Hi. In response to your recent call on the HPCC listserv for signs-ups for the chicks-in-the-hood celebration I feel compelled to comment.

I do not own chickens but both grandmothers did, one of the grandmas kept chickens her entire lifetime and I have fond childhood memories of them.  I live in Highland Park, I've been supportive and often happily amused while out walking when I pass a yard with chickens.

That said, I'm concerned that some of our urban chicken farmers provide dangerously inadequate and uncomfortable accommodations for their birds.  Coops should have a minimum of 2 square feet per bird (and be thoroughly cleaned weekly), and a minimum 10 sq ft per bird free range space outside the coop.

With 5 decades of experience raising chickens, Martha Stewart placed a brief article on raising chickens in the June 2019 issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine.  Our local birds could benefit from our chicken farmers' adherence to the above space recommendations and review of Martha's additional comments.