Home to Roost Helping city folks raise chickens!

Bring the kids for family-friendly fun at World Environment Day at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Saturday June 3 from 10 to 4!

Some fun features include cooking demos, hands-on activities, recycling, a farmers’ market stand, and MaryAnn the chicken!

Facebook introduced me to the photography of Beth Moon. I love her poetic comments on her pieces. Of “Augurs and Soothsayers,” her chicken collection, she says,

[English writer John Berger] suggests that the loss of everyday contact between man and animal have left us confused about our relationship, specifically, he writes about looking an animal in the eyes. Michael Pollen writes … “but this is what can happen to you when you look. And what you see when you look is the cruelty – and the blindness to cruelty – required to produce eggs that can be sold for 79 cents a dozen.”

These portraits were inspired by those words. I invite you to look into their eyes.

I hope you enjoy her work as much as I did!

Michael Toscano, a researcher at the University of Bern in Switzerland is checking out the habits of chickens – by outfitting them with chicken fitbits! A tracking device records the birds’ daily routines to determine the “best practices” of healthy layers.

Initially an experiment to study high incidence of broken keel bones, Toscano and his team have also used the device to track which birds go outside, determining that those who spend time out of the barn are healthier, a finding that comes as no surprise to backyard chicken keepers! The team has also found that each chicken has its own daily routine. They hope to use the results of the study to raise happier, healthier chickens.

To read more about the study, check out this article in Popular Science.

Green Bay Animal Hospital is holding a chicken that was found on Rt. 22 in Lincolnshire. It appears to be a Plymouth rock cockerel. chicken at Green Bay AH. Needs medication for an eye issue. Vet has started treatment.

Call 847-251-5900 before 3 PM or 847-613-0630. Ask for Gina.

Oswego chicken ordinance vote is coming up tonight, Tuesday, May 2, at 6pm in Village Hall. If you would like to have backyard chickens in the Oswego area, show your support at the Village Hall on Tuesday.

This is lovely! Only in Switzerland…

My little hen Chiclet just hatched 7 babies, with 2 eggs to go! Here are a few pictures. It’s been fun to watch the process! These little guys are so tiny; it’s hard to believe they have a circulatory system!

Papa Hummus is being very helpful, sitting on eggs and chicks as needed. Cagemate and co-mom Henlet is helping out as needed, too.

Enjoy the pictures.

Come out for these events!

Earthfest 2017, April 22 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Public Works Building in Oak Park! Family friendly fun!

Sign up NOW for my chicken-keeping classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden on May 6! Enrollment is open through May 1.

House Bill 175 in Ohio sets a limit to how many “small livestock” a homeowner may have. The bill proposes limits based on lot size and kind of animal. This will make it easier for people to keep animals that are traditionally kept for food purposes, including chickens, rabbits, and goats. For more, click here. 

When I tell people I’m a chicken consultant, I get anything from scoffing, to a bemused grin, to incredulity, to curiosity. The next question is “What is that?” I usually tell people that I help people in the city raise chickens.

What does that involve? Largely, if it involves chickens, I’ll do it! Here’s a list of chicken-related things I do:

• House calls to talk about chicken-keeping in general, to check on the flock’s health or behavior, or to give advice on a sick bird
• Phone consultations for the same reasons as above
• Necropsies to determine cause of death for a chicken
• Classes on chicken keeping, coop building, winter care, summer care, and health
• Presentations for schools, gardening groups, offices, event, and libraries
• Chicken wrangling for movies and photo shoots
• Consulting for organizations that want to install a chicken-keeping program
• Community events at fairs, bookstores, community centers, and other locations
• Expert witness at village meetings where chickens are under consideration
• Ordinance review for communities that have legalized chickens
• Network to connect people who can help each other
• Learn as much about chickens as I can, attending veterinary talks and shadowing avian vets, reading, conducting online research, etc.

If you have any questions about what I do, feel free to contact me.