21 posts tagged “chickens”

I'm now officially known as "The Chicken Lady." The Chicago Sun-Times has an article about how I and others have been approaching the proposed chicken ban in Chicago.

The videographer got some great footage of my girls on a REALLY cold day just after the New Year, too. (Launch the video clip under Related Stories.)

I guess I'm just going to have to embrace the nickname.

I've been reading ThomasK's blog, Urban Chickens, for many months now. I got my chickens only a couple months after him, and since mine were pullets ("teen girl chickens") when I got them, our hens are about the same age. Now that ThomasK's California hens are fully mature, he's been helping to keep me up to date about what's going on in other cities and countries around chickens. I've taken a suggestion from him and subscribed to Google News Alerts about chickens.

Seems that over in the UK, there's a LOT of news about the plight of battery hens and commercial meat chicken operations.

There's discussion and debate.

Opinion pieces and newspaper blogs.

And there are a couple of TV programs (this one and this one) and a national campaign to raise awareness of the ethical concerns over cheap chicken and eggs.

At least there's something going on over there!

Today while heading into the train station I stopped to say a few words to a person stationed with a bullhorn and photo placard decrying factory farming. First time I've seen that in Chicago, and I made sure to say a few words of support to the guy before I ran for my train.

Ah, what a lovely day. This is the first day in months that I haven't felt anxiety and stress over my little birds. We sat down with an alderman's staffer yesterday afternoon and talked about the approaches to making sure keeping chickens remains legal in Chicago. And it went very well! It's so nice to feel like we have an ally on the "inside" who can help us figure out the proper channels.

While the skies today have been cloudy, the temps have been several degrees above freezing. The snow is melting, too. The hens observed me doing a bit of raking in their yard today. I was just trying to clean and tidy up a bit, but they realized that the ground was perhaps receptive to a bit of scratching. No surprise then that I noticed them scratching away an hour or so later. Chickens must scratch!

Tomorrow should be warmer still and if I can get outside to do some more chicken yard clean up before the rain starts, that would be ideal.

It's only 4:20 PM and it is getting dark, but after today the daylight will slowly increase bit by bit. Happy Yule to all!

Real snow birds

Between Saturday and Sunday morning we got about 5 inches of snow. I snapped the photo above on Sunday as I headed out to collect the eggs and give the girls a little treat (some squash "innards" from our dinner the night before).

The girls got their first taste of appreciable snow while we were out of town. They didn't seem to like it one bit. According to my housesitter, they basically stayed inside the run after that first snowfall. But I thought I could lure them out, and indeed I did.

Treats and food go a long way when training animals. My dogs respond very well to food treats and affection when I'm training them, and I figured chickens couldn't be much different. It only took a one visit with a handful of raisins, and the girls were out the run door and into the snow. I could see they didn't like how unsteady the snow made them. Little Selma actually flew a short distance over the snow so she didn't have to walk in it. Their feet aren't quite like snowshoes, you see, and so they sink into the powdery snow when they step on it. They don't like feeling so unbalanced.

When I head out to open their coop every morning and then back to shut it up in the evening, I compact the snow with my foot steps. So, they've found they can just follow my trail to get to the gate. Now they come up to the gate on their own when they hear me coming outside during the day.

I don't know if they can understand words like dogs can, but I was quite full of praise for them yesterday when I saw how they had trekked over to the gate all on their own. I thought they were quite brave and said so as I cooed over them and gave them their treat.

I know they're chickens, but they're precious to me nonetheless.

In the struggle to keep my hens legal there's now a temporary reprieve. After appealing every which way possible (calls to alderman, letters to alderman, letters to relevant city departments, etc.), the committee reported to the city council today that the issue be held in committee for further comment. So, we now have gotten some time to work our own proposal that could allow for responsible chicken keeping. More to come later. I'm just too tired now to write.

The end of the "crazy time" has finally come. In less than an hour, we're heading out to O'Hare to catch our flight to California.

I've wrapped up or handed off projects at work. They can survive without me.

I'm forced to come to the conclusion that I've done all I can to save my chickens from being re-homed. Last week, I was contacted by a person familiar with the issue, implications, and the knowledge and desire to help. The struggle is in good hands, and I'm thankful for her help. Now it's time for me to let go and let the events run their course.

I hope that when I return from Esalen I am more relaxed, more open, and have a stronger relationship with my husband. I also hope that I won't have to say goodbye to my chickens.

Have a great week, all!

After a long, busy weekend I've picked up the fight to keep my hens. My sleep is uneasy at night and I'm feeling pretty tired, but I just can't give the girls up easily. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Chicago Tribune (with considerable help from Mark) and it is appearing on the web site now. I'm hoping this means it will be in print tomorrow since it wasn't in today's paper.

Meanwhile, the hens are oblivous and continue their carefree lives of eating and scratching around the yard. I linger a bit longer in the morning with them thinking that the days of doing so may be numbered.

Yesterday, I felt pretty mopey and cried once or twice. It's pretty easy for me to come to tears when I think about having to give them up. How would you feel if you were told it may just become illegal to keep your dog or cat and you'll have to get rid of it next month? Wouldn't you feel sad, too?

I have a very full week at work and then Mark and I are leaving on a vacation to Esalen in Big Sur. It's remote and isolated, and when we booked the trip I was looking forward to the peace and the opportunity to let go of my incredibly busy life for a short time. Now I'm just feeling anxious that I won't be able to keep in touch with what's going on back here regarding the future of my hens. And, I keep thinking that it is a week I will miss seeing them, too.

At Esalen my Treo won't work, so I won't be able to make calls or check email. The closest Internet is a few miles away up Highway 1 at the Henry Miller Memorial Library, and if we want to make a phone call we'll need a phone card. (Amazing how a phone card seems like such an outdated thing!)

I definitely need this trip. And, maybe it is the best way to deal with this maddening situation: now that I've done all that I can, I just need to let it unfold the way it's meant to. It's so hard for me to feel like I'm giving up control on this or anything else.

Hooray for city chickens!

A reporter for Chicago Tonight visited with me, Maisy, Betty and Selma today. The report that aired on TV tonight was quite flattering, although the girls weren't looking their best since it was a cold, rainy day. (Soggy plummage just isn't as impressive, you know.)

I don't think they post video excerpts on their website as a general rule, but it may be possible to view something.

I hope this helps our case with the city!

I thought I lived in a progressive city, but I guess I'm wrong.

Listen to this. I can't understand how the City of Chicago could actually consider banning pet chickens in residential areas of the city when so many other cities are now allowing and encouraging it.

I wasn't at this city council committee meeting having my say because I didn't even know the meeting was taking place. The meeting date was posted only 3 business days in advance, and if I hadn't been contacted by a reporter I had previously reached out to, I likely wouldn't be up late tonight writing emails and posting notices on all the chicken forums.

I'm quite angry that I've been denied my due process, but am pushing hard to make sure I get my say. I was interviewed by the reporter today for an article to appear tomorrow, and I am hoping to get interviewed on film tomorrow for a local PBS news show, Chicago Tonight.

Below is an email I sent to my alderman tonight. I also plan to attend the alderman's next open meeting, which will hopefully be next Monday night.

Alderman Levar,

Concerning proposed amendment to ordinance 7-12-387 extending the ban on raising pigeons in residential areas to include chickens, I live in the 45^th Ward and I’d like to continue raising a few hens as pets and for fresh eggs. The proposed amendment would make this illegal.

The City of Chicago would be taking a giant step backwards from other progressive cities in North America if this proposal is passed by the City Council. In recent years, as issues of Green living, eating locally grown foods, recycling, and food security have gained popularity, cities and towns all over America have been relaxing their chicken laws to encourage carefully tended, backyard pet hens for fresh eggs. Media stories on raising chickens in urban settings have been increasing, including a recent story on National Public Radio about raising chickens in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

The amendment proposes to address filth and animal slaughter in residential areas, issues that are already covered by city ordinance 7-12-300, which bans the possession of any animal for purposes of slaughter. Numerous other ordinances already address public nuisance. If enforced, these existing ordinances more than adequately address the concerns of the proposed amendment. Chicagoans who comply with existing ordinances keep chickens in safe and clean habitats and deserve to own and care for these animals.

 

Pet hens are calm, docile, and affectionate pets. They come when called, eat from their owner’s hands, like to be held, are quieter than dogs, and don’t smell. Chicken droppings make amazing compost for the garden and they eat kitchen scraps, helping to reduce food waste that attracts rats or goes in landfills. Keeping pet chickens is fun, educational, healthy, and environmentally sound.

I strongly encourage you to oppose the proposed amendment, and support Chicagoans’ efforts to live natural, cleaner, more environmentally friendly lives.

Linda Nxxx

Address

Telephone

 

And, here's what I'm sending to the local public radio affiliate, WBEZ, who posted the audio linked above.

 

Regarding Shawn Allee's comments that pro-chicken advocates "dropped the ball" today, perhaps that's because the city council was playing keep-away!

 

If I had known that the meeting was to be held today, then I would have been there adding my testimony in favor of continuing to be allowed to raise my pet hens in my Chicago backyard.

 

I was first alerted to this issue on October 10 by a story in the Chicago Sun-Times. However, there was no information available about what happened when it was proposed at the September 27 meeting: was it sent to committee? was it tabled? what exactly had happened? I contacted my alderman's office, but they could not advise me of the details. Alderman Lane's office declined to offer any help, too. Calls and visits to the City Clerk, Aldermanic Offices, and City Council Services offices also yielded no clues. I was advised to await the update to the Journal of Proceedings, which should happen before the October 31 city council meeting.

 

So, I checked the City Clerk's website every few days. October 31 came and went, but no Journal of Proceedings for the September 27 city council meeting were available. I finally found the updated meeting minutes from September 27 on the website on November 2. No worries, though, since the minutes noted this had been referred to the Committe on Health, and my frequent checking of the City Clerk website had not indicated any Committee of Health meetings that had taken place in October; nor were there any scheduled for November as of the last time I checked the website the week of November 5th.

 

As I found out today, a Committee on Health meeting was posted on November 15 and held today, November 20. How can the city post notice of a public meeting only 3 business days in advance, and expect to provide a fair hearing? Give me an opportunity to speak up and share MY opinion on keeping chickens in the city.

 

My pet hens do not attract rats. There are other responsible chicken owners like me who want to continue raising hens as pets and for the fresh eggs. We are interested in reducing our impact on the environment, in obtaining more food security, and in just enjoying our gallacious friends zest for life as they roam the yard eating weeds and bugs.

 

I may be contacted at this email address or my mobile phone: xxx-xxx-xxxx.

 

Regards,

 

Linda Nxxx

The ladies seem to be doing well even though it has been getting below freezing at night. Last night the temp was down to 29 F and I had to crack ice in their water bowl. This isn't the first time that there has been ice on top, but it was much harder to break this AM. Tonight I took a suggestion from Mark and emptied the container while locking up for the night.

I have a thermometer in the Eglu now and it showed a temp of 38 F this morning. The girls didn't seem uncomfortable at all, though. They hunker down at night and sleep close together.

I took a business trip this week and poor Mark had to get up several mornings to take care of the hens. He was quite happy when I returned a day early. But, while I was gone the ladies seem to have learned that they can get through my rigged-up barrier to the landscaped yard behind the house. The dog walker left a note that the chickens were in the main yard last Tuesday, so he wisely chose not to let the dogs run around. Luckily the hens didn't destroy any plants. They did scratch around a lot of mulch and eat the dill to nubbins, but the dill was popping up in places I really didn't want it, so they sort of did me a favor.

Today and yesterday I worked from home instead of going into the office. So, I followed the normal routine yesterday and opened up the run and coop in the morning when I fed them. By late morning, I saw them in the main yard scratching away and eating more dill. I lured them back towards the barrier with mealworms, then crossed over (I can step over the makeshift trellis barrier) and waited to see how they came into the side yard. Mark and I were thinking they were flying over the trellis barrier since we know Betty and Selma are capable of scaling a 32-inch fence. But it wasn't that complicated, at all. The trellis has wide openings. They just hopped through them. Duh. Good thing for them that the dogs weren't out!

Once I had lured them back, I locked them in the run with some dill I pulled up for them. (Who knew they liked dill?) This morning, I did not open up the run, but I found some time to get out before dark and let them roam for a while. I unrolled some of that icky plastic mesh fencing (we have tons of it) and sandwiched it between the trellis barrier layers. Then I positioned another trellis on top just in case they do try to fly over the barrier. Now that they know there is more green stuff over there, they may be determined to get at it. I'll have to see if this works.

I was in Princeton, New Jersey on my business trip. I was inside all day, but the conference room had a wall of glass that looked onto the woods. The colors were great and it was nice to look out the window for a break. One morning I saw some sort of woodpecker.

Corridor

We didn't get out during the day, of course, but one evening we went into town and walked around Princeton University campus and the old town square. I couldn't resist this lone bicycle. So, can I now say I've been at an Ivy League school, even if it was just for one night?