Are chicken keepers crazy?

Did you catch the chicken chat on last week's Down on the Farm program on KFCF 88.1? If not, it doesn't look like you can access the archives from the station's website, but the conversation continues with a local advocacy group.

I've been watching from the sidelines as Central California Local Urban Chicken Keepers (yep, that's CCLUCK) tries to change local rules about chicken keeping within city limits. The organization's purpose:

I'm all for it. But even as someone who is sympathetic to the cause, I'm turned off by the exaggerated messaging. Take today's Mindhub post from organizer Rachel Carpenter for example. She lost me at the title of the post:

Heat and obesity rise as air quality plummets & Just Maybe, Chickens can save the day?

The first paragraphs outline real issues that our community struggles with: high obesity rates, asthma, poor air quality. There's mention of average temperatures and cooling centers, and the need to "cool Fresno down!"

The prevalence of streets and frontage roads drive up heat island effects, inhibit pedestrianaccess and drive up air quality indexes. Grandparents and parents need to beable to walk or bike with their grandkids and children to the store. With allthe sunshine Fresno has, we need to start utilizing our roofs for solar energyand green roofs, planting edible landscapes, backyard and community gardens, and keeping chickens!

So far, so good. And then, a reasonable argument:

Chickens help make gardens more productive, eating bugs,weeds and week seeds, supplying nitrogen rich fertilizer and loosening up topsoil. They dispose of fleas and ticks and keep lawn growth down when allowed toforage, eliminating the need for pesticides and herbicides, helping to clean upboth our air and water!

The fresh local eggs are better for the environment and also taste better than the store-bought industrial farm eggs. You may notice that the yolks are more orange than the typical pale yellow of store-bought eggs, but this is mainly because your birds are healthier than industrial farm chickens.

But there's no real connection to the facts and figures previously listed. Are we to believe that by allowing backyard chicken keeping, we can impact obesity rates, air quality, and summer heat? Exactly how many chickens would that take?

And then, this:

Chickens are the closest living relative to the miniaturevelociraptor T-rex. Now who doesn’t think having a pet dinosaur isn’t cool? Thething with chickens, if they do decide to murder you, unlike large dogs and anycat, they can’t actually carry out a mauling efficiently. You’d have to sit very still for a very long time; most healthy adults can outrun a chicken, even in Fresno’s bad air!

Nothing like associating a pet with murder.

The point that's missing: that this is one piece--and just one--to a healthier community. It's not an end solution, but it could help to diversify and nurture a local food system. If you believe this to be true, check out their monthly meeting tomorrow afternoon.

CCLUCK General Meeting

Saturday, September 10, 2011
12:30 - 2:30 pm NEW TIME!!
Liz Kern's home
567 W Barstow, Fresno, Ca

Agenda:

• Introductions
• 1st City Planning meeting review/update
• Downtown revitalization draft ordinances
• Mad City Chickens
• CCLUCK brochure
• Fund raising
• Youth Outreach

If you go, please report back.