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.

EMERGENCY!!!

Christmas card 2006
Elizabeth, holding Casey, the almost Siamese.
Me, holding Gertrude, my other hen turned rooster.
Lauren, holding nothing.

Remember my chickens? I'll refresh your memory. 2 older chickens and 3 youngsters. Out of the 3 little ones, I knew Guinevere and Francesca were boys although they had not yet crowed, so I would only be able to keep Chloe - the little blond. The new home for the boys was not ready and they had such great personalities that I was in no hurry to see them go, but I knew it was only a matter of time.

I came home from work yesterday and let the birds out as usual. I started cleaning my house in anticipation of weekend guests and a "decorate for the parade" party the following night - when I heard, "peep, peep, peep, EERRAAACK!!" I burst outside crying, "What are you doing????!!!" Guinevere had picked yesterday afternoon to give crowing a try. When a rooster first crows it's much like a boy's voice cracking as he becomes a man. And once a rooster experiences his first crow he wants to keep practicing!

So here I've spent the last week telling the world that backyard chickens are less intrusive than many typical pets and now, of all times, my little girl starts to crow. I grabbed him and put him in the house, put a cage in the car, grabbed the other potential crower and put him in the house. What to do...what to do... I called their new owner & left a message. "I have to move my roosters out NOW. Call me back." I got them in the car and was plotting their escape when I heard Chloe freaking out in the back yard. She is not capable of being very loud, but she was giving it her best shot. The 3 little birds were a team, and Chloe, as the most vulnerable, depended on the 2 guys. All the while, Guinevere was in my car practicing his new found voice. I put another cage in the car and went to get Chloe - which was not as easy as anticipated given the chaos.

OK, finally (it actually all happened in less than 15 minutes) I was on the road, top down, dust from the cages flying, chickens ruffled, me on my phone calling for back up.

"Sanford, I have an emergency!"
Brief pause.
"Guinevere Crowed! I have to get her out of my yard ASAP!"

"Do you have a cage?", "Ok, you can bring them out."
"Good, thing - I'm already on my way..."

I sang to the birds on the way there to calm them down - just as I used to do with my children when they were little girls.

I have some great friends who live on a large tract of protected land a few miles outside of town. They are committed to living a quiet, sustainable life and at least two of them raise chickens. I knew somebody would take mine in for a few days until they could movefrom the "safe house" into their permanent home. (Perhaps it will be necessary to change their names for their protection.)

Sanford's chickens are regular chicken size and his rooster is quite a big boy. He's just beautiful - proud and regal with long graceful tail feathers. As I've mentioned before, my little ornamental birds can't be readily mixed in with a new flock. So we set my cage of 3 in Sanford's yard and his birds came around to check them out. My little guys were VERY excited! Nothing like visit to the country!

As dusk came and his chickens started going into their house for the night, it was time for Chloe and I to go home too. We said our good byes and pulled away.

The next morning Sanford called and said Guinevere and Francesca were doing great. They were very happy, ate out of his hand and the big rooster was hanging out with them showing them the ropes. They were still in their cage, but happy as could be.

Back home things were not so good. Antoinette was causing quite a ruckus. She was clucking around like she actually missed the little boys. Chloe, as usual, was confused. I ended up having to put Antoinette in my kitchen. Can't have these chickens clucking up the neighborhood - especially after I've promised they're quiet! This evening things had settled down considerably. A couple of things I have learned about chickens - they're much smarted than I could have guessed, but they have SHORT TERM MEMORIES!

My favorite thing that happened today

I ran into Ron Daniels today in the Sewanee Market. Ron retired from years and years on the police force last year. After chatting for a minute I went outside & there was an old Ford tractor parked out front. I poked my head back in the Market and said, "did you drive your tractor here?" Of course he did. He was climbing up on it drinking his soda as I pulled away.

I love this town.

Unexpected Repercussions

My supportive family. Corporate Retreat 2004

back: Mom, Greg, Elizabeth, me, Lauren, Aunt Diane, Dad, Grandfather

front: Stephen, April, Julia, Joshua, Rachel

When I got the phone call just one week ago telling me to remove the chickens from my yard ASAP I never could have anticipated the effect it would have on my life, my family's and the community . Never, ever! Yes, my incredibly loyal and supportive friends would say all the right things, but to have people in the community that I barely know stop me and say, "good luck with your chickens" gets me every time. They are, after all, just chickens.

But apparently they're not just chickens - or pets even - they are rights and regulations and common decency and all kinds of things to all kinds of people.

The emails have been pouring in. People I don't even know are writing to the lease committee. Many positive, productive conversations are happening.

I am blessed with a wonderful family. Naturally when this happened, I let them know right away. Actually, they've kind of made fun of me over the years with this whole chicken thing. I know it's weird - it's one of the reasons the birds appeal to me. If they were dogs - they'd be Poodles and I am definitely not a Poodle person (no offense intended - just personal preference). So, I assumed they would humor me while I was sad and life would go on.

Then my mom came over last Saturday to take pictures for the lease committee and told me that my dad was really bothered. She said it was keeping him awake. When I checked email I found that he sent me a message at 4:oo AM with his thoughts on the matter. He supported me! He didn't find me frivolous OR in violation of my lease.

Now the plot thickens... My father was in the administration at the University for over 30 years. He was a policy maker. He is well admired, knows how how things work and thinks in terms of the best interest of the University. For these reasons, his support gave me a whole new way to look at the situation.

My lease is in my parent's name as well as mine. We started brainstorming...

Behind the scenes, my brother Stephen and his wife April were positively irate. They had been calling and emailing with ideas - obviously giving the matter a huge amount of thought. Their 10 year old son Joshua announced his intent to write a letter of complaint. April set me up with the bog.

Meanwhile back at the ranch (not really, you saw the pictures) - the chickens were getting a lot of attention. Chickens love attention. It makes them quite friendly - except for Chloe, she's still very confused by being a star. Stephen, April and their children came over one evening equipped with cameras, sound equipment and a nice bottle of Chardonnay. Stephen is a professional adventure photographer http://www.picturestoryblog.com/who's work takes him to the most remote places in the world. At home we rarely see him with a camera because he needs to separate himself from work. April works for National Geographic, their 10th anniversary is on the 4th and they're going to Guatemala the next day. It's not like they have a lot of free time.

My sister and her husband are in Colorado working the Denver angle.

As I implied, we're a close family, but the way we have come together on this issue is unprecedented.

Frequently asked questions

1. "How can I help? " is the question I hear the most.

You can write a letter or send an email to be received by July 15, 2008 to:

Lease Committee
c/o Barbara Schlichting
735 University Ave.

Sewanee, TN 37383

bschlich@sewanee.edu

PLEASE, only send serious messages. We want to make a change, not bother Barbara with funny, irrelevant or harassing correspondence. If you want your opinion to be considered by the lease committee, you must give your name and address - not that you'll be contacted, but I want to stress the fact that this is not the place to be amusing.

It would be helpful if you stated your relationship to this cause and or Sewanee and the University.

If you want to be funny, post a comment!

2. "What was the complaint?"

Noise. - which no one else in the neighborhood seems to hear.

3. "Who complained?"

I don't think it's appropriate to answer - especially here.

4. "Are you going to be in the 4th of July parade?"

I'm still not sure. I've been very consumed with research, correspondence and this blog and haven't had time to give it much thought. There is definitely interest and some cute ideas. Let me know if you're interested and I'll see what we can come up with. (I'm all about last minute parade prep - remind me to tell you about my brother's rolling wedding reception July 4, 1998)

5. "What's the name of the facebook group?"

Save Sewanee Chickens. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=54313080231

I don't belong to facebook and didn't know about the group, but hear it's growing like crazy!

6. "Do you want a bunch of people to go to the lease committee meeting with you?"

Well yes, maybe - BUT - it is NOT an open metting so only the leaseholders (my parents and I) will go.