The Newest Hedge Against Industrial Food, Bad Economy? Backyard Chickens
I’ve written before about communities in the U.S. that have changed their laws to allow homeowners to keep chickens in their backyards. Now I’ve found some great resources for those in the pro-poultry movement,which a new report from the Worldwatch Institute describes as an underground “urban chicken” movement sweeping across the U.S:
“It’s no longer something kinky or interesting,” Jac Smit, president of the Urban Agriculture Network, tells Worldwatch writer Ben Block. “The ‘chicken underground’ has really spread so widely and has so much support.”
So what if you don’t live in a town like Fort Collins, Colorado; Falmouth, Maine; or Anne Arbor, Michigan; all of which now allow — or are considering allowing — backyard chickens? Join the “chicken underground” or start lobbying your local officials to change the laws on their books. Here are some resources that can help you in your quest:
“U.S. City Dwellers Flock to Raising Chickens” (Worldwatch Institute);
BackYardChickens.com (this one’s really helpful: it has a “Raising Chickens 101″ section, a guide to chicken coop designs, FAQs, links and more);
The Urban Agriculture Network;
The City Farms’ City Chicken Project.
