ROBINS, Iowa — Chickens won’t be crossing the road into Robins anytime soon, but quashed efforts to allow backyard hens in the town of 3,300 people might lead to broader change. Advocates who asked for an ordinance change that would have allowed Robins residents to keep a small number of hens were flatly turned down […]
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Category: Urban chickens
City Council overrides veto to allow chi...
By Cindy Hadish Chickens will have free range to roam in their own backyards after a mayoral veto was overridden by the North Liberty City Council this week. On a 4-1 vote, with Annie Pollack voting “no,” the council overrode Mayor Terry Donahue’s veto of the livestock ordinance amendment, passed on its third and final […]
Birds rule the roost again at Iowa fairs...
Good news for 4-H kids and others who missed out this past year on exhibiting their chickens at fairs in Iowa. The state’s ban on gatherings of poultry due to bird flu will be lifted on Jan. 1, 2016. More than 31 million chickens and turkeys were culled in Iowa due to the presence of […]
Tips for backyard chicken flocks in wake...
By Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan Almost daily in recent weeks, reports about Iowa poultry farms infected with bird flu are announced by the state. More than 25 million chickens and turkeys have been affected in 60 farms, including a smaller backyard chicken flock added to the list this week in Sioux County. In addition, the Iowa […]
Meet the meat chickens this Saturday in ...
This upcoming event has a special connection for me. My cousin, Judy Beuter, has been raising chickens in a sustainable way for years at her farm in rural Solon. I’ve visited during her “Baby Chicks Day,” and am sure that “Meet the Meat Chickens” will be just as educational. New Pioneer Food Co-op is helping […]
Final reading of North Liberty urban chi...
Cindy Hadish/Homegrown Iowan NORTH LIBERTY – Chicken lovers here have something to crow about. An ordinance change allowing urban hens in North Liberty passed at last night’s City Council meeting on a 3-2 vote. Gerry Kuhl, Chris Hoffman and Brian Wayson voted in favor of the measure, while Coleen Chipman and Terry Donahue were opposed. […]
North Liberty neighbors can’t peck at ur
NORTH LIBERTY – Neighbors no longer must give their approval to chicken-seeking residents of North Liberty, under the initial reading of a proposed ordinance change. City Council members last night voted 3-2 to pass the first of three readings to allow up to four chickens per household.
Urban chickens could soon roost in North...
UPDATE: The North Liberty City Council will consider the urban chicken ordinance at its Aug. 13 meeting, after the matter was tabled on July 23. Daniela Williams of North Liberty, one of the supporters of the measure, said new information was presented at this week’s meeting from the Cedar Valley Humane Society, which indicated that […]
Learn about raising backyard hens at New...
They’re so cute as babies, but do you have what it takes to raise backyard chickens? Find out during this free educational session coming up this Saturday, April 13, 2013.
Video: Picking up chicks in Iowa
Which came first? When it comes to backyard chickens, oftentimes it’s not the egg, but chicks from the Murray McMurray Hatchery. Specialty breeds, such as Black Australorps; Silver Laced Wyandottes and Buff Orpingtons can be purchased from the hatchery – established in 1917 in Webster City, Iowa – with a minimum order of 15 to 25 […]