches the dairy-goat workshop at Tilth's Wallingford,
Wash., headquarters, convinced Seattle's city government to allow homeowners to raise
miniature (100 pounds or lighter), dehorned goats.
Urban farmers consider goats to be "the city cow," a smaller milk producer that needs no more
yard space than a typical dog.
Grant's class has gotten more popular with Seattleites who are curious about getting fresh
milk to make cheese and yogurt. She tells potential goat owners to buy a breed that's quiet.
Erect a 5-foot fence, build a shed and be prepared to milk day and night.
Grant lives in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood, with a backyard featuring seven chickens, two
goats and a view of Lake Washington. With the eggs and the goat milk, that's pretty much all
you need for a souffle, she said.
She took me out back to the pen and chicken coop. It felt like visiting a house on rural
Vashon Island.
Her La Mancha goat, Snowflake, greeted me with a couple of jumps. Her Oberhasli goat, Maple,
nibbled on my coat zipper and notebook.
She pulled Maple into the pen, gave her a pale of oatmeal treats and milked her, in the same
manner as you would a cow.
The trick is to finish milking before the goat finishes snacking, said Grant, or she might
not remain still.
Her goats each can produce around a gallon a day. Grant has it on her oatmeal, her husband
pours it over cold cereal and her 10-year-old son drinks it straight. The surplus is given to
neighbors or made into chevre and mozzarella. It makes for a mean goat-cheese pizza with sun
-dried tomatoes and caramelized onions, she said.
spacious, fenced backyard in Seattle's Wedgwood neighborhood: putting in an organic garden, a
beehive or a chicken coop maybe.
But no. Hedahl wanted ducks. Or rather duck eggs: richer, denser, with yolks bigger than your
chicken variety, she said.
Here on a recent afternoon were her four ducks, hopping out of the kiddie wading pool that's
plopped in the middle of her yard, each webfoot capable of producing about 300 eggs every
year.
As one after another waddled by, I couldn't help but do the math. That's a lot of quiche.
But these ducks aren't a lot of work, she said. "They're lower maintenance than chickens and
I think (the eggs) taste better." Hedahl now runs workshops showing Seattleites how to raise
ducks in their yards.
These days, around Seattle you can find just about every conceivable workshop related to
urban farming. The slow-food, eat-local movement has spurred hordes of city slickers to adopt
some small measure of homestead mentality into their daily life.
Workshops are packed.
The nonprofit Seattle Tilth, which offers the widest range of city farming know-how workshops
in Western Washington, reports record attendance in recent years. Chicken-raising courses
have wait lists. Sessions on beekeeping for honey fill quickly. The group's annual summer
self-guided tour of chicken coops around Seattle has expanded to include homes with bees,
ducks and goats, and now extends to the Eastside.
The widespread interest has led Seattle Tilth to diversify its class offerings to include
raising ducks and goats.
Raising urban dairy goats, which was previously rare (and before 2007 illegal) in Seattle,
has become trendy here and in other parts of the country.
Three years ago, Jennie Grant, who teaches the dairy-goat workshop at Tilth's Wallingford,
Wash., headquarters, convinced Seattle's city government to allow homeowners to raise
miniature (100 pounds or lighter), dehorned goats.
Urban farmers consider goats to be "the city cow," a smaller milk producer that needs no more
yard space than a typical dog.
Grant's class has gotten more popular with Seattleites who are curious about getting fresh
milk to make cheese and yogurt. She tells potential goat owners to buy a breed that's quiet.
Erect a 5-foot fence, build a shed and be prepared to milk day and night.
Grant lives in Seattle's Madrona neighborhood, with a backyard featuring seven chickens, two
goats and a view of Lake Washington. With the eggs and the goat milk, that's pretty much all
you need for a souffle, she said.
She took me out back to the pen and chicken coop. It felt like visiting a house on rural
Vashon Island.
Her La Mancha goat, Snowflake, greeted me with a couple of jumps. Her Oberhasli goat, Maple,
nibbled on my coat zipper and notebook.
She pulled Maple into the pen, gave her a pale of oatmeal treats and milked her, in the same
manner as you would a cow.
The trick is to finish milking before the goat finishes snacking, said Grant, or she might
not remain still.
Her goats each can produce around a gallon a day. Grant has it on her oatmeal, her husband
pours it over cold cereal and her 10-year-old son drinks it straight. The surplus is given to
neighbors or made into chevre and mozzarella. It makes for a mean goat-cheese pizza with sun
-dried tomatoes and caramelized onions, she said.
2011年3月13日星期日
Interactive Workshop at Millstone Farm Draws a Crowd
The temperatures outside are finally mild enough to start thinking about getting out there
and into the garden. This year, some folks are considering adding chickens to their
gardening repertoire and going a bit into small scale farming.
Millstone Farm in Wilton was ready to help teach those willing to venture into chicken
raising territory and held an interactive workshop on Saturday appropriately titled Raising
Backyard Chickens.
For a nominal fee of $30, Master Farmer Annie Farrell led the three hour class and for the
latter half of it took guests on a tour of the entire Millstone property and especially the
chicken coops.
During the lecture portion of the class, Farrell explained everything about raising chickens
from where to get them and why to dealing with disease and pests.
"Part of what we do here is being a model," explained Farrell. Millstone Farm has one
hundred and twenty chickens and sells the eggs to local markets such as the Village Market
and also to the Barcelona Restaurant Group and The Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant.
What's the difference between the organic eggs collected at Millstone and other varieties at
the grocery store?
"Grade A eggs in the stores can be up to thirty days old," said Farrell. "Here at
Millstone Farm, we collect eggs two to three times a day. Our eggs are never over 2 days
old."
So besides the luxury of eating the freshest possible eggs and chicken meat on a regular
basis, why would one want to raise chickens?
"They are terrific rototillers," said Farrell. Having natural tick control is another
reason to let chickens graze your yard, especially with so many Lyme's Disease diagnosis in
Wilton.
At first raising chickens may seem like all fun and games. Who can resist smiling when tiny
peeping day old chicks arrive at your house? They're so fluffy and adorable, it's hard to
believe that there is actual work that goes into their care. For this reason, Farrell placed
special emphasis on planning out the placement of outdoor coops relative to access to
electricity, water and convenience. It's no fun lugging fresh water in heavy buckets across
your yard in the snow on a daily basis.
For those wanting to raise chickens from eggs, proper incubation techniques are required.
The eggs must be turned carefully by hand two to three times per day during the first
eighteen days of incubation.
For day-old chicks, Farrell suggested getting them from Murray McMurray Hatchery out of Iowa.
They too require their own specific set-up and need to remain indoors for the first month,
under a heat lamp, decreasing the temperature from 95°F for new hatchlings to 82°F over a
four week period.
"Use common sense," Farrell urged. "Drafts are what kills them. It's not rocket
science."
As chickens grow their space requirements also grow which is also dependent on the number of
chickens and roosters there are in an outdoor area. Each town in Connecticut has its own
regulations regarding livestock; Wilton has no restrictions on keeping chickens on personal
private property.
A single adult chicken eats two pounds of food per week and yields 2 eggs every three days.
They require proper calcium supplements in their food and their coop must be secure and
predator proof. The coop should also be moved on a regular, weekly basis, so that they are
not feeding on the ground they have been defecating on for the past week.
All this hard work though can bring some spectacular culinary rewards. When chickens first
begin to lay eggs, they are called pullets. These eggs laid by pullets are similar to quail
eggs and in high demand. "They're really delicious," said Farrell smiling. "All of our
pullet eggs go to our chefs."
and into the garden. This year, some folks are considering adding chickens to their
gardening repertoire and going a bit into small scale farming.
Millstone Farm in Wilton was ready to help teach those willing to venture into chicken
raising territory and held an interactive workshop on Saturday appropriately titled Raising
Backyard Chickens.
For a nominal fee of $30, Master Farmer Annie Farrell led the three hour class and for the
latter half of it took guests on a tour of the entire Millstone property and especially the
chicken coops.
During the lecture portion of the class, Farrell explained everything about raising chickens
from where to get them and why to dealing with disease and pests.
"Part of what we do here is being a model," explained Farrell. Millstone Farm has one
hundred and twenty chickens and sells the eggs to local markets such as the Village Market
and also to the Barcelona Restaurant Group and The Schoolhouse at Cannondale restaurant.
What's the difference between the organic eggs collected at Millstone and other varieties at
the grocery store?
"Grade A eggs in the stores can be up to thirty days old," said Farrell. "Here at
Millstone Farm, we collect eggs two to three times a day. Our eggs are never over 2 days
old."
So besides the luxury of eating the freshest possible eggs and chicken meat on a regular
basis, why would one want to raise chickens?
"They are terrific rototillers," said Farrell. Having natural tick control is another
reason to let chickens graze your yard, especially with so many Lyme's Disease diagnosis in
Wilton.
At first raising chickens may seem like all fun and games. Who can resist smiling when tiny
peeping day old chicks arrive at your house? They're so fluffy and adorable, it's hard to
believe that there is actual work that goes into their care. For this reason, Farrell placed
special emphasis on planning out the placement of outdoor coops relative to access to
electricity, water and convenience. It's no fun lugging fresh water in heavy buckets across
your yard in the snow on a daily basis.
For those wanting to raise chickens from eggs, proper incubation techniques are required.
The eggs must be turned carefully by hand two to three times per day during the first
eighteen days of incubation.
For day-old chicks, Farrell suggested getting them from Murray McMurray Hatchery out of Iowa.
They too require their own specific set-up and need to remain indoors for the first month,
under a heat lamp, decreasing the temperature from 95°F for new hatchlings to 82°F over a
four week period.
"Use common sense," Farrell urged. "Drafts are what kills them. It's not rocket
science."
As chickens grow their space requirements also grow which is also dependent on the number of
chickens and roosters there are in an outdoor area. Each town in Connecticut has its own
regulations regarding livestock; Wilton has no restrictions on keeping chickens on personal
private property.
A single adult chicken eats two pounds of food per week and yields 2 eggs every three days.
They require proper calcium supplements in their food and their coop must be secure and
predator proof. The coop should also be moved on a regular, weekly basis, so that they are
not feeding on the ground they have been defecating on for the past week.
All this hard work though can bring some spectacular culinary rewards. When chickens first
begin to lay eggs, they are called pullets. These eggs laid by pullets are similar to quail
eggs and in high demand. "They're really delicious," said Farrell smiling. "All of our
pullet eggs go to our chefs."
2011年3月9日星期三
GOP makes bid for redistricting
For the first time, Democrats control the committee that will draw new county commission
districts for the next decade. But Republican state lawmakers hope to change that.
Legislation introduced by state Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake, would give responsibility for
drawing the commission districts to the county commission, which is currently controlled by
Republicans.
Predictably, Democrats are crying foul.
"The notion of having the county commission drawing their own districts is a little bit like
the fox guarding the chicken coop," Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, a Democrat and
member of the five-person committee, said Tuesday.
"To my knowledge, no county commissioners in the state draw their own districts," Meisner
said. "There's a reason why we have that structure. It's designed to be an independent body
and
that's what we've got."
The legislation specifically applies to counties with more than 1 million population and
which have an elected county executive. The two counties that meet the criteria are Oakland
and Wayne.
"It would certainly seem that Oakland County is their target," Meisner said. "This proposal,
aside from being a little late in the process, I think violates the spirit of good faith that
has existed and it's a pretty brazen partisan move. I think it raises a number of legal
concerns."
County commission districts, like state legislative and congressional districts, are redrawn
every 10 years following the U.S. Census.
County commission districts are redrawn by a committee made up of the county clerk, county
prosecutor, county treasurer and the chairs of the county Republican and Democratic parties.
districts for the next decade. But Republican state lawmakers hope to change that.
Legislation introduced by state Sen. Mike Kowall, R-White Lake, would give responsibility for
drawing the commission districts to the county commission, which is currently controlled by
Republicans.
Predictably, Democrats are crying foul.
"The notion of having the county commission drawing their own districts is a little bit like
the fox guarding the chicken coop," Oakland County Treasurer Andy Meisner, a Democrat and
member of the five-person committee, said Tuesday.
"To my knowledge, no county commissioners in the state draw their own districts," Meisner
said. "There's a reason why we have that structure. It's designed to be an independent body
and
that's what we've got."
The legislation specifically applies to counties with more than 1 million population and
which have an elected county executive. The two counties that meet the criteria are Oakland
and Wayne.
"It would certainly seem that Oakland County is their target," Meisner said. "This proposal,
aside from being a little late in the process, I think violates the spirit of good faith that
has existed and it's a pretty brazen partisan move. I think it raises a number of legal
concerns."
County commission districts, like state legislative and congressional districts, are redrawn
every 10 years following the U.S. Census.
County commission districts are redrawn by a committee made up of the county clerk, county
prosecutor, county treasurer and the chairs of the county Republican and Democratic parties.
2011年3月7日星期一
Petoskey's chicken policy up for referendum
Following the Petoskey City Council's recent approval of a zoning-ordinance change
allowing chickens in residential areas, a local resident has taken an initial step
toward putting the policy on the ballot for voters to accept or reject.
City clerk-treasurer Al Terry said Friday that Petoskey resident Timothy Strauss had
filed a notice of intent to petition for a referendum on the matter. With the filing
of this notice, Terry noted that the policy allowing for chickens will be delayed
from taking effect at least until March 25.
On Feb. 21, the city council voted 3-2 in favor of changing Petoskey's zoning
ordinance to allow for chickens to be kept — with restrictions — in single-family
residential areas, provided that a city permit is obtained. The policy would allow up
to four hens to be kept at a residence, but roosters would be prohibited.
A covered enclosure would need to be provided for chickens, with the birds required
to be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced backyard area at all times. Chicken
feed and other items that potentially could be attractive to rats, mice or other
rodents would need to be protected against contact by those animals. Residents would
need to keep the chicken habitat in a clean and sanitary condition, free of offensive
odors, excess noise or other conditions that would be viewed as a nuisance.
A Michigan enabling law for local zoning specifies steps to be followed when a
referendum is sought on a zoning ordinance change. The minimum number of petition
signatures needed to qualify for the ballot is equivalent to 15 percent of the total
ballots cast in a given jurisdiction in the last Michigan gubernatorial election.
With 2,206 ballots cast in Petoskey for last November's gubernatorial vote, Terry
said 331 signatures of registered city voters would be needed to arrange the
referendum on the chicken policy.
To place the matter on the ballot, Terry said these signatures would need to be
submitted to city officials by March 25 — 30 days after the city published its legal
notice of the new ordinance.
If the city doesn't receive the necessary signatures by that date, Terry said the
ordinance would take effect immediately. If enough valid signatures are submitted for
a referendum, Terry said the new chicken policy would be delayed from taking effect
until voters decide its future in the next available regular election — in this
case, November's.
An ad placed in Friday's News-Review urged readers to "protect your property rights
and property values" and help in the repeal effort, and provided contact information
for those interested in signing a referendum petition.
Strauss declined to be interviewed about the referendum effort.
Farming for Our Future, a local education organization focused on farming and
gardening, has sought the ability to make chicken coops available for rental through
local schools, and the proposed zoning updates pertaining to chickens would allow for
this.
When she learned that initial steps had been taken toward a referendum on the new
chicken policy, Farming for Our Future executive director Toril Fisher said, "my
first reaction, to be honest with you, is, I was amazed and saddened."
At the same time, Fisher said she respects the democratic process involved in the
referendum effort.
Prior to the city council's vote on the new chicken policy, supporters of that change
circulated petitions locally, with more than 90 people expressing their support in
writing and online for allowing the backyard coops.
"It was really evident to me that people who have had exposure to hens or chickens
all have supported the ordinance change," Fisher said.
"It's obvious and evident to us that we need to continue to educate our community on
the benefits of having urban pens," she said, noting that the opportunity to produce
one's own food can be a part of sustainable living.
Fisher said the educational efforts wouldn't be intended to divide the community over
the chicken issue. As one educational step, supporters are looking into the
possibility of screening a documentary film, "Mad City Chickens," locally.
"Maybe people on both sides of the fence, pun intended, will come and learn more and
discuss it," Fisher said.
Noting the permitting requirement, the limit on the number of chickens at a home and
other restrictions, Fisher doesn't expect that some of the worries voiced about
chicken coops would materialize if they're allowed.
"If you're looking at a coop that has four hens in it, you're hardly going to know
its there," she said.
allowing chickens in residential areas, a local resident has taken an initial step
toward putting the policy on the ballot for voters to accept or reject.
City clerk-treasurer Al Terry said Friday that Petoskey resident Timothy Strauss had
filed a notice of intent to petition for a referendum on the matter. With the filing
of this notice, Terry noted that the policy allowing for chickens will be delayed
from taking effect at least until March 25.
On Feb. 21, the city council voted 3-2 in favor of changing Petoskey's zoning
ordinance to allow for chickens to be kept — with restrictions — in single-family
residential areas, provided that a city permit is obtained. The policy would allow up
to four hens to be kept at a residence, but roosters would be prohibited.
A covered enclosure would need to be provided for chickens, with the birds required
to be kept in the covered enclosure or a fenced backyard area at all times. Chicken
feed and other items that potentially could be attractive to rats, mice or other
rodents would need to be protected against contact by those animals. Residents would
need to keep the chicken habitat in a clean and sanitary condition, free of offensive
odors, excess noise or other conditions that would be viewed as a nuisance.
A Michigan enabling law for local zoning specifies steps to be followed when a
referendum is sought on a zoning ordinance change. The minimum number of petition
signatures needed to qualify for the ballot is equivalent to 15 percent of the total
ballots cast in a given jurisdiction in the last Michigan gubernatorial election.
With 2,206 ballots cast in Petoskey for last November's gubernatorial vote, Terry
said 331 signatures of registered city voters would be needed to arrange the
referendum on the chicken policy.
To place the matter on the ballot, Terry said these signatures would need to be
submitted to city officials by March 25 — 30 days after the city published its legal
notice of the new ordinance.
If the city doesn't receive the necessary signatures by that date, Terry said the
ordinance would take effect immediately. If enough valid signatures are submitted for
a referendum, Terry said the new chicken policy would be delayed from taking effect
until voters decide its future in the next available regular election — in this
case, November's.
An ad placed in Friday's News-Review urged readers to "protect your property rights
and property values" and help in the repeal effort, and provided contact information
for those interested in signing a referendum petition.
Strauss declined to be interviewed about the referendum effort.
Farming for Our Future, a local education organization focused on farming and
gardening, has sought the ability to make chicken coops available for rental through
local schools, and the proposed zoning updates pertaining to chickens would allow for
this.
When she learned that initial steps had been taken toward a referendum on the new
chicken policy, Farming for Our Future executive director Toril Fisher said, "my
first reaction, to be honest with you, is, I was amazed and saddened."
At the same time, Fisher said she respects the democratic process involved in the
referendum effort.
Prior to the city council's vote on the new chicken policy, supporters of that change
circulated petitions locally, with more than 90 people expressing their support in
writing and online for allowing the backyard coops.
"It was really evident to me that people who have had exposure to hens or chickens
all have supported the ordinance change," Fisher said.
"It's obvious and evident to us that we need to continue to educate our community on
the benefits of having urban pens," she said, noting that the opportunity to produce
one's own food can be a part of sustainable living.
Fisher said the educational efforts wouldn't be intended to divide the community over
the chicken issue. As one educational step, supporters are looking into the
possibility of screening a documentary film, "Mad City Chickens," locally.
"Maybe people on both sides of the fence, pun intended, will come and learn more and
discuss it," Fisher said.
Noting the permitting requirement, the limit on the number of chickens at a home and
other restrictions, Fisher doesn't expect that some of the worries voiced about
chicken coops would materialize if they're allowed.
"If you're looking at a coop that has four hens in it, you're hardly going to know
its there," she said.
2011年3月2日星期三
Charred Cauliflower
As a child, I remember going out to the chicken coop with my grandma when I visited
her and my grandpa at their Indiana farm. We’d walk through an area of the farmyard
reserved for rambunctious geese as they honked wildly and flapped their strong wings
around my legs.
My grandma would protect me as she hurried me along toward the old wooden chicken
coop. Always fearful of being pecked by pointy, sharp beaks, I stood to the side and
watched with awe as my grandma gently tucked her hand under sitting hens, pulling out
large eggs.
The thought of ever having my own chickens never crossed my mind, until a couple of
years ago when I began hearing of urban and suburban dwellers having a few chickens so
that they could enjoy unbelievably fresh eggs.
It sounded charming and romantic. I pictured myself heading out to a cute little hen
house tucked into a corner of my yard, my dog scampering beside me, anxious to visit
the chickens. I would gather fresh eggs, make a quick stop to snip fresh herbs from
the garden, then head back to the kitchen to create plump, fluffy omelets to eat with
whole grain toast and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. But those daydreams
were just a passing fantasy. I began purchasing eggs and whole, pasture-raised
chickens from area farmers instead.
But, oh dear. A couple of weeks ago I got a copy of “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of
Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes by Janice Cole.” One look at the charming
cover of the book and I started getting all dreamy again with visions of colorful hens
strutting their stuff around a darling little chicken coop in my yard.
Cole’s book is a combination of her stories about her first year of raising her own
few hens in her backyard in a suburb of St. Paul. Minn., and more than 100 recipes she
developed using chicken and eggs. As you read of the sometimes humorous and always
interesting adventures of Cole’s first year owning chickens, you will feel as though
you are sitting right across the table from her, sipping coffee and nibbling on a
sweet treat that she whipped up with some of her amazingly fresh eggs. Although
“Chicken and Egg” is not a how-to-raise-chickens-in-your-yard guidebook, it is
filled with tips that can help you decide if you really do want to make the
commitment.
As you spend time thinking about the charms and challenges of having your own
chickens, you can try some of the down-to-earth, easy-to-follow recipes that Cole
shares in the book, using all parts of the chicken. The book is divided seasonally,
because chickens are seasonal in their behavior.
Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers is a delicious example of the family-
friendly recipes that abound in “Chicken and Egg.” High-temperature roasting brings
out the best in this cauliflower, red bell pepper and chicken drumstick combo. The
vegetables become toasty brown along the edges, developing sweet, nutty flavors. Skin
on chicken drumsticks gets slightly crispy, while the meat oozes with juiciness when
poked with a fork
After becoming acquainted with Cole and her sweet little hens, each with her own name
and unique personality, you will be tempted to become a backyard farmer. You will
definitely feel drawn to seek out the freshest eggs and chickens you can find from
farmers in your area, farmers markets and natural food co-ops.
I’m wondering how I can turn the storage shed in the woods alongside the driveway
into a chicken coop. I can just picture my grandchildren, baskets in hand, going out
with me to gather eggs. Of course, my hens would never dream of pecking little hands.
her and my grandpa at their Indiana farm. We’d walk through an area of the farmyard
reserved for rambunctious geese as they honked wildly and flapped their strong wings
around my legs.
My grandma would protect me as she hurried me along toward the old wooden chicken
coop. Always fearful of being pecked by pointy, sharp beaks, I stood to the side and
watched with awe as my grandma gently tucked her hand under sitting hens, pulling out
large eggs.
The thought of ever having my own chickens never crossed my mind, until a couple of
years ago when I began hearing of urban and suburban dwellers having a few chickens so
that they could enjoy unbelievably fresh eggs.
It sounded charming and romantic. I pictured myself heading out to a cute little hen
house tucked into a corner of my yard, my dog scampering beside me, anxious to visit
the chickens. I would gather fresh eggs, make a quick stop to snip fresh herbs from
the garden, then head back to the kitchen to create plump, fluffy omelets to eat with
whole grain toast and a steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee. But those daydreams
were just a passing fantasy. I began purchasing eggs and whole, pasture-raised
chickens from area farmers instead.
But, oh dear. A couple of weeks ago I got a copy of “Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of
Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes by Janice Cole.” One look at the charming
cover of the book and I started getting all dreamy again with visions of colorful hens
strutting their stuff around a darling little chicken coop in my yard.
Cole’s book is a combination of her stories about her first year of raising her own
few hens in her backyard in a suburb of St. Paul. Minn., and more than 100 recipes she
developed using chicken and eggs. As you read of the sometimes humorous and always
interesting adventures of Cole’s first year owning chickens, you will feel as though
you are sitting right across the table from her, sipping coffee and nibbling on a
sweet treat that she whipped up with some of her amazingly fresh eggs. Although
“Chicken and Egg” is not a how-to-raise-chickens-in-your-yard guidebook, it is
filled with tips that can help you decide if you really do want to make the
commitment.
As you spend time thinking about the charms and challenges of having your own
chickens, you can try some of the down-to-earth, easy-to-follow recipes that Cole
shares in the book, using all parts of the chicken. The book is divided seasonally,
because chickens are seasonal in their behavior.
Chicken with Charred Cauliflower and Peppers is a delicious example of the family-
friendly recipes that abound in “Chicken and Egg.” High-temperature roasting brings
out the best in this cauliflower, red bell pepper and chicken drumstick combo. The
vegetables become toasty brown along the edges, developing sweet, nutty flavors. Skin
on chicken drumsticks gets slightly crispy, while the meat oozes with juiciness when
poked with a fork
After becoming acquainted with Cole and her sweet little hens, each with her own name
and unique personality, you will be tempted to become a backyard farmer. You will
definitely feel drawn to seek out the freshest eggs and chickens you can find from
farmers in your area, farmers markets and natural food co-ops.
I’m wondering how I can turn the storage shed in the woods alongside the driveway
into a chicken coop. I can just picture my grandchildren, baskets in hand, going out
with me to gather eggs. Of course, my hens would never dream of pecking little hands.
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