Archive for August, 2011

30 Aug

Sept. 7 Windy City Harvest Open House for Adults Interested in Urban Agriculture

Posted by chickenwoman in Urban agriculture. Tagged: , , , , , .


If you are interested in urban agriculture as a profession, consider Windy City Harvest. This organization is currently seeking adults to apply for their certificate program.
Open House
There will be an open house on Sept 7th. Current students will be giving tours of the AVI & CCBC farm sites. Here is an invite: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/greenyouthfarm/evite/index.html
Windy City Harvest Program
The program will start in early Feb and run through mid Oct, 2012. There is no age limit or other restrictions, however, this is a labor intensive program – students must be able to lift material weighing up to 50 lbs on a daily basis and work outdoors in all kinds of weather.

Check out the following documents for more information:

WCH Fact Sheet

Please return your application by September 30, 2011 to:

Luanne Janikowski
Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe IL, 60022
Or fax it to 847.835.4484

To complete the application process for 2012, you will need to attend a Mandatory Information Session. Pick one of two dates: September 23rd or 30th 9am-12pm at the Arturo Velasquez Institute.

29 Aug

Chicken-Keeping Class 9/24/2011 at Elgin Community College

Posted by chickenwoman in Chicken care, Events. Tagged: , , , , .


Home to Roost will be leading a chicken-keeping class at Elgin Community College on Sept. 24. Information from the course catalog is listed below. Call 847-622-3036 to register.

CEs 111 Raising Chickens in a Suburban Setting
Jennifer Murtoff is a farmer’s granddaughter who raised her own fowl in Pennsylvania. Today, she is a consultant for urban and suburban flocks in Chicagoland. She leads workshops on backyard chickens and gives presentations for groups and schools interested in raising their own flocks. The trend to provide your own nutritious food has led many communities to change ordinances concerning backyard fowl. Come and learn the basics about local laws, coop construction, health issues plus chick and adult chicken care. Jennifer provides concise information that can help you decide if raising backyard chickens in a suburban setting is for you.
300 80725 SA  10AM-12PM  9/24  ATC-235  Murtoff  $35

28 Aug

The Urban Chicken Consultant Suggests: Chicken Sitting

Posted by chickenwoman in Chicken care. Tagged: , , , , , , .


Here is a potential niche market idea: chicken sitting!

When chicken owners go out of town, they have to find someone to care for their birds. In steps… the chicken sitter!

This would be a good side gig for someone who likes chickens and has some time to drive around town to take care of other people’s birds while the owners are out of town. If you have ample property and can maintain quarantine of diverse groups of birds, you may be able to do it from home.

Read up on disease prevention in flocks before trying this. Different flocks coexist with different micro-organisms, so it’s important to keep their germs to themselves.

28 Aug

Chicken/migratory bird volunteers wanted

Posted by chickenwoman in Bird miscellany, poultry welfare. Tagged: , , , , .


I volunteer with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, whose main purpose is rescuing migratory birds that crash into glass windows in the Loop (see my post from September of 2010). Occasionally we get calls about chickens wandering the streets.

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors is looking for volunteers to:

  • monitor buildings in the Loop
  • drive birds to the western suburbs
  • rescue chickens
  • foster chickens

If you’d be interested in helping out with any of these, please contact Chicago Bird Collision Monitors at 773-988-1867.

NOTE: While Home to Roost is concerned with the safety and welfare of chickens, we are NOT a chicken rescue. We do not take in birds.

28 Aug

River Forest Bans Backyard Hens

Posted by chickenwoman in Laws, Media coverage. Tagged: , , , .


A recent article underscores the ban on backyard hens in River Forest. Read more. Perhaps residents will decide to try to change their laws as other communities have recently done.

28 Aug

Sun Times Article on Backyard Chickens

Posted by chickenwoman in Urban agriculture. Tagged: , , , .


The Sun Times did a piece on urban chickens in Chicago! The article mentions the stranded chicks that Jacob Gaugert got; if you remember, they were rescued by Home to Roost: Traveling Chicks Land in Illinois!

28 Aug

Crystal Lake, IL, Nixes Backyard Chix

Posted by chickenwoman in Laws, Media coverage, Urban agriculture. Tagged: , , , .


Crystal Lake recently shot down an effort for folks to keep backyard hens. For more information, check out this article.

18 Aug

Farmageddon Film Coming to Chicago August 2011

Posted by chickenwoman in Local food, Urban agriculture.


Farmageddon: The Movie

For more information on this movie about food rights, see the movie’s website.

The movie and the filmmaker will be at the Gene Siskel Film Center Aug. 26-31, 2011. Check out this info from the Farmageddon site:

Meet the Farmageddon Filmmaker Events in Chicago


farmageddon-movieA Must See Farm Freedom and Food Rights Documentary

Farmageddon heads to another big city in two weeks, after successful screenings in numerous communities around the country.  The prestigious Gene Siskel Center is showing the movie, right in the heart of downtown Chicago! Kristin is hopeful that Roger Ebert will give the film one of his famous “thumbs up” reviews.

Kristin-Canty-FilmmakerFilmmaker Kristin Canty is eager to meet you! Come out to one of these amazing events!

If you want to get in on the excitement, or have friends near Chicago, here are the different events going on in concert with the Chicago Premiere. Please click on the hyperlink to see all the details or to purchase tickets for an event. By all means, share this post widely, let’s make sure Chicago is a SELL OUT!

Friday Night, August 26 — The  Gala Opening Night Party is a wine and cheese celebration at Petterino’s restaurant, then guests will walk to the theatre for the 8:00pm Farmageddon screening. After the show, party goers will remain in the theatre and participate in a panel discussion about the movie and its possible impact on the future of small sustainable farms in America. (Ticket price $30.00)

August 27 Saturday Afternoon — Raw Milk Activist Max Kane is hosting at Meet and Greet before the Saturday 3:00pm show with the support of Karyn’s Raw, a local wellness chef, sample delicious vegan savories and sweets while mixing with other food activists before the film. After the film, attendees will break for dinner and later that evening Max invites everyone to an optional fundraiser and constitutional rights workshop to benefit The Max Kane legal defense fund. See Farmageddon and Food Rights Workshop. (Ticket prices: Meet & Greet & Movie ONLY $10.00, Meet & Greet, Movie, Workshop Fundraiser $55.00)

Sunday Evening, August 28 — Chicago Whole Foods Nutrition Meetup group is sponsoring Foodies Day at the Movies which consists of a chance to meet the filmmaker on the way in to the movie, the movie screening and a panel discussion afterwards. Those who want to hang out with the filmmaker post film can meet in the theater lobby, and then repast to a nearby restaurant.

Monday Night, August 29 — This is Chicago Show Your Hearts Night at the Farmageddon Premiere. At this Bone Broth and a Movie event, you’ll get to meet Kristin, enjoy the film, and then mingle and mix with other attendees in the Siskel Center gallery cafe over a nourishing cup of soup, prepared by Chef Guy Meikle of Nana’s Organic Restaurant. This event is designed to raise awareness about the healing power of food, and the Joshua and Robin Berry Children’s Trust. Jen Cafferty of Gluten Free Cooking Expo is helping to spearhead this event.

Wednesday August 31 — The movie doesn’t play on Tuesday, but Wednesday is closing night. No events are planned, but tickets (Price $11.00) are available now through the Gene Siskel Film Center box office. By the way, the Siskel Center does validate parking, but you must park at a particular lot to get the discount. See their parking information, here.

http://farmageddonmovie.com/film/

8 Aug

Join the Brookfield, IL, Fight to Keep Chickens – meeting Aug. 8, 2011

Posted by chickenwoman in Events, Laws.


From a Brookfield citizen:

Hello all – Here in Brookfield we are fighting this very issue (please read up on the issue at http://rblandmark.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=7857). The ordinances were vague and did not specifically outlaw chickens, but now the village council wants to ban them outright without a healthy dialogue with residents. If you’re in the neighborhood, please come to our village meeting tonight (Aug 8th 2011 at 6:30pm)! We can use your support!

The board is voting on whether or not to add chickens to the list of prohibited animals in the city.  The meeting is this Monday (8 Aug) at 6:30pm at the village hall located at 8820 Brookfield Ave in Brookfield.

If you live anywhere near Brookfield please come out to support the effort to convince the board not to pass this measure and to create an ordinance to allow egg laying hens.  The BNSF Metra stops about 300′ from the village hall and the 331 route from Pace stops outside the building.

If you can not attend the meeting, please call or email the village trustees to share your thoughts:
o Michael J. Garvey, Village President 708-485-1400
mgarvey@brookfieldil.gov
o Keith Sbiral  Asst. Village Manager  708.485.1115
ksbiral@brookfieldil.gov
o Cathy Colgrass-Edwards, Village Trustee  708-387-0437
catherineedwards@ameritech.net
o Kit P. Ketchmark, Village Trustee  708-485-5296
kpketch91@comcast.net
o C.P. Hall, Village Trustee  708-485-2847
o Brian S. Oberhauser, Village Trustee  708-485-4636
brianoberhauser@aol.com
o Ryan P. Evans, Village Trustee  708-357-3276;
revans@brookfieldil.gov
o Michael A. Towner, Village Trustee  708-485-3921 email:
mtowner@brookfieldil.gov