Shortly after I posted my shout out to the white ibis, I went to a meeting to discuss chickens – no really, I did. I free lance for the local newspaper, and my editor asked me to attend. It’s an issue around here because it’s currently illegal to keep them in your backyard, and for reasons which I was completely oblivious to, people actually want them in their yards. I make special trips to the farmer’s market for fresh produce and to Whole Foods for grass-fed beef, but never thought to keep chickens in my yard. Apparently chickens are another all natural way to control pests and fertilize your lawn. And of course there are the fresh eggs, but here’s something that didn’t come up during the meeting – what kind of cock fight do you have to get into to get those eggs? I don’t care how nice you are to your chickens; they’re not giving up their eggs voluntarily. I’d like to see the ordinance pass so my neighbors can have chickens, but it’s definitely not for me.
