A small but vocal group in Oakland, California thinks so. I beg to differ.

By Kiera Butler
Mother Earth News
Feb. 2, 2012

Excerpt:

A few weeks ago, my friend was handed a flier (PDF) at a farmers market in Oakland, California. It’s from a local group called Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter that wants the City of Oakland to forbid people to raise livestock on their property. Around here, urban farming is a pretty hot issue; a nonprofit called City Slicker Farms has been promoting DIY food production for several years, and author and farmer (and Mother Jones contributor) Novella Carpenter brought the practice into the limelight with her 2009 book Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, about her experiences at her Oakland farm.

Now I’m obviously biased on this issue; I’ve written on this site about the experience of raising turkeys for meat in my Berkeley backyard. But when I read through the anti-urban farming arguments put forth on the flier, I couldn’t resist making a rebuttal. Herewith, some sections of the flier, along with my responses. First up:

I called the Oakland Animal Shelter and asked whether it had seen an uptick in livestock (chickens, rabbits, and goats) since the urban farming trend took off around 2005. While the number of chickens at the shelter has gone up in recent years, from 213 in 2009 to 340 in 2010, shelter director Megan Webb attributes that increase to the city’s crackdown on fighting roosters in 2010, when the city confiscated hundreds of roosters. Aside from that, said Webb, “I’ve asked several of my animal control officers and they don’t feel like we have been seeing more livestock-type animals in the field or being impounded in the shelter.”

Read the complete article here.

Backyard Slaughter Trend Evokes a Backlash

By Sami Grover
TreeHugger
January 20, 2012

Excerpt

The rise of backyard farming has been held up by many as a more sustainable, humane alternative to the industrial food system. And many backyard farms are including animals for meat and dairy production. Some of their vegetarian neighbors, however, are none too pleased about it. In the latest issue of VegNews, Ian Elwood of Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter lays out his opposition to backyard animal husbandry of all kinds:

In the past five years, the majority of cities that have deregulated animal husbandry in some way have done so because people want to have backyard chickens as “pets with benefits”—specifically, using the chickens for (urban) farm-fresh eggs. The practice of breeding, keeping, and killing other animals is an afterthought in many locations, without any real scrutiny of the larger impacts on animal welfare, human health, the environment, or city livability.

Read the complete article here.

BBC News

A goat which blows raspberries has become a hit with visitors at a farm in Nottingham.

Lucy, who arrived at Stonebridge City Farm, in St Ann’s, six months ago, took staff by surprise with her unique talent.

Stephen Gee, education officer at the farm, said he has never seen a goat behave in this way.

Staff said that the other goats at the farm have started to develop the quirk too.

Link here.

Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading international humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. In more than 80 countries, CARE works with the poorest communities.

Piglet for a household

Perhaps you’re asking yourself: “What help is a piglet?” Piglets can be bred and sold, providing a new source of income. So now when someone asks you why you gave a piglet as a gift, you can tell them you helped someone start on the path of a sustainable livelihood. Or you can just oink at them, whichever you prefer. Link here.

A pair of chickens

So this year, get them something truly unique like a pair of chickens. “CHICKENS?” you say? Yes. Chickens. First of all, they’re amazing, and who doesn’t want something amazing? Second of all, they can help a family lift themselves out of poverty.

For Hanifa Sakhi, chickens meant the difference between life on the street in Afghanistan and a thriving home. When her husband disappeared in Kabul, Hanifa and her six children were left to fend for themselves, and her boys sold chewing gum on street corners to pay for food. Today, Hanifa lives in a small house and earns enough money to feed her family and to send her youngest son to school all because someone bought her some chickens. Link here.

A pair of breeding goats

Beyond being very cute, goats are a valuable addition to a family. Goats can produce milk which in turn provides nutrition and protein. And a pair of breeding goats can produce baby goats, which can then be traded or sold to another family for vegetables, fruit and other necessities. As more baby goats are born, a sustainable livelihood is created when goats find new homes throughout the community. Plus once you give a pair of breeding goats, you'll be able to say "We're just waiting for the kids to be born!" Link here.

1,000 Texas Future Farmers of America chapters in public schools

By Andrea Ball
The American Statesman
Nov. 26, 2011

Excerpt:

The pigs are squealing, the chickens clucking, the lambs playing, the goats bleating, and the steers standing in their pen. It’s a typical morning at McNeil High School.

Livestock at school? In a part of Central Texas where people are more likely to work at Dell than run a farm?

Absolutely. Behind the brick buildings, parking lots and ball fields on the North Austin campus is a small farm funded and operated by more than 40 animal-loving students willing to spend hours a day caring for livestock.

“I want to be a vet, and this is helping me get into it,” said Hannah Hardwick, a 16-year-old sophomore. “I just think it’s so fun caring for the animals.”

McNeil is no anomaly. The 80-animal farm is one of more than 1,000 Texas Future Farmers of America chapters in public schools across the state that educate kids about agriculture.

Read the complete article here.

New York City – “They are pretty sustainable and make us breakfast.”

By Clare Trapasso
Daily News Writer
October 02, 2011

Excerpts:

In a city where the local food movement is growing despite the scarcity of arable green space, one Queens couple has come up with a creative way to ensure they have a ready supply of fresh eggs.

Robert McMinn, 45 and Jules Corkery, 45, are raising three hens inside their one-bedroom apartment in Astoria.

The Serama hens, a small domesticated breed that typically weighs about a pound, nest in a converted ferret cage in the living room, McMinn said.

They have the run of the apartment – except for the bedroom – and lay about two eggs each a week. They also have a litter box of sand so they can give themselves cleansing dust baths.

Read the complete article here.

Also see Duo raises chickens Queens style in apartment here.

Kibera is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and a province and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the second largest urban slum in Africa. The 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census reports Kibera’s population as 170,070, contrary to previous estimates of one or two million people. (Wikipeida)

By Kiberia TV
KiberaTV is citizen journalism like you have never before seen it: the story of one of Africa’s largest and most controversial slums told by those who know it the best.

Our mission is to look for those whose eyes have been closed; to speak for those whose tongues have been cut; to fight for those whose fists have been tied. Our vision is a world where we don’t need to exist.

KiberaTV is an initiative of Hot Sun Foundation, started with together with the alumni of Kibera Film School Class of 2009 – our pilot class.

KiberaTV has grown from 3 KFS alumni to over 10 reporters / cameramen / producers and editors, from Kibera and outside of Kibera.

See Kiberia TV here.

25 minute video! Bees, Goats, Chickens, Tilth

CityStream
10/6/2011
(Must see. Mike)

Urban farming flourishes in Seattle! Honeybee colonies are under attack. Find out how you can support local bee hives and make your garden grow. Plus, raising goats and chickens in the City isn’t as hard as you may think and the rewards are plentiful. Join host Penny LeGate for these stories and more from Seattle Tilth for this urban farming special.

City Stream at Seattle Channel.

“We have a produce of more than 100 litres of milk daily and distribute it not only in this area but also adjoining ones,” says Darogha Yadav, manager of the cattle shed behind Inorbit.

By Rahul Devulapalli
Times of India
Oct 14, 2011

Excerpt:

HYDERABAD: In the backyard of IT hub of Hi-Tec City is another flourishing industry, that of cattle farming. There are an estimated 30 big and small cattle sheds in Madhapur area alone and several more in adjoining areas. The owners, now big realtors and businessmen, are unwilling to use this land for anything else apart from rearing their cows and buffaloes. Owned largely by the local Yadav community, these cattle sheds are almost invisible as they are tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Hi-Tec City.

But sometimes, when a herd of buffaloes sits nonchalantly in the middle of the traffic, one does get the hint of the existence of these pockets located in close quarters.

A stone’s throw away from In Orbit mall, home to Louis Vuittons and Tommy Hilfigers, is one of the largest cattle sheds in the area with over 50 cows lazily munching on grass here. Not too far away is another cattle shed on the main road, rubbing shoulders with electronic goods showroom and high-end apartments. Owners of these sheds maintain that the development spree in this part of Hyderabad did not blind them. “We have never thought of disposing of this land or give it for development. I do not think I would want to leave this in the future as it is more of a tradition than a business for us,” says M Srinivas Yadav, speaking hurriedly as he leaves to tend to the cattle in his shed.

Read the complete article here.

“It doesn’t matter what animal you own, whether it’s livestock or domesticated cats and dogs, you need to be a responsible neighbor and clean up after your animals.”

By Grace Rubenstein
Sacramento Bee
Oct. 9, 2011

Excerpt:

However, eco-friendly arguments don’t soothe residents like Ian Elwood, co-founder of a group called Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter. Well-meaning as urban farmers might be, he said, their ignorance and inexperience leads to animal suffering.

“People are learning through do-it-yourself,” he said. “But when you forget to water the chard, the chard dies and it’s not that painful for anyone.” With a chicken, Elwood said, such errors amount to abuse or neglect.

His group’s petition on the website Change.org has more than 1,200 signatures from people around the United States and abroad.

For health reasons, Oakland would need to create clear standards for home farmers to contain animal feed, urine, feces and body parts from slaughtering, said Daniel Wilson, community relations coordinator for the Alameda County Vector Control Services District.

Read the complete article here.

A Farm in the Heart of Camden initiated in 1972

Kentish Town City Farm is an educational and recreational project that developed out of the needs of local people.

Initiated in 1972, through the medium of an existing community group, it has provided animals, gardening space, horse riding and a focus for youth education and community work for thousands of users per year.

Originally called the Fun Art Farm and the City Farm 1, Kentish Town City Farm was the first of its kind to be established. As such it played an important historical role and acted as a model in the development of the City Farm movement as a whole.

With the establishment of a National Federation of City Farms in 1980, the movement has since grown, from those first tentative steps in the early seventies, into a national movement, with Farms and Community Gardens being established throughout the British Isles.

See their website here.

And the video here.

Highlights from a Preliminary Survey of Ownership and Management Practices

By Esperanza Pallana and Nathan McClintock
EBUAA, Pluck and Feather, UrbanFood.org
September 2011
12 pages

Excerpt:

As public interest in urban agriculture spreads rapidly across the country, city officials are attempting to amend outdated municipal codes to reflect this growing trend. In many cities, planners are updating zoning codes to reflect changing land uses and activities, including the production and sale of agricultural products and the keeping of urban livestock such as chickens, geese, ducks, goats, pigs, rabbits, and bees. Over 20 US cities (including Cleveland, San Antonio, Kansas City, and Seattle) have recently passed ordinances to support and regulate the keeping of urban livestock. A zoning update for urban agriculture in Oakland is currently underway.

A handful of recent studies have examined the implementation and impacts of these policies, as well as how municipalities have navigated tensions associated with allowing livestock in cities.1 Findings show that ordinances allowing urban livestock have neither led to an increased burden on city services, nor an increase in the volume of complaints.

Nevertheless, some basic questions remain about the actual practices of urban dwellers keeping livestock as pets and/or sources of food. Our June 2011 survey of 134 respondents from across the United States — including 36 from Oakland — seeks to provide a snapshot of what urban livestock ownership and management “looks like” in Oakland and the 48 other cities represented in the survey, 11 of which have undergone recent ordinance updates to regulate livestock. The survey answers some of these questions.

Read the complete report here. (If you have trouble seeing the PDF, try saving a copy to your hard drive and opening it in a PDF reader, Mike)

MOO. Green Lake makes new use of word “Urban Farming”

By North Seattle Sarah
Sept 23, 2011

Excerpt:

Not a real cow – this one seemed to be made of a combination of paper mache, pvc pipe, and who knows what else. But it certainly did it’s job of bringing the neighborhood together, as I was just one of three groups of people who were out taking photos of her!

More here.

It is a logistical challenge running livestock in the heart of a thriving city

Farmers Guradian
20 September 2011

Excerpt:

The aim? To care for the city’s parks and green spaces and run a sustainable farming enterprise in view of the public. An ambitious aim, some might even say crazy, but whatever the opinion, it’s a work in progress.

The initiative is the brainchild of self-funding charity The Parks Trust and local fourth-generation livestock farmer, Luke Stacey.

The intention is to manage the land well, progress it to a good environmental standard and educate local residents about farming within an urban location.

The project brings some risks, but Luke wholeheartedly believes it is working: “The whole thing has kept me awake at night – it still does. We’re farming in the public eye and we will get problems.”

Read the complete article here.

Putting the Chic in Chicken Coop

By Jemima Sissons
Wall Street Journal
Aug 5, 2011

Excerpt:

Sam Roddick, co-founder of London boutique Coco de Mer and daughter of Body Shop founder Anita Roddick, is also passionate about the preservation of the honey bee. She is part of a new campaign entitled “Bee Lovely,” run by natural-remedy store Neal’s Yard, which aims to help address the problems facing bees and educate those who want to keep them. “I went to the Natural Beekeeping Trust course a few years ago and, soon after, started transforming my garden,” Ms. Roddick says. She has planted what she calls a “bee buffet” in her London garden, including lavender, rosemary, thyme and hawthorne, and plans to start keeping bees there soon.

Her 30-meter garden in Hampstead also provides her with abundant fruit and vegetables, and she is considering keeping chickens. “There is nothing better than fresh vegetables out of the garden; it makes you feel vital, alive. I eat so well. All my garden is organic, the compost is unbelievable,” says Ms. Roddick. “I believe that everybody is becoming more proactive. You cannot shop your way into happiness; growing your own like this is sustenance for the soul and you cannot attach a price to it.”

Read the complete article here.

Bee Lovely website here.

As Hobbyists Feather Own Nests, City Dwellers Flock to Tour Backyard Henhouses

By Kris Maher
Wall Street Journal
Aug 2, 2011

Excerpt:

“Some chicken people are coming out of the closet,” said Ms. Noble-Choder, a corporate lawyer who organized this summer’s first Chicks-in-the-Hood Pittsburgh Urban Chicken Coop Tour. She paid $1,200 for her coop, which has heated roosts and an automated door opener, but many coops are humble do-it-yourself affairs requiring little more than a few two-by-fours, some chicken wire and straw. Seven families displayed their coops, and adults paid $5 each to go on the self-guided tour. Between ticket and T-shirt sales, the fledgling group took in more than $1,800, which it donated to a food bank.

Coop tours are a sign that more city dwellers are becoming interested in urban farming and raising chickens, say city officials. Pittsburgh passed an ordinance requested by residents earlier this year that enables people to keep up to three chickens and two beehives on a 2,000-square-foot lot.

Read the complete article here.

Couple has seven hens on a one acre property in Ontario town of Campbellford

By Mark Hoult, Qmi Agency
Northumberland Today
July 28, 2011

Excerpt:

Councillors Kim McNeil and Eugene Brahaney said they are firmly opposed to allowing farm animals on urban properties.

“What concerns me is, how do we as a municipality police it, what kind of work is it going to put on us in terms of policing,” McNeil said. “In Toronto maybe yes, but here there are farms all around and all kinds of eggs. So I would not support it.”

Brahaney said farming practices have already come under fire from some rural residents.

“Just recently someone complained about a rooster crowing in the countryside. I just can’t support this.”

Mayor Hector Macmillan said the municipality is “just asking for trouble” if it starts bringing agriculture into the urban centres.

“I think it’s just wrong to have animals in the urban centres. What’s next? Where do we draw the line? Cattle, swine, sheep?”

Read the complete article here.

Most city dwellers who raise chickens, like Babineau, do so for their eggs — not for slaughter

By Benjamin Shingler
Canadian Press
July 16, 2011

Excerpt:

MONTREAL – Each morning, Marci Babineau steps out the backdoor of her Montreal townhouse to fetch a half-dozen eggs from the chicken coop in her yard.

“It still amazes me everyday,” says Babineau, a yoga teacher who had chickens growing up in suburban California. “I always thank them, because I feel like saying, ‘I’m glad it’s you, not me (laying eggs).’”

While backyard chickens are permitted in Babineau’s area, an upscale municipality on Montreal island, they remain an underground movement in most North American cities amid concerns about smell, sanitation and noise.

But that’s gradually changing as many urban dwellers seek a closer connection with the food they eat.

A growing number of Canadian cities now allow chickens within their boundaries, while others are considering the possibility.

Read the complete article here.

On the heels of the urban faming craze, Oakland is embarking on a series of community meetings this summer to review its agriculture laws.

By Carolyn Jones
San Francisco Chronicle
June 30, 2011

Excerpt:

Oakland animal officials were scrambling Wednesday to find homes for 21 malnourished, deformed rabbits seized from a Lake Merritt area backyard, where they were being raised for food.

The bunny bust comes just as Oakland enters into the debate over urban agriculture regulations, deciding how to monitor livestock – its treatment and slaughter – in one of the country’s hotbeds of urban homesteading.

“This blurs the lines for animal cruelty. When is it OK to raise something for food, and when is it cruelty?” said Megan Webb, director of Oakland animal services. “This is an issue we’re all going to have to sort out.”

Read the complete article here.

Duncan’s Backyard Henhouses: www.dailyeggs.com

This model fits the Vancouver bylaw requirements for 3 laying hens (12 square feet of coop space and ~30 in the pen). The coop sits atop a 4-foot by 8-foot pen, which provides adequate roaming space for your hens, while keeping them protected with 1/2-inch wire mesh.

To clean the pen or tend to the chickens,the top is hinged. An access door at the front allows for easy cleaning, while an egg door at the side gives access to the laying box that the hens share. Hens descend from a trap door to access the pen from the coop.

The Vancooper on display at a street fair in Vancouver.

The Vancooper is sold prefab (though I offer delivery and installation) and involves only a few bolts to have it ready for chickens.

The cost is $649 (a heck of a deal!). If you get your friends to buy as well, the cost of each coop can come down as much as $100.

See more at “Duncan’s Backyard Henhouses” here.