| I've got two new articles out today. The first, How to Get Your City to Allow Backyard Chickens is up at Grist. And, you'll notice, there isn't any silver bullet that I was able to find to get chickens made legal. But there is an awful lot I've learned during my own efforts that can help people get started.
A few notes I wasn't able to fit into the article:
1. In some cities, one complaint raised was that no nearby vet would be able to care for chickens. This is, quite honestly, doubtful. I checked with my vet where my cats go, and he was able to care for my chickens just fine. In asking around, I even found a nearby vet that specializes in birds, including chickens! And don't forget any feed stores that are in the area. That was a surprise for me when I got my chickens, that I could go to a feed store to get chicken meds... but it's true!
2. In Vancouver's debate over chickens, the Humane Society came out AGAINST chickens. If you live in the U.S. this will not be a problem for you. I've contacted the Humane Society of the United States and they are OK with backyard chickens. If you want a letter of support from them to send to your city, get in touch with them.
3. Disease was a major question I excluded from my article. What about diseases, like avian flu? All I can say to this is that when that's been assessed by cities looking to legalize chickens (I think Vancouver's the example I'm thinking of) they found that it was not a problem. Factory farms breed disease. Backyard coops, not so much. And I can say from my own experience that because I have 4 chickens and not 400,000, I notice every single sneeze, every instance of diarrhea, or any other potential health problem nearly immediately, so it's pretty simple to take care of problems quickly if they arise.
My second piece, on Alternet, is called "Do We Have to Live Like Peasants to be Truly Sustainable?" While I think I misused the word peasant (as it is defined by self-sufficiency, not poverty), this article is based on some thoughts I had after my last trip to Mexico. Here in the U.S., I do NOT like camping. I hate it, actually. So when I was thrust into a situation of living that resembled camping among poor peasants in Mexico and Bolivia... oh boy was I uncomfortable! More than uncomfortable, really. I froze up. I suppose it shows you how lucky we are in the U.S. that my biggest fear was what I would smell like after 4 days without a hot shower (and I had no interest in taking a cold one). When I came back, I wondered if true sustainability means living like the people I met in Mexico... and then I wrote this article. |
