Photo by ktylerconk/Flickr CC
The idea may sound far fetched, but is it, really? At the dawn of the 20th century, chickens were literally everywhere. Census figures show that 88 percent of farms had chicken flocks. Even in urban areas, there was a chicken for every two people (You can find the full citations for these numbers on page 40 of my book, Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms).
Fueled by a desire to reconnect with the source of one's food, as well as to regain control over its safety and healthfulness, there is already a small but growing movement to re-establish backyard poultry flocks in many parts of the United States. Like vegetable gardening, tending a chicken flock can produce the freshest, tastiest food available, and gets you outdoors and in motion even more reliably than dog walking. [Curator's note: Carol Ann Sayle's account of her relationship with her chickens, particularly one tough hen, could inspire anyone get started.] So to Michelle Obama and the White House chefs in charge of the garden, we say: Great start -- keep going!
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My brother has chickens. They are great, and if I lived somewhere where I could keep them, I'd consider it. Keeping chickens isn't something trivial, though. It is a commitment. It can be a lot of work. I'm sure you know these things better than I do.
Is it something that the Obamas should do? I'd love the message it would send, but that doesn't mean it is right for them. I think that the answer to that is wholly up to them.
As the owner of the largest community of chicken enthusiasts on the planet, http://BackYardChickens.com I completely agree with this article!
We've got 26,000 + members (many of whom can vote) that should get together and convince the Obama's of the merrits of this good idea!
So, what are the next steps to fulfill BYC's vision: A chicken in every yard!?
Seriously? I grew up on a farm. Peeps are cute. Roast chicken for Sunday dinner is delicious. Fresh eggs? Heaven. But chickens are dirty, loud, and they're mean. Their "byproducts" are really odiferous. It would be quite the show for tourists passing by the White House to see chickens pecking a wounded or sick chicken to death. PETA would be mortified. And what about the METHANE that they put into the atmosphere? It's all just silly distraction. It's the ECONOMY, Stupid.
This movement brings back such good memories of growing up in the Mississippi Delta. In those days our neighbors had chickens in the yards and kept pigs nearby. In the Fall we would all gather after the first frost and kill the pigs, gut them and make sausage. We cut the hams for curing. Pigs also will eat anything you give them, just like chickens, so they are great for recycling. I hope the Obamas do put in a flock of laying hens as well as a few sows and boars at the White House. It would bring us all closer to our roots.
City planners here in Madison, WI are talking about changing current zoning law to permit a wider variety of urban gardens. I see the trend growing, and am glad to see that the White House will have a garden, bees, and who knows, a few chickens?
Political Diva's comment reflects that of many who grew up on a farm and remember well their noisy, smelly flocks. By analogy, I too recall the mean snarling, smelly dogs of my youth but doubt that this memory would dissuade any current dog owner. Are we witnessing a paradigm shift? A well kept flock of 3-5 hens chosen from the many docile breeds would enhance any yard. Check out www.mypetchicken.com or www.isthmushandyman.com. for some photos of these attractive, egg laying yard ornaments.
As far as chickens stink... Yes, if you have a chicken house with 100,000 chickens, they will stink. Yes, if you are an irresponsible chicken owner that does not take care of your flock's pin, they will stink, just like any other animal you don't take care of properly. I personally have 20 chickens in my backyard and no I do not live on a farm. I'm one of those in the backyard flock movement that live in a subdivision and enjoy my hens' eggs! My husband and I even started the Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup Group: http://www.meetup.com/chickens/ that has grown to over 480 members in less than 1 year. I can tell you and the hundreds of people that have visited my house can confirm that my backyard doesn't stink. My chickens don't peck each other to death either - we take special care of our injured if we have any. Chickens are not any dirtier than any other outside pet. Just learn how to wash your hands when you're done playing with them. I think starting a backyard flock is a wonderful thing for anyone to do, especially one at the White House. I think with all the hands they have around there they can take care of a 6 - 12 pet chicken pin and make it look nice. I can picture it now... a mini White House chicken coop. In fact, I think the visitors would be entertained for hours observing the chickens. If you want to learn more about chickens, love chickens or want to start your own flock, there's a new radio show on Saturdays from 9 - 10 EST called: "Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer!" It's the first and only of it's kind. If you miss it they also archive all the old shows, so tune in! www.Americaswebradio.com Maybe we can have Obama call in and we can teach him how to get started!
Well I think the best kind of project for chickens in the white house is for the Obama girls to get some beautiful Silkie chicken eggs for Easter and then raise them on a blog describing how they progress and hatch and help young children get involved in this whole wonderful experience. Then have eggs and wonderful pretty chickens to show off! Dianne
Chickens have individual personalities just like dogs and cats. They can be very loyal and are more often than not - VERY amusing. Like any pet, they react to the way they are treated. Mine come when I call them by name. There is a chicken in Charlotte who goes to visit nursing homes.
"For laying chickens, industrial agriculture means they are often debeaked, kept in stacked "battery cages" with less than 8 square inches per bird, and given feed laced with antibiotics and arsenic. Those eggs then travel thousands of miles to the local supermarkets—by which time they are usually a couple of weeks old. The manure from these factories presents an environmental problem. Backyard chickens, by contrast, often spend at least part of their day foraging for bugs, seeds and vegetable scraps. They are voracious consumers of fleas, ticks and unwanted garden pests, protein-dense foods that greatly contribute to "pastured" eggs' nutrition. Their droppings are almost as treasured for the nutrients and fertility they contribute to gardens and lawns.("Pastured" is the term most commonly used in sustainable agriculture circles to describe eggs from chickens allowed to eat, sleep and nest according to their species' needs. The oft-used "free-range" and "cage-free" have no regulatory definitions in the United States—meaning they can be stamped on eggs from chickens that were never given access to pasture.)"
"Eggs from chickens allowed to forage naturally have, on average, seven times more beta carotene (which is what makes pastured egg yolks so orange), three times more vitamin E, two times more omega-3 fatty acids and two-thirds more vitamin A than their factory farm cousins. Pastured eggs also have one-third less cholesterol and one-quarter less saturated fat, on average."
SO many cities all over the country allow residents to have backyard chickens. Just a FEW examples of MAJOR CITIES are: NYC, LA, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Atlanta, Baltimore, Hartford, Indianapolis, Oakland, Boston, Houston, St Louis, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Asheville, Mobile, New Orleans, Chapel Hill, San Francisco, Madison, Honolulu, San Antonio, Charlotte, Seattle, Phoenix, Tampa, San Jose, Portland. It's a pretty big movement and just a matter of education.
www.savesewaneechickens.blogspot.com
That's funny - related to that I came up with 5 reasons for chickens in the White House. http://ourchickenhouseplans.com/5-top-reason-white-house-garden-chicken-house?
I feel compelled to join all the chicken writers, bloggers, websiters, etc. who have flocked here to share a piece of credit for this idea and say that community radio celebrity Bucky Buckaw did an audio segment on just this topic last year available here: http://www.radio4all.net/files/sagebrush@radioboise.org/3220-1-bucky_51_pres.mp3