Home to Roost Helping city folks raise chickens!

A recent NBC news article entitled “Backyard chickens dumped at shelters when hipsters can’t cope, critics say” prompted quite a bit of ruffled feathers in discussion boards I’m on. There were quite a few bits of misinformation, which Deborah Niemann-Boehle, one of the board’s members chose to address in a blog post rebuttal.

Consider sponsoring the coop tour this year! It’s easy!

Just distribute this 2013 Coop Tour flyer to about 100 people! If you or your business is interested acting as a sponsor for the coop tour in September, you can contribute a logo to be included in the program information.

For more information, see the 2013 Coop Tour flyer cce letter.

I get a lot of questions about composting with chicken manure. This is an area I’m always learning more about, and here is a post that covers it well!

If your hens have poopy butts, keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t turn into vent gleet, a yeast infection that messes up the rear end and causes thrush in the mouth. Check out this article on vent gleet. Thus far I’ve not seen any instances of this kind of yeast infection in the Chicagoland area (yet), but I have seen a few cases of poopy butts.

(Per library staff, 6/21/2013, 1:45 PM, this event is full.)

Dr. Temple Grandin will visit the Mother McAuley High School auditorium, 3737 W. 99th St., on Saturday, June 29, at 3 p.m. Grandin is a nationally renowned philosophical leader for both autism advocacy and animal welfare. Diagnosed in childhood with autism, she nevertheless studied psychology and earned a Ph.D. in animal science. Her compassionate research and writing on the humane treatment of farm animals helped to revolutionize the industry. Her book, “The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum,” introduces her new experience with neuroimaging advances and genetic research linking brain science to behavior. Grandin even shares her own brain scans‚ all toward promoting more effective mainstreaming and unleashing the unique advantages of autistic people. Copies of “The Autistic Brain,” are available for purchase at the Evergreen Park Public Library, 9400 S. Troy Ave., in Evergreen Park. Those who purchase a book from the library will receive a priority book signing number. For more information, call the library, (708) 422-8522.

A lovely little poem… I love this line:

And for the way they run

toward someone they trust, their skirts

hiked, their plump bodies wobbling

The chicken health class, originally scheduled for June 1, has been postponed. Keep an eye on the blog for more info.