Posts Tagged With: backyard chickens

Civic Chickens and Backyard Weed

As a conscientious voter, I try to do my research before I fill in a single oval on my ballot. This year, the most challenging decisions for me were the two initiated measures for legalizing marijuana in South Dakota.

Full disclosure: I came of age during the Age of Aquarius. My hair was long and straight. I wore miniskirts, bell-bottom jeans, and a peace-sign necklace as big as a rodeo queen’s belt buckle. I knew at least four guitar chords in the key of C and all the words to “Blowin’ in the Wind.”

However, I never once used pot.

I still have no interest in using pot. At the same time, I think it’s idiotic to put people in jail for using it. At the same time, I think it probably has genuine medicinal value but tend to believe medicinal substances are best obtained through pharmacies. At the same time, I question the common sense of legalizing at the state level a substance that is still illegal under federal law.

You can see why I pondered so much over the pot proposals on the ballot. Until last week, when suddenly all became clear, and I made my decisions.

What happened was this: the city council approved the first reading of an ordinance to allow residents to raise chickens in their back yards.

There is a connection here. Really. Just stay with me for a minute.

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Categories: Food and Drink, Just For Fun, Wild Things | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Why Did the Chicken Cross . . .

. . . spurs with the city council?

Well, actually, I don’t think most of the council members are all that cross with chickens. I bet they’re tired of hearing about them, though. Rapid City is having another debate about whether to allow people to keep a few chickens in their back yards.

Speaking as someone who is not a fan of chickens until they are safely beheaded, plucked, processed, and cooked (all of the aforementioned, preferably, done by someone else), you’d think I would be on the anti-chicken side of this argument.

Not so. If my neighbors want to have a handful of chickens in a coop in their yard, I don’t care. My objection to chickens wanes considerably when I’m not the one who has to feed them, gather their eggs, or help pluck them.

Besides, if the neighbors have chickens, the neighbors will have eggs. Possibly, even, extra eggs. I’m not proud. I’m willing to be a hypocrite if it gets me fresh-laid eggs now and then.

However, amid all the clucking and squawking about chickens, pro and con, I do agree with those who insist that chicken coops need to be well-constructed and secure. I don’t want a bunch of stray chickens attracting stray skunks, coyotes, and mountain lions who might be tired of venison.

I especially agree with the person who pointed out in our local paper that all the chicken coops need to be built with two doors.

Because if they had four doors, they wouldn’t be chicken coupes. They would be chicken sedans.

(Sorry. Sometimes when you scrape the very bottom of the idea barrel, all you come up with is chicken manure.)

Categories: Just For Fun, Wild Things | Tags: , | 2 Comments

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