Home to Roost Helping city folks raise chickens!

For those of you who missed the live radio program, check out the online clip here! A lovely experience with WGN’s Steve Bertrand!

Check out this story, which covers how the city of Detroit is becoming more urban-ag-friendly!

Citing soil remediation and growing one’s own food, the article states that Detroit is proposing legislation in which “A Detroit householder will be able to keep a maximum of eight chickens and four goats.”

Naysayers cite the arguments of noise, smell, and stray animals, which the city is creating plans to mitigate. “Good training for animal keepers, offered promptly, would stem many problems and complaints,” which is the same philosophy held by the Chicago Chicken Enthusiasts. A little training goes a long way!

Detroit’s urban ag proponents, like Chicago’s, aim self-police to ensure that all animal keepers follow best practices. This will prevent urban farm animals from becoming a nuisance to city officials and neighbors.

Kudos to Detroit for exploring this new way of thinking about urban space.

p.s. It should be noted that the animals in the photo captioned “Diane Van Buren’s chickens wander through her backyard” look a lot more like Indian runner ducks than chickens!

Thanks to Lori from Q98.5 Rockford for covering Home to Roost!

Uncle Sam once asked all patriotic citizens to raise chickens! Yes, you heard that right. During World War I and into the Great Depression, the government touted chickens as a solution to hunger. Easy to care for and easy to breed, chickens provided protein from both meat and eggs.

Uncle Sam Expects You To Keep Hens and Raise Chickens

Two Hens in the Back Yard for Each Person in the House Will Keep a Family In Fresh Eggs.

Even the smallest back yard has room for a flock large enough to supply the house with eggs. The cost of maintaining such a flock is small. Table and kitchen waste provide much of the feed for the hens. They require little attention— only a few minutes a day.

An interested child, old enough to take a little responsibility, can care for a few fowls as well as a grown person.

Every back yard in the United States should contribute its share to a bumper crop of poultry and eggs in 1918. 

In Time of Peace a Profitable Recreation.  In Time of War a Patriotic Duty.

Interesting, Profitable and Patriotic!

With thousands of city families planning to raise chickens in their back yards, noted poultry expert tells you just what profits to expect and how to be sure of success

I guess I’m not the first urban chicken consultant, after all!

Happy Memorial Day. And remember those who died to give us our freedoms.

WGN’s Paul, Pat, and staff made Maryann and me feel at ease during out segment today! You can watch the footage here.

Thanks to WGN for their interest in covering chickens and promoting my business. Check out the other tabs on my blog if you’re interested in learning more about Home to Roost’s services,  local chicken-keeping resources, classes (attending or hosting), and general chicken-related questions.

DNAinfo senior editor Justin Breen featured Home to Roost in a story today!

Happy reading!