APARTMENT CHICKENS
Well, we’ve certainly got a lively discussion going with a HENDOMINIUM in city apartments. The comments are why I hate social media, including blogs, and why I love them. Many of you realized that this is not what I’m advocating instead of pasture, but some folks jumped to the conclusion that I had all of a sudden abandoned outdoor chickens in favor of indoor protocols. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the most common questions people ask me is “I live in an apartment; is there anything I can do to change the food system, to change the ecology, practically, to change nutrition and livestock abuse?” Here is an idea that someone with no land, in New York City, can do that has many benefits.
Folks, slow down and look at what I’ve said. I didn’t say to quit pasturing chickens. This is a narrow application for a singular type of person: the urban apartment or condo dweller who wants to participate in the kinds of things our tribe talks about. More often these yearning folks feel helpless or at least disempowered.
My friend that whipped out these pictures is in Austria. Remember that? It’s not in English, but that’s not a problem. Just appreciate the idea for now. We don’t have to answer every question; the first thing to do in prototypes is get a basic concept. What we’re trying to offer is an alternative to the 10,000 people who allegedly have already purchased a $500 food scrap dehydrator and purchased boxes and postage to ship their food scraps to a facility that will grind and mix it to sell for chicken feed.
I offer this as an alternative to that. No shipping. No buying eggs. No dehydrator. For those of you who think 15 sq. ft. (that’s 3 ft. X 5 ft. for those of you who flunked 10th grade geometry—and yes, it’s the size of a layback TV chair) is too confining for 3 chickens have no clue what 9 chickens in 2.75 sq. ft. is like, which is what 95 percent of the laying hens in America get to enjoy. This amount of room, with only 3 chickens, is massive, and recognized by every animal welfare outfit in the country as being completely humane. The chickens could not be happier.
I didn’t post these pictures to be the ending; I just wanted to folks to get an idea of how such a piece of furniture might look. Micha, our former apprentice who slapped this together quickly, has done us all a favor in putting my words into something we can visualize. Is this the final product? Of course not, but at least I hope these pictures helped folks who couldn’t even imagine what I was talking about get at least a glimmer of understanding as to how beautiful and simple it could be.
If you have a yard, use it. If you can let them run outside with dogs, let them. The folks who think this is not Joel Salatin writing this have missed the whole point. This isn’t about eliminating pastured poultry; it’s about empowering urbanites desperate to participate viscerally, authentically, and practically in a system from which they feel disconnected. Everyone can’t do everything perfectly; incrementalism is how we change things. If you can’t have a whole loaf of bread, be thankful if you can have a slice.
As to dust, filters can be installed like go on HVAC units. No problem. If the bedding is kept moist—and it should be so it’ll compost—it won’t have much dust. The crud would be less than a dog sheds. And why can’t a chicken be a pet? One average dog makes more poop than 9 chickens. And dog poop is nasty. Chickens don’t pee; their excrement is far easier to assimilate than what comes out the back end of a cat or dog—or human.
When Pat Foreman wrote CITY CHICKS, she told about a town in Belgium that offered 3 chickens per family to reduce landfill wastes. Two thousand families raised their hand so the town bought 6,000 hens and distributed them to the families. In the first month, it reduced landfill waste by 100 tons. That would no doubt reduce rat food in New York City. A chicken is probably the most utilitarian critter on the planet. What’s especially cool about chickens is that they like humans. Imagine that.
This does not violate anything I stand for. It’s a complementary approach for folks who aren’t blessed with acreage, yards, and land. Let’s not demonize a positive step, regardless of how small. As for rats in New York City, you keep supplemental feed in a little metal garbage can. Rat proof and simple. I don’t plan on staying with this for the year, but I’m telling you if someone out there is entrepreneurial and enterprising, this checks every positive message as an alternative to food scrap dehydrators and boxing the stuff to mail across the country. That’s where we’re making a distinction. If they’ve already sold 10,000 at $500, that’s $5 million. Not bad for a start up.
Now what do you think?