15 Nov
Home to Roost was interviewed this week for this article on the quest to legalize chickens in Iowa City.
The Iowa City City Council voted 5-2 on the first consideration of an amendment to the city’s zoning code on establishing a permit process, which would allow residents to keep chickens at single-family detached residences. Councilors Michelle Payne and Terry Dickens voted against the measure.
Good luck, Iowa City chicken enthusiasts!
8 Sep
Raising Backyard Chickens
Sat., October 20, 10:30 – noon
$27 nonmember; members receive 20% discount
Back by popular demand, this class is designed for curious people who are considering raising backyard chickens, as well as for those who already have their own birds and who want to learn more! Come learn how to raise chicks, care for adult birds, and keep your neighbors happy!
Register online now at The Chicago Botanic Garden’s web site.
19 Jun
As the temperatures and humidity soar, you’ll want to help your hens keep cool. A few tips for helping your hens beat the heat!
As the temperatures hit the mid-80s, your birds will probably start panting. If temperatures hit above 100, your birds may suffer heatstroke. Here are some tips, excerpted from my class on chickens and heat, to prevent that.
1) Provide fresh, clean water – and lots of it.
2) Freeze 2-liter bottles and put them in the coop to cool it down.
3) Remove excess bedding, which traps heat.
4) Feed a crumble feed, rather than a whole-grain food. Grains generate heat as they are metabolized.
5) Provide shade.
If you notice that the birds are listless and lethargic (signs of heat stress), consider bringing them into a cool basement or to an airconditioned mudroom (in a dog crate or portable cage).
As always, keep an eye on your birds and know what’s normal for them. This will help you catch problems before they become life threatening.
8 Jun
Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consulting was hatched upon finding that people in urban and suburban areas are flocking to chicken raising. Why is this trend catching on? One of the main reasons is eggs. Come to this presentation to learn more about the other reasons behind this segment of the urban agriculture movement.
Wednesday: June 20, 2012
at 7:00 p.m.
in the Great Room of the Riverside Public Library
For more information contact:
Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, Riverside, IL 60546, 708-442-6366, www.riversidelibrary.org or www.olmstedsociety.org.
6 Jun
How many hens do you think families in Deerfield should be allowed to have? Vote and read more about this piece of news here!
1 Jun
Home to Roost has partnered with Dabble to offer a chicken-keeping class in Lincoln Park at Topics on Thursday, June 21, from 6-8 PM. You can sign up on the Dabble site. 
You say you’ve always thought about raising your own coop of chickens. But the laws concerning such things are too complicated and you don’t know where to begin, so you’ve never really given it a try.
We say, bock bock. What are you … chicken?
Keeping a city coop of chickens is legal in Chicago, and lots of do-it-yourselfers are already adding feathered friends to the backyard. This Dabble class is designed for folks who are considering getting chickens, or who just want to know why this urban trend is growing … as well as for those who already have their own birds and who want to learn more. It’s also a good way to introduce city officials to best practices of urban chicken farming. Come learn how to raise chicks, care for adult birds, and keep your neighbors happy!
Prepare to leave armed with information about raising a happy, healthy bunch of chicks and be well on your way to reaping the reward of freshly laid eggs!
12 Apr
A Palatine couple seeks the right to keep chickens. For more information and a link to their Facebook page, read this article.
“Consider being a part of this group to support green living in the Palatine area by allowing backyard hens!” the Facebook page states.
11 Apr
One of the common complaints of village boards when considering allowing chicken keeping is “But property values will go down.”
Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville (UCAN) examined the property values of cities that allow chickens and determined that there seems to no direct correlation between chicken keeping and property values. To read the article, click here.
10 Apr
After a particularly protracted debated, which lasted until 1 AM, Annapolis, MD, city council approved chicken keeping.
…the most recent bill allowed for up to five chickens per residence and requires a setback of 5 feet from the property line. All coops must comply with building codes. There will be no roosters allowed, only chickens*. And this legislation has a sunset clause of three years. If the council takes no further action, chickens will once again be banished from the City.
To read more, check out the original article.
*The author means hens. Chicken refers to both genders; hen is female, rooster is male.
27 Mar
Check out this video that describes how poultry rid the garden of insect pests.
When building a coop for your hens, it is important to choose a design with the right dimensions, features, and materials. Get all this information on the Chicken Coop Spec Sheet, now available from Home to Roost! Purchase on PayPal using the button below.
NOTE: I will e-mail you the spec sheet after I receive your payment. Your e-mail address will automatically be included in the notification I receive from PayPal.
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