Today we had a play-date over at my friend Andrea's house. Her little boy Ian is only a few days younger than Samuel, and the two have a lot of fun playing together the way boys often do, which includes mimicking dinosaur sounds and chasing each other through the house with play extending lightsabers.
Better yet, Andrea just purchased her boys four little chicks, which they will help raise and care for in their backyard. Samuel was so excited to see them, and is still talking about "Ian's chicks." We also visited with Annagrace and Penelope, who is about to become a big sister sometime this summer. We're all excited for them, and looking forward to meeting her new baby sister in a few months.Many people don't know this, but urban chickens are on the rise. Numerous Portlanders are purchasing chicks and building coops right in the city, enjoying a daily supply of fresh eggs. Portland city law (13.05.015, Paragraph E) on chicken keeping states you can have up to three hens without a permit, and no roosters. In addition, chickens cannot roam within fifty feet of a residence. Permits for more than three chickens can be purchased as a one-time fee through Multnomah County Health Department. Permit applications can be printed online, or you can purchase a permit at MCHD's office, 5235 N. Columbia Blvd. Portland, OR 97203, or phone them at (503) 988-3464.
There's also an event in Portland called Tour de Coops, where you can visit backyard coops all over Portland for ideas on urban chicken keeping. The 5th annual Tour de Coops is July 26, 2008. Omlet sells a fun product called eglus for chicken keeping, and don't forget to pick up a copy of Keep Chickens,
which will serve as your all-in-one guide. If you're interested in exploring urban chickens further, there are many resources online, including a yahoo support group, where you can exchange ideas with other chicken keepers. Also, you can read more about Andrea's chicks on her blog, where I'm sure she will be writing more about her upcoming adventures with her own backyard coop.Happy Cinco de Mayo!
1 comments:
Cute picture!
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