The Normal City Council will consider whether to send a proposed ordinance allowing urban chicken coops through the public hearing process at its meeting Monday night.
Normal resident Mike Sebald asked the council to consider such an ordinance at the May 2 meeting. Council members asked town staff to create an ordinance for consideration.
The proposal would allow up to four hens of certain breeds and require a $5 permit, an enclosure and at least 25 feet distance between the chickens and adjacent lots.
Residents could not have roosters and could not slaughter chickens.
The council, which meets at 7 p.m. Monday night at Normal City Hall, 100 E. Phoenix Ave., will decide if the proposed ordinance takes the next step -- going to the June planning commission for a public hearing.
If that occurs, the commission would make a recommendation to the council and the council would make the final decision.
In a report to the City Council, Town Planner Mercy Davison said staff contacted several communities with urban chicken ordinances, including Naperville and Urbana, and learned there are very few complaints.
Sebald previously told the council four hens would provide about 12 to 18 eggs a week. He also maintains that because of the expense and time involved, it likely only would interest a small group of residents so it wouldn't change the community.
Some council members expressed concern about residents who might not be responsible chicken owners.
Besides addressing urban chicken coops, Davison said the proposed ordinance clarifies the town's rules about riding horses and homing pigeons.
Currently riding horses are allowed but the ordinance does not include regulations. The proposal would require at least 10,000 square feet of open space per horse and at least 25 feet between a barn, shed, stable or other enclosure for horses and any residence.
The proposal also adds homing pigeons to allowed animals. Homing pigeons are allowed by state law.
2011年5月15日星期日
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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