This is a great animation that shows the stages of development of a baby chick, day by day. Enjoy!
9 Feb
3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo, Sat. Feb 14
FOR THE LOVE OF LIVESTOCK
3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo Convenes Prospective & Experienced Critter Keepers on Valentine’s Day
DOWNLOAD THE POSTER: 2015UrbanLivestockExpoPressRelease
In search of a fun and informative Valentine’s Day excursion? What says “I love ewe” better than taking your date to the third annual Urban Livestock Expo? Angelic Organics Learning Center, Advocates for Urban Agriculture (AUA), and the Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts will present the 3rd Annual Urban Livestock Expo on February 14, 2015 from 10AM to 1PM at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (CHAS) at 3857 W. 111th Street in Chicago.
The Expo offers new and experienced keepers of urban livestock the chance to learn about caring for a variety of animals, and to network with each other. Presenters with expertise raising chickens, ducks, quails, rabbits, bees, and goats will introduce visitors to primary needs of each, highlighting issues to consider and steps to take in preparation for keeping livestock in the city.
Area urban livestock groups and businesses will staff resource tables in the school’s atrium, with information about further opportunities for learning, support networks, sources of supplies and equipment, and more. As Expo hosts, CHAS students will give tours of the school’s aquaponics center and livestock barn and sell baked goods and plants from their food science and horticulture programs.
Many Chicagoans are creatively weaving together food gardens, livestock, and composting in small spaces. Presenters at the Urban Livestock Expo aim to help city residents do well by their animals and by their neighbors and the city as a whole. Angelic Organic Learning Center’s Chicago Program Director Martha Boyd explains, “Everyone who raises animals in the city becomes the face of urban livestock for other people. We want to help each prevent problems and be the best example possible. The Expo gives visitors a foundation for taking the next steps toward raising livestock of their own.”
Expo visitors are encouraged to arrive between 9:30AM and 10:00AM for registration. Concurrent presentations begin at 10:00AM and continue until 12:30PM. Visitors can browse resource tables and tour CHAS’s livestock barn and aquaponics center throughout the event until 1:00PM. The detailed schedule can be seen at the three sponsoring organizations’ websites. Admission to the Urban Livestock Expo is free, but donations to help cover costs and to support the sponsors’ programs are encouraged and welcome.
Angelic Organics Learning Center helps rural and urban people build healthy local food systems, as educational nonprofit partner to Angelic Organics, a Biodynamic CSA farm. Advocates for Urban Agriculture is a non-profit coalition of Chicago-area gardeners, farmers, organizations, businesses and others who seek to expand and strengthen urban agriculture, from home- and community-based growing to market gardens and small farms. The Chicagoland Chicken Enthusiasts share advice, information, and resources about backyard poultry keeping and offer an annual Windy City Coop Tour.
12 Dec
Chicken Feed Infographic
Home to Roost apologizes for the radio silence lately. We’re in the middle of a busy season.
Here’s a fun infographic on what to feed your chickens!
Note: This graphic is NOT suggesting HOW MUCH of these items to feed. The bulk of the diet should ALWAYS be a commercial layer ration, unless you are completely confident of your feed-formulating abilities and can provide the exact percentages of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids needed for healthy birds.
10 Nov
Chicken health class – Last chance!
We need just a few more folks in order to run the chicken health class this Thursday, Nov. 13. Join us and bring a friend! Note the fall discount code.
Thursday November 13, 2014, 6PM-8:30PM
Irving Park United Methodist Church, 3801 N Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Cost: $35 This is an *advanced workshop* for chicken keepers who are already experienced in basic care, and who want to advance their knowledge and skills. Developed and taught by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consultant Jen Murtoff, the workshop will cover prevention, basic troubleshooting, and care for common chicken health issues and injuries.
More info and registration is on our website. There’s a 10% off discount on all of our fall classes at the Farm: use the code “WB2014FALL” during checkout to get your discount. You can see our full list of classes at http://www.learngrowconnect.org/events.
5 Nov
REMINDER to Register for the Backyard Chicken Classes
REGISTER NOW for Angelic Organics Learning Center’s workshops for keepers of backyard chickens this fall.
1) Basic Backyard Chicken Care
Saturday November 8, 2014, 1:30PM-4:30PM
Irving Park United Methodist Church, 3801 N Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Cost: $35 Offered by Angelic Organics Learning Center and taught by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consultant Jen Murtoff, who calls it “the Cadillac of backyard chicken workshops.”
Thursday November 13, 2014, 6PM-8:30PM
Irving Park United Methodist Church, 3801 N Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Cost: $35 This is an *advanced workshop* for chicken keepers who are already experienced in basic care, and who want to advance their knowledge and skills. Developed and taught by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consultant Jen Murtoff, the workshop will cover prevention, basic troubleshooting, and care for common chicken health issues and injuries.
23 Oct
Fall Workshops for Backyard Chicken Keepers
REGISTER NOW for Angelic Organics Learning Center’s workshops for keepers of backyard chickens this fall.
1) Basic Backyard Chicken Care
Saturday November 8, 2014, 1:30PM-4:30PM
Irving Park United Methodist Church, 3801 N Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Cost: $35 Offered by Angelic Organics Learning Center and taught by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consultant Jen Murtoff, who calls it “the Cadillac of backyard chicken workshops.”
Thursday November 13, 2014, 6PM-8:30PM
Irving Park United Methodist Church, 3801 N Keeler Ave. Chicago, IL 60641
Cost: $35 This is an *advanced workshop* for chicken keepers who are already experienced in basic care, and who want to advance their knowledge and skills. Developed and taught by Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consultant Jen Murtoff, the workshop will cover prevention, basic troubleshooting, and care for common chicken health issues and injuries.
Sunday, November 9, 2014, 1PM-4PM
At our rural learning center at Angelic Organics farm in Caledonia, IL (about 90 minutes west of Chicago)
Cost $65 Although keeping chickens for the purpose of slaughtering for food is not legal within Chicago city limits, you can learn to slaughter a chicken humanely, whether to eat or because it’s ailing or injured.
More info and registration is on our website. There’s a 10% off discount on all of our fall classes at the Farm: use the code “WB2014FALL” during checkout to get your discount. You can see our full list of classes at http://www.learngrowconnect.org/events.
14 Oct
Groundfire Pictures Covers Chickens and the Chicken Consultant
After talking to Anne Ford about her piece on me in the Chicago Reader, Charlie Simokaitis of Groundfire Pictures contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to allow him and his partner Jason Creps to create a short film segment on my work with chickens.
He wanted to feature exotic chickens, and Steve English and Ryan Steinbach’s ornamental chicken haven in Beverly came to mind. After doing some interviewing and filming at my home (including my international chicken collection!), we moved to Steve and Ryan’s place for the real stars!
The resulting video is a masterpiece! Enjoy the gallery of behind-the-scenes shots, too!
7 Oct
Windy City Coop Tour Pictures
Just for fun, here are the pictures from the house I was stationed at on this year’s coop tour! Goats, chickens, ducks, quail–all in the city limits.
1 Oct
Upcoming Events and Classes
Sun., October 5: Harvest Festival at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 11-3. Home to Roost will have a booth. Come out and pet a hen and talk chicken!
Sat., October 25: Chicken Basics and Winter Care at the Chicago Botanic Garden: Go here and search on chicken. The Botanic Garden offers a discount if you take both classes.
Sat., November 8: Basic Backyard Chicken Care with Angelic Organics Learning Center, location TBD
Thurs., November 13: Urban Chicken Health Care with Angelic Organics Learning Center, location TBD
Sat., November 15: Chicken keeping talk at Skokie Public Library, 1-2 PM: This talk will be about the reasons WHY people keep chickens; it will be helpful for people who are wondering what all the fuss is about and for those who want to meet some real hens! It is NOT a class on keeping chickens, since chickens are not (YET) allowed in Skokie. So bring your neighbor and come meet others who like chickens. Then change the local laws!
Sun., November 16: Urban Chicken Keeping OPPL poster_LocalEpicureanNov_v1-1, Oak Park Public Library, 2-4 PM
Hope to see you soon!
1 Oct
Chicken-related lawsuit threat indicates deeper issues?
Can Rep. Bruce Braley work on bipartisan issues if he threatens litigious action when a neighbor’s chickens meander into his yard? Read more here.
*We apologize for our earlier misspelling. Our editor was out of the office when this post was published. The responsible parties have been sacked.
Home to Roost 