Chicken Coup

I'm getting cabin fever, so to speak. It is definitely still winter here (snowed a foot last night), but I'm starting to yearn for spring. Spring and baby farm animals. I even had a dream last night that I was feeding a nanny and her kid.

The talk of our town recently has been a heated debate by the city council on whether or not to allow chickens in town legally. Here are some articles from our local paper:

January 19, 2009
January 21, 2009
January 23, 2009

February 6, 2009

I can't tell if this is a partisan issue or not. Lots of old-timing conservatives have chickens in the rural regions of the southwest, and lots of liberal greenies like the opportunity to be in better touch with where your food comes from. On the other hand, many conservatives think that chickens will smell up the town if owners don't keep their quarters clean, and pro-wildlife advocates don't like the idea of introducing "prey items" in town limits that will attract bear and mountain lions. It is an interesting debate that has ruffled many feathers.

There are pros and cons to both sides, but you can imagine which side I'm taking. All this chicken talk has gotten me so excited that I decided to draft some plans for a chicken coop and I'm drafting the 3-D version (to be posted later):

If Durango goes pro-chicken, this will be one of my many spring projects.

What do you think: Does being pro-poultry make us a blue town with a red comb on top?