More July 4th pictures

Sewanee School of Letters' float.Children pet the chicken as I answer questions on the sidewalk in front of my house.
The Cravens Family Reunion LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the chickens
























Sewanee Gardener's market float














The very honorable Judge Walters heartily supports the chickens (Chloe is exhausted and takes a nap).


With the fourth of July behind us, I'm now back to researching chicken ordinances in others cities and towns. I want to make a proposal to the lease committee to create a policy that will benefit both those of us who would like to keep backyard chickens and our neighbors.

I read a great quote today from "The City Chicken Guide" from Just Food of NYC www.justfood.org/jf/ , "It is your right to keep chickens in New York City. It is also your duty to keep chickens within the limits of the laws." I think the quote is an important illustration of how imperative it is for all pet owners to act responsibly.


I am beginning to make contacts across the country with experts in this topic. Odd as it may seem, urban chickens are becoming a mainstream subject. There are many, many cities where raising 3-6 chickens within city limits is perfectly legal and not altogether uncommon. NPR is producing a piece on it and there is a full length documentary by Mad City Chickens coming out.


In the near future I will also post general facts about raising chickens to dispel any fears or misconceptions.

4th of July

Stirling's Coffee House LOVES chickens! Chloe explains herself to a couple of passersby

The 4th of July is adorable in Sewanee, TN - population somewhere around 2,000. It involves all the lovely things about living in a small town - cat & dog shows, cake contest, dunking booth, children's games, music, craft fair, parade, street dance, fireworks and more... Many people come back to visit so you'll always find generations of families walking around.

I live on the main drag, University Avenue, so I'm in the middle of it all.

Late morning my niece and nephew came over with their friends and made more "Save Sewanee Chicken" signs. I took Antoinette out to the street to greet her public. People spend the day wandering up & down the street to the various booths & events and most wanted to stop & pet the chicken.

Little kids asked, "how much does it cost to pet the chicken"
My nephew Joshua, the young entrepreneur, replied, "Fifty cents."
I could have made a killing.
(No money actually changed hands)

The kids were walking around with their signs singing their version of, "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVyHi5PTqdc Antoinette seemed to enjoy the attention and few people had seen a Frizzle before. No one accused me of handling livestock and few could believe anyone would question my right to keep this bird as my pet. It was great. I got to explain the joys of a small backyard flock and swap chicken stories with fellow chicken lovers.

After a while I took Antoinette in for a well deserved water break and brought Chloe out for a visit. People would stop and say, "Is that the Sewanee Chicken?" She's so distinctive looking, everyone recognized her picture from the blog. We took a walk up the street. Chloe had fallen asleep in my arms and I almost forgot I was carrying a chicken around.

Before I knew it - it was almost time for the parade to start. I rounded up all the chicken signs and raced down to the line up for the parade. I walked past the floats handing out signs to anyone who wanted one. One went to my closest neighbors who have always delighted in the chickens.

So, although we opted not to be in the parade, we had representation throughout. With the environmental theme this year (Sewanee goes green for the red, white & blue) we couldn't have blended in better. It was a great deal of fun and we got wonderful exposure and support.

3rd of July

With apologies to vegetarians - our point on the 2nd sign is that my chickens are not livestock as prohibited in my lease .
We decided to be in the parade. Many people had expressed interest. We set up a time to meet & make costumes, signs, banners, whatever. I sent out an email inviting anyone who might be interested.

The thing about parades is - if you've been in more than two - you know it's generally more fun to watch than participate.

The replies to my email rolled in. "YES! You should be in the parade... no, sorry - I've got friends, relatives, no one, in town and can't join you, but it's a great idea & we'll be cheering you on!!"

I don't blame them, I really didn't want to be in the parade either.

However - my family, dutiful as ever, and a great deal of fun - along with a life long family friend and an almost headmaster who went to college with my brother - spent Thursday evening on my porch creating signs out of recycled materials and glitter and recycled glitter.