Urban Chickens

 Ready to "egg" Durham on?  Support Urban Chickens!

Every city in North Carolina -- except for Durham -- permits its citizens to keep chickens.  We believe that chickens belong in the city as well as the country.  Help us change Durham's city ordinance to allow chickens in urban backyards.  We'll encourage stewardship of the urban landscape and food production on a household scale.  It's time to fill our empty nests with home-grown eggs!

Ways you can get involved:

Sign the online petition. 

You can also sign the paper copy of the petition at the SEEDS booth at the Durham Farmers' Market.  Directions to the market.

For more information about how you can help support chickens in Durham, email durhamhens@hotmail.com

Why are backyard chickens a good thing?  Urban chickens: 

*  Produce rich fertilizer that increases garden health.

*  Help control pests and weeds.

*  Educate children about food sources.

*  Reduce trash by eating table scraps and garden waste.

*  Increase local food security by providing nutritious fresh eggs.

*  Increase self-sufficiency and interdependence within the community.

*  Provide an alternative to an inhumane animal product industry.

FAQS:

Q:  Are chickens loud?

A:  Roosters are loud, but hens are not.  Hens do not need a rooster to lay eggs.

Q:  Don't chickens smell?  Are they unsanitary?

A:  The amount of chicken manure produced by six hens is roughly equivalent to the droppings produced by a medium to large dog.  Properly cleaned and maintained chicken coops should not smell and are no threat to sanitation. 

Q:  Can chickens carry diseases like Avian Flu?

A:  The type of Avian Flu that is contagious to humans has not been found in North America.  Backyard chickens in well-maintained coops are also less likely to spread diseases than chickens housed in large commercial factory farms.  Salmonella associated with chicken and eggs can be controlled with good sanitation as well. 

Links to more information about raising urban chickens:

http://www.backyardchickens.com 

http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken

http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-Chickens-in-a-City 

http://www.chickencrossing.org 

About chicken breeds:

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

Our mission: SEEDS encourages respect for life, for earth and for each other.  We help individuals, neighborhoods and communities grow together through gardening, gathering and education.