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Urban Chickens Can Hatch More Personal, Economic Liberty in Rapid City

South Dakota's oh-so-conservative state and local government officials seem to think the only viable ag is Big Ag. We need California transplant Brita Craven and fellow Rapid City Hens urban chicken advocate Savannah Steen to remind us that small-scale ag conforms nicely to conservative values:

"We want to be able to have hens to provide food for our families. We really want to show the public the great things that can come from backyard chicken-keeping," Steen said.

...Neighbors and passersby often stopped to watch the birds and to admire the attractive, handmade coop. "It built community," Craven said, because people appreciated seeing the virtue of self-sufficiency lived out in their neighborhood.

"It's a myth that most people want to see lawns, not gardens; beige, not color; conformity, not individuality. Living in the city should not mean we forfeit our ability to be self-reliant," she said [Mary Garrigan, "Rapid City Hens flock together to rally support for backyard chickens," Rapid City Journal, 2013.06.10].

We can even make a Chamber of Commerce Republican argument for urban chickens:

Backyard chickens are even good for the local economy, Craven argued. "One aspect of city hens that is often overlooked is job-creation," she said. Local pet shops and feed stores benefit from sales of equipment and supplies; carpenters sell handmade coops (some of which sold for $1,500 or more in California), and many cities sponsor Tour des Coops, promotional events where people view innovative, interesting coop designs [Garrigan, 2013.06.10].

Promoting agriculture doesn't have to involve big handouts and regulatory breaks to massively polluting industrial complexes. It doesn't even require giving handouts to little gals in the marketplace like Craven and Steen. It's as simple as passing sensible regulations (like the chicken ordinance in Sioux Falls) that allow individuals to enjoy a little more personal and economic liberty.

Have some chicken with your tea: Brita and Savannah will be spreading the good word about urban hen ranching today and tomorrow at the West Boulevard Festival at Wilson Park in Rapid City.

7 Comments

  1. rollin potter 2013.06.15

    How about those ladies calling up NOEM and thune and get signed up at the FSA office for subsidy checks and paid for insurance to gaurantee there hens lay eggs every day!!!! thune won't have to worry about them spending food stamps for eggs then!!

  2. caheidelberger Post author | 2013.06.15

    Now, Rollin, these Rapid City Hens don't sound like welfare queens. They sound like good Liberaltarians, not looking for a handout, just looking to educate the community and get government out of the way of personal freedom and good non-corporate eating.

  3. Douglas Wiken 2013.06.15

    First the chickens. Then the chicken feed. Then the mice, rats, skunks, and coyotes.

    I guess I don't get the urban chickens idea. An hour of other work will buy a few dozen eggs. How much time can you spend feeding a few chickens, picking a few eggs, and wringing a few chicken necks?

    I never found walking barefoot on a farm with chickens to be much fun. Guess it depends if you really, really like chicken manure squeezing up between your toes.

    And if the old joke still works,"Don't lose your bubble gum in the chicken yard."

  4. Bree S. 2013.06.15

    Control freak.

  5. kurtz 2013.06.15

    reducing the amount of food thrown away by feeding it to chickens makes sense: they won't eat citrus but they love purslane and it boosts omega-3 in their eggs.

  6. kurtz 2013.06.15

    crows will steal the eggs if not prevented from doing so. hens don't usually lay in the winter and if you go away they die so take them with you if you go to arizona.

  7. Nisa Kerr 2014.02.21

    Dear Douglas and Kurtz, Rapid City Hens is purposing 6 Hens (no roosters) in City Limits. Organic Eggs are $$$ 5.25/dozen. I don't want cruel factory farm eggs raised with GMO corn and antibiotics. Hens do not attract predators or mice. A bag of cat food can attract predators. Hens in fact will escort a snake out of your yard or will make a ruckus and will tell you a snake is here. Thus having you find the snake before it finds a child. My chickens kill snakes, I only find the bodies never the head.
    Chickens are very cheap to feed. I buy a 50# bag of organic rye for 17.00 from the Breadroot Coop (need not be a member to shop) and sprout the rye until its tall grass, about 5 days. Its easy and cheap and a complete meal. Hens will stop laying in the winter if they are not eating fresh food. However your apple core and leftovers (oatmeal, rice, spinach) is perfect for them. Hens lay according to the amount of light they have not temperature, coop windows help this. Crows will steal anything like your car keys but not an egg in a secure coop. Like with any pet you must consider is this the right pet for my family and I. When I visited my finance in England most back yards had 3 or 4 hens because it cuts down on. landfill waste. If chickens are so much trouble why would cities like new york and seattle allow them. And who wants to chew bubble gum anyways with all the fake dyes and artificial ingredients, ill stick with my organic eggs.

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