The chicken dance

There may be nothing as cute as a big fat chicken running at full speed. Voluptuous Betty likes to move -- but when she gets going, it's still just a power-walk. One foot is always on the ground. Often two feet are on the ground. Betty & I have a lot in common.

We had some more coop-visitors this past weekend. Kevin & Dori are considering some chickens of their own. Dori brought the most delicious vegan fig bars (seriously, the MOST delicious) that Andrew & I have been enjoying since Sunday. Get your own at the Clintonville Co-op where Dori sells her baked goods (or ogle the treats online). We're not sharing.

Also, we were finally able to share our egg-bounty with our immediate neighbor. We only had 6, but it felt good to share. We'll have to toss a treat to his dog Rocky, too, as Rocky has been on raccoon patrol since he came to live next door!

Finally, are you all excited about the new & improved Bexley Farmers Market that's only two and a half months from its opening day!? I know where I'm going to be from 4-7, Thursday, May 19th! Spread the word. Link to it on Facebook. It's going to be awesome.

Chicken visitors

In the past month we've had a bunch of neighbors calling on the chickens. I can't say the ladies are terribly gracious hosts, but they're fun to watch. Some of our visitors have been interested in getting a few chickens of their own so they're stopping by to see our set-up. Some are just curious to meet 'em.

Todd & Erin from the Local Matters Storytelling Project came by to get the skinny on the Bexley Ordinance process & to hear about how the chickens fit into our lives. That was fun. I feel like I could talk about chickens all day.

Speaking of chickens: We've also been letting them free-range a bit in the dog run which seems to take the edge off of their crankiness. They seem so happy when they're just scratching around. I could learn a thing or two.

South Bexley Open Coop is a success!

Thanks to our friends and neighbors who came out for the open coop tonight. We had 35ish people stop by to meet the hens, including 4 city council members. It's awesome that City Council-folk took the time to come. Not surprisingly everyone that came was positive about our chickens (we didn't really expect a mob of angry nay-sayers) -- but for many it was their first time seeing backyard chickens up close. That made it fun.

The highlight for me was the couple, out for a walk, who wandered in after seeing our "open coop" sign. At first they were shocked to hear that the "infamous Bexley chickens" were right there under their noses, but after they'd met our chicken ambassadors and asked a few questions, they were ready to talk to council on our behalf!

Another highlight came on reflection: There are a lot of people in Columbus doing a lot of cool stuff. This is a great place to be living these days. There's the Franklin Park Demonstration Gardens. There's that beautiful new magazine Edible Columbus. There's Local Matters. There's that new local food restaurant in the Short North: Knead! And there's a whole quiet scene of people who care about eating well (in every sense of the word). It's exciting! Exciting enough to get me through the winter? Maybe. A fresh egg or two every now and again might just tip me in the right direction. They're like sunshine in a shell (I think I heard that somewhere - or did I just make that up? They do have more Vitamin D then most anything you can find on land).

As the sun went down and the chickens tucked themselves in for the night we had a nice little gathering of family & friends in the backyard. The kids, especially, had fun daring each other to pet the hens -- I didn't have the heart to tell them that after the sun goes down chickens are pretty much zonked out. I think that would've ruined the game.

If you missed tonight, there's another chance to meet the chickens over on Parkview on Monday night. Or drop us a line & we'll invite you over for a private tour!

The past few weeks have been non-stop busy, but I hope to get some new pictures up soon. The girls are growing up so fast (sniff, sniff).

Come meet the chickens!

Have you noticed the media coverage in the last few weeks about Bexley residents raising chickens in their backyards? Doubtless, many of you have questions: How noisy are a few chickens? What does a small coop smell like? What is the point of people having chickens in their backyards? And mostly: Will it be a nuisance to me if one of my neighbors has some “backyard chickens”?

We are three Bexley families who keep chickens in our backyards, and we would be happy to have our friends and neighbors come over and have a look at our hens and their living arrangements.

We are hosting two Open Houses (or “Open Coops”, if you prefer!) before the Bexley Zoning Commission takes up the issue at its meeting on October 26^th at 5:30pm at Bexley City Hall. Regardless of where you stand on the topic, we hope you will agree that it makes sense to learn more about this issue, see the chickens and their housing in person, and talk to your neighbors who have backyard chickens!

Please drop by, talk to us, meet our hens, and see their coops. Bring your kids for a mini-lesson on where eggs come from!

-The Adlers, Cooks, Mills/Garretts, and the chickens

Meet the South Bexley Chickens at the Garrett/Mills Coop

Friday, October 22nd 4:30pm-7:00pm

2400 N Havenwood Dr.

+ Havenwood Dr. is a one block street spanning between Cassingham & Euclaire

+ The coop is in the backyard; enter the backyard through the gate at the left of the house

+ Call Jessica at 325-4279 or Andrew at 327-6295 for information

Meet the Central Bexley Chickens at the Adler/Cook Coop

Monday, October 25 3:30pm-7:00pm

375 & 365 S. Parkview Ave.

+ Park on Parkview and walk down either driveway into the backyard, towards Westland

+ Or park on Westland Ave and enter the driveway next to the Red Barn

+ The coop is just off the barn's driveway, across from 363 Westland Ave.

+ Call Dana at 425-1189 or Allison at 580-0571 for information

IN CASE OF RAIN, EVENTS WILL BE CANCELLED.

Welcome, New Readers!

Last night the Bexley News arrived at our doorstep and the chicken "issue" is on the front page. Somehow, it seems, we've become the face of chickendom in Bexley (okay, so it's not "somehow." It's because I opened my big mouth at the Zoning Commission meeting where they discussed the topic last week).

It's kind of weird. Here we just thought we were getting a couple of pets and now we seem to be a part of something bigger. Though, I hope, not that much bigger. The article reinforced our impression that the Zoning Commission seems predisposed to have a light hand in drafting a new chicken ordinance.

• No roosters, probably (which I think everyone can agree on! Roosters are noisy, so existing noise ordinances would cover this, but I don't see any problem with making it explicit. And no, you don't need a rooster to get eggs. You only need a roster to get fertilized eggs.).
• Possibly a fee to register chickens (also fine by us - maybe the city makes some chicken scratch (har har) to help cover the photocopies for the public forum on chickens).
• Limiting the number of chickens allowed (a-okay, though we're already explicitly limited to 5 pets, so this seems to be covered by existing ordinances).
• Requiring a coop (good for the chickens, important for keeping critters out - I don't think the chickens would last long with out one).

We're hoping (as I'm sure the Zoning Commission is, too) that this can be dealt with quickly & without too much drama, and that whatever new rules are ratified are simple to follow and don't place an undue burden on the city or its residents.

For those of you just visiting this blog, you'll find it's mostly just pictures of our three ladies doing chicken-y things. We're no experts. It's only slightly more interesting than a blog about someone's new puppy. But I've read just about every "urban chicken" book available at Barnes & Nobel -- surprisingly, there are quite a few -- and we're happy to answer any questions you have. Go ahead and post 'em in the comments.

The fine line between taking this seriously and taking this TOO seriously

Chickens in Bexley. It makes for funny headlines and fills some gaps in the local news cycle. Apparently we made the radio yesterday and two local TV news channels called me to ask if they could get some video (the answer was kind-of-no since I didn't call them back).
I think it's cool that backyard chickens are getting some press -- albeit partly tongue in cheek. BUT, I think most people see chickens as no-big-deal, slightly quirky pets. That's how we see our ladies, and that's how everyone I've talked to personally sees them, including neighbors and skeptics. It seemed on Tuesday that that's how city council is inclined to see them too (though they're being understandably cautious, taking their time gathering info, and gauging the temperature of the community).
So, if these are just quirky pets, I'm reluctant to help in splashing it all over the 5pm news (I can hear the puns now).
If Bexley goes ahead with a new ordinance controlling chicken-pets, we're rooting for the most low-key version possible. Ideally, a few backyard chickens can just be explicitly rolled into existing rules governing other pets. If they're smelly, they're already not allowed. If they're noisy, they're already not allowed. If there are too many*, they're already not allowed.
So are we helped or hurt by engaging the media? My gut says keep it low key. But we also want as many sane chicken supporters there at the public forum on Oct 26th as possible.
What do you think?

*In Bexley, you're currently allowed only 5 pets. We're maxed out!

We're in the News!

The Columbus Dispatch was at the zoning commission hearing last night, and here's the story. The girls make it in by name, though I don't. (At least not directly. Indirectly, I'm 'Mr Garrett'.) And Jack and Ben (il cane e il gatto) are described as "unusual". What did Jessica tell the reporter, we wonder, that led her to that conclusion?

Click on the "Share me" link below to read the story.

Share me

The Zoning Commission

Today the Bexley zoning commissions addressed the issue of chickens. Nobody made any motions, or took any action, but the commission spent a good 20 minutes talking about the issue. The chief question on everyone's mind seemed to be whether the existing laws regarding animals and pets would apply to chickens. Apparently there is already an ordinance that limits a household to 5 pets. So with the cat and the dog, Betty, Joan, and Peggy make five. Any issues that people might have with unsanitary conditions, excessive noise, and other sorts of nuisance issues can be handled (it would seem) by existing noise and nuisance issues.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the general tenor of the opinions expressed by the members at the meeting: they were mostly curious about the trend, but in general wary of extending the intrusive hand of government. If there are no problems, or if potential problems can be solved by existing ordinances, then (or so it seemed to this observer) let's not go around banning anything. Or, at least, that's the vibe I was picking up. It's clear that roosters will be banned--and I have no problem with that--and it could be the case that there is some sort of licensing procedure (again, I can live with that)--but, at least so far, the committee members seemed cool with backyard chickens.

Jessica was not planning to speak before the commission, but after some other member of the public spoke out against allowing chickens in Bexley, she stepped up and put in a good--and eloquent--word on behalf of backyard chickens. Whatever nerves she was feeling did not stop her from being a reasonable voice in favor of the newest members of our family.

The zoning commission will take up the issue again at its October 26th meeting (5:30, Bexley City Hall) , so spread the word, loyal readers, and let's make sure that Peggy, Joan, and Betty can stay just where they are!

Neighbor update

Neighbor Update: Our neighbor closest to where the coop will go was very cool about the impending new neighbors! Yay! I haven't gotten up the nerve to knock on doors and talk to the other neighbors. That's on the list for this week.

T-1 week to chicks

We've narrowed down the breeds to about 10:
It's definitely, maybe, going to be Australorps, Delawares, Dominiques, Golden Comets, Buff Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, or Speckled Sussux. Word on the street is that Plymouth Rocks are dumber than your average chicken, which is saying quite a lot. Andrew says he doesn't want to raise no dummies, so they might be out.
Meyer Hatchery is about 1.5 hours north of Columbus, and I'm hoping to make a visit early next week. How will we pick just 3!?

I have yet to talk to the neighbors, which, of course, should have been first on the list...well before naming the chickens. But I'm not quite sure how to tell my fine, upstanding neighbors that we're planning on starting a barnyard in the backyard. Incidentally, Barnyard in the Backyard is an interesting read available at the Bexley Library.