It’s been six months since East Lansing gave the nod for residents to raise chickens in their backyards. Already four $20 permits have been issued under the new ordinance, which was model on Ann Arbor's.
It may be the beginning of a trend, piggybacking on the slow food movement encouraging people to acquire food grown closer to home, and the increased interest in sustainability. Even New York City allows backyard chickens. Lansing does not.
East Lansing allows residents to have four chickens, but no roosters. Tyler and Jennifer Young who have one of the four permits the city has granted so far.
The Youngs and David Schenburn, another permit holder, describe their chicken farming as a positive learning experience. Schenburn bought the allotted four chickens at Tractor Supply Company for his daughter, Magda, so she could write a booklet for a class at Marble Elementary. She’s completed her treatise: “How to Raise Chickens.”
Schenburn is a chemical technician at General Motors, and like his daughter, likes to learn. He’s discovered a 41-member backyard chicken meet-up group for the Lansing area, and that chickens will eat almost anything.
“They’re more productive than a compost pile,” he says.
But here’s something else he’s learned. Soon they will arrive at the age when they won’t lay eggs for a period of time. Those are the chickens found in Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, he says. He’s not shared that information yet with Magda.
Meanwhile, the Youngs started out with four chickens purchased from Soldan’s Pet Store. But early one morning they and their city neighbors heard one of the chicks crowing at sunrise. She was a he, and was returned to the store. Now there are only three chicks, Moe, Blondie and Georgina.
Tyler Young says the chickens fit right in with their family.
Source: Tyler Young, David Schenburn
Gretchen Cochran, Innovation & Jobs editor, may be reached here.
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