Chickens in the Yard!



Here are my great-great grandparents Jacob (above) and Alice (Vorhees)Loy with her flock of chickens
somewhere in Ohio.

Happy is the day when I get to spend time with chickens. They are such happy creatures that know how to sooth my soul into gentle relaxation.  I didn't grow up with chickens, because we lived in a progressive township and this was in the 70's so we were groovy and not environmental.  The only thing I knew about chickens back then was that dad shouldn't have eggs for cholesterol's sake and that the colonel fried them up. 

In my adult discovery of chickens, I was quickly smitten with their unique personalities and quirky appearances.  I was given two mild mannered girls -- Lucy and Ethel -- and they were such easy going beings to have around.  I quickly added two more to complete my flock -- Lola and my favorite -- Reba.  The barnyard had llamas and goats and just like a folk decoration -- they liked to stack up on top of each other.  Hours were spent in enjoyment with the creatures of our place.

The chickens provided so much for so little. One night I had planned meat loaf for dinner and at the last minute realized their were no eggs in the fridge.  We had to wait until the most regular layer of the foursome deposited her egg of the day, in the midst of the lavender bush.  Then, and only then, could I continue my dinner preparations.  We ate just a little later than usual that night.  What a wonderful memory as to why.

Things have changed since those barnyard days and we live in downtown area of the small city of Fenton.  Tonight the city council will vote about the chicken ordinance that would allow a handful of hens to reside within city limits. I am giddy with anticipation that I might, once again, have chickens!  It's quite the controversy and emotions run high on both sides.

For me, having chickens is a symbol of something even greater. Allowing 3 or 4 hens to reside in my back yard,  allows me to live the American dream in ways that the political speeches as of late are too complicated to fathom. What a joy it is to go to my backyard and gather the ingredients of dinner.  It means a great deal to me that I can touch, smell and see some of the things that are combined for the nourishment of my family.  I yearn for a smaller distance between me and my food. I have a need to be involved in the production of that food. I am a part of it all, and it is unnatural for me to be separated from what I eat.

Our home was built prior to the Civil War and I'm sure that hens have graced this lawn before. It's time to redefine "farm" and it's time to participate in knowing what we eat and where it comes from. It's time to embrace our role in nature, knowing that we are part of it, not outside of it.