Photo: Nicholas Fevelo
Robert McMinn, 45, and Jules Corkery, 45, are raising three hens inside their one-bedroom apartment in Astoria. "I don't think it's the ideal situation," conceded McMinn, a public policy associate at the mental health group Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services. But "they're cute. They're fun to [watch] run around. They're excited when we come home."Read more here.
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. But "they poop everywhere," said McMinn, who uses the droppings to fertilize the soil in nearby community gardens.
McMinn began raising chickens in Idaho in 2003 to improve his garden, as the birds aerate the soil through their pecking and scratching and eat pests. Three years later, he created a 10-minute community radio show called "Bucky Buckaw Backyard Chicken Broadcast" about the useful pets. The show is now on eight stations throughout the country.
"A chicken can save you money. It's a cheap hobby, and it improves your gardening," said McMinn, who doesn't recommend raising them indoors. "You get the eggs and they're delicious." The small brown eggs can also pick up the flavor of what the chickens eat, said McMinn, who feeds his pets table scraps.
McMinn and Corkery give lectures at local libraries and urban gardens on the benefits of city chicken-keeping.
Via Arbroath
Related reading: What Is Pasty Butt, And How Do I Prevent It?
For tomB
No comments:
Post a Comment