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.
12 Mar
Apparently Jennifer Aniston is now a chicken keeper. Her new $21 million Bel Air home came with a coop (not a coupe) and several birds. Los Angeles allows 4 hens. Read more here.
22 Feb
The city of Elgin, IL, just approved chickens!
Todd Martin made the proposal, and here is his report:
“At tonight’s City of Elgin’s Sustainability Commission meeting, my proposal to allow backyard chickens has been approved. The next step is to meet with Elgin’s planning department for crafting the ordinance, then the Planning Commission, then the City Council. Lots of steps and community involvement along the way. If you have any questions, look at West Dundee’s licensing program; we will be modeling ours on theirs.”
20 Feb
Home to Roost will be teaching a chicken-keeping class at the Chicago Botanic Garden this spring and was mentioned in Chicago Life magazine as part of a more utilitarian trend in use of backyard space.
19 Feb
On Tues., Feb. 14, I had a scheduled visit with Oak Parker Paul Wicklow. A Chicago Tribune reporter and cameraman followed me on the visit, and this story ran in the Feb. 19 Sunday paper. Check out the online coverage and video!
27 Jan
Many of you have been asking about how to legalize chickens in your community. Backyard Poultry magazine has a great article with tips and pointers on making hens legal in your area of residence! Read more about this here!
26 Jan
In Toronto, laws currently ban backyard hens; however, according to a Canadian Press report dated Jan. 5, 2012, the city’s licensing and standards committee is voting on whether or not to consider a step toward lifting the ban. Continue reading more.
