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FIELD GUIDE
Urban Chicken Farming

Table of Contents

Research
03 Introduction 06 Interviews 10 Culture Probes

Analysis
15 Introduction 16 18 20 22
Visual Audit Verbal Audit Affinity Diagram Personas

26 Task Analysis

Conclusion
31 Concluding Thoughts 32 Diagram

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The Research

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09 the research

Urban Chicken Farming?

The local food movement, stemming from collective feelings of disconnect between society and food, has inspired the popular alternative known as urban chicken farming, the practice of keeping chickens in ones backyard. Usually it is an urban setting, although some urban chickens can be found in a suburban environment. In Kansas City, Missouri, the urban chicken community is small but growing, quietly dispersed across both sides of the Missouri River. Because of strict city ordinances against chickens, mostly on the Kansas side, raising backyard hens has been troublesome. Despite the obstacles, families decide to keep them with supportive neighbors who benefit from receiving fresh eggs. Those who keep chickens in Kansas City believe in the local food movement. They believe in a sustainable food source, but they also believe in familial interaction. Its important for many who own their own chickens to teach their children about the cycle of life and the ethical treatment of animals. On the surface level, its about fresh eggs, fun family pets, and a happy garden. On a deeper level, its about a sustainable way of living, an ethical and personal responsibilty for where food comes from, and a civil disobedience towards an uninformed municipal. Many cities have been rather prickly about allowing people to raise chickens in their backyard. Some city governments fear the increase of chickens in residential areas, arguing that they are sanitation risks, noise makers, and attractors of predatorial animals. Despite the controversy, urban chicken farming is still practiced and continues to rise in popularity.

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Interview #1

I do hope my children will take from this.

Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

Im from Virginia and my husband is from North Kansas City. We met in the military actually. Im really not sure how long well be here before we decide to move out to the country, theres a lot of inner city violence here.

What kinds of activities are you involved in?

We are a part of our neighborhood association, but no one in our neighborhood owns chickens (laughs).

What do you currently do for living?

Im a stay at home mom. My husband works for UPS. I know that down the road, I do want to work in environmental studies.

What got you started on having chickens?

What appeals to me, is that you know where your egg is coming from. I hope that people start having an environmentally conscious lifestyle, where recycling becomes another part of your day rather than something wed like to try out. I do hope my own children will take from this.

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Tell us about your coop.

My husband built our coop. He works for UPS so they had a scrap bin that he dug into and used for the coop. Essentially we repurposed the garbage into building material and created a double layered coop..

Think theres a difference in your eggs and the ones at the store?
Taste-wise, probably not.

Do your chickens have names?

We named our chickens after the waitresses of our favorite restaurant.

Do the kids participate in raising the chickens? How so?

Yeah, they like to feed the chickens. And sometimes chase them.

How do you feel about the city ordinances?

I think they limit people from being to live an environmentally conscious lifestyle.

Any funny chicken stories?

One time, I was on the phone with my sister from Virginia while inside the coop and somehow locked myself in. We built it so that the kids couldnt climb in or reach it, and my husband was gone so I didnt know if the chickens would start attacking me or what. One time two hopped on my back and scared me. I started squawking like a chicken.

How do your neighbors feel about the chickens?

They seem to be onboard with it. We havent gotten complaints, I think our neighbors have bigger problems to worry about (inner city violence) than complain about chickens.

If you were a chickenwhere would you live?

Well, probably out on a farm. Its no fun breathing city air.

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Interview #2

We really like that it brings the family together.

Where are you from? Where did you grow up?

Were both from the Kansas City Area.

What kinds of activities are you involved in or enjoy doing?

Ryan: I enjoy spending time with family, building toys, playing guitar, cooking. Kelly: I love planning parties and d.i.y. type things. I was involved with the 18th Street Fashion Show here in KCMO. I also enjoy gardening. Max (7 yrs. old): I like playing video games and drawing. I like picking up our soft chickens!

What got you started on having chickens?

Kelly: My cousin had chickens in Boulder, CO. It sounded easy enough, we want it to be a hobby rather than a huge commitment. We really like that it brings the family together. It teaches our kids about the cycle of birth, life, and death.

Tell us about your coop.

Kelly: Well, Kevin built it and made it so that itd match the look of our own home. Ryan: Yeah, I just used material from Home Depot and put it together myself.

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Do your chickens have names?

Yep! Bertha, Mable, Frizzle (or Shaniqua)...

Do the kids participate in raising the chickens? How so?

Yeah, Max chases them on occasion, but he mostly collects the eggs out of the coop.

How do you feel about the city ordinances?

I think people are misinformed about chickens, and we wouldnt want to live somewhere that didnt allow chickens. They dont realize that they are very quiet. Once people meet the chickens they realize that they are really nice and fun to have. And family oriented.

Where do you go for help or questions about your chickens?

Weve had the chickens for about three years. One of our first chickens got injured and then eaten by a raccoon, which was really sad. Another time, one of our chickens got sick and so we took her to a vet and humanely euthanized her.

How do your neighbors feel about the chickens?

Kelly: Well, at first they seemed wary, but when we offered eggs, they definitely didnt seem to have a problem with it. They are very onboard with the chickens. Ryan: Yeah, none of the neighbors complain, we dont have a rooster so it isnt noisy.

If you were a chickenwhere would you live?

Well, probably out on a farm. Its no fun breathing city air.

Think theres a difference in your eggs and the ones at the store?
Kelly: I dont think so. Ryan: I cant tell, I mean, the yolks are yellower, so visually, there might be a difference.

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Culture Probes
Keeping backyard chickens involves the whole family. The children are integral because they actively participate on raising the chickens. These prompts demonstrate their understanding of urban chicken farming and where their food comes from.

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The Analysis

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Analysis Techniques
After collecting field data on the urban chicken farmers of Kansas city, we analyzed the results and determined definitive cultural characteristics through the development of visual and verbal audits, personas, affinity diagram, and task analysis. These analysis techniques and the secondary research we conducted allowed us to form conclusions about how urban chicken farming in Kansas City fits within a national context, which includes political, environmental, and familial aspects.

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A Visual Audit: The Coops

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A Visual Audit: Green Living

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A Visual Audit: Backyard

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Verbal Audit A Verbal Audit

Family Community
Ordinance
A piece of legislation created by a municipality or other local authority. These ordinances often result in limitations or fines being placed on raising them.

DIY
Coop
A pen where hens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep. Often referred to as a hen house.

Farmers Market
Local gathering of urban chicken farmers in a legal setting to sell the extra eggs. It is currently illegal to sell eggs outside of the market setting because of regulations put in place by commercial egg farmers.

Compost
A mixture of various decaying organic substances, such as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil. Chicken waste is a great source of natural fertilizer.

Chicken Plucker
A chicken plucker is a machine that strips the chicken of feathers without breaking the skin. They are commonly built using low cost recycled materials.

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Ethical Animal Practices

Predator Proof
The practice of safeguarding a chicken coop from predators. Includes sealing of windows with chicken wire or welded wire and cementing of base.

Chicken Tractor
A moveable chicken coop lacking a floor. It is usually a lightly built A-frame that a person can drag about the yard easily, allowing the chickens to eat up the vegetation of one area and move onto the next leaving behind a fertilized area for regrowth.

Complete Chicken Feed

The primary source of nutrition for chickens. It is comprised of a variety of nutrients and energy sources, enhanced with minerals and vitamins

Run
An outdoor area where chickens can roam freely, usually attached to the chicken coop. Under supervision this allows for the chickens to live freely

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Affinity Diagram

VALUES
Ethical Animal Practices
predator proofing sand based floor balanced diet feed

GOALS
Legalizing Urban Chicken Farms
fighting city council eliminating misconceptions passing on methods

Local Food
farmers market community gardens sharing eggs with neighbors

Establishing Local Community

creating an active online community social gatherings finding a channel for communicating

Family
nostalgia tradition understanding where food comes from

Eco-Friendly Living
composting gardening recycling

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TRAITS
Compassionate
porivided humane death for chicken

Giving
Sharing with farmers and family

Handy
Self designed coop Hand built coop Restoring vehicle

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Personas

Megan Lucas
The Environmentalist

Age: 37 Education: B.S. Occupation: Horticulturist Neighborhood: Valentine, KCMO Hobbies: Gardening, Camping, Biking Household: Husband & 3 Children

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Its important for me to know where my familys food is coming from

Megan settled down in Kansas city after working as a field research on agriculture. She is an avid gardener, and now works as a part-time horticulturist. She first purchased her five Rhode Island Red Hens after deciding how beneficial it would be for her family as a way to access fresh eggs (shes an ovo-lacto vegetarian) and as a learning tool. She and her husband built their chicken coop out of recycled material found in a garbage dump. One thing she really enjoys about her chickens is how nutrient filled their waste is, which she puts in her compost that feeds her garden. She lets her children interact (chase and feed) with the chickens and hopes that one day they will be as eco-minded as she is, making things like recycling a part of the day rather than just something to try out. Megan is also involved in her neighborhood association and loves spending time with her kids.

efficient

pragmatic

eco-minded

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Personas

Lisa Anderson
The Creative

Age: 25 Education: B.A. Occupation: Interior Designer Neighborhood: Brookside, KCMO Hobbies: Baking, Photography Couponing Household: Fianc

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I was amazed by the taste of these eggs, so I decided to try it out

Lisa was born and raised in Kansas City. She is a full-time interior designer and engaged to her illustrator boyfriend Mark Finch, who works at Hallmark. When Lisas close friend Trisha Roberts showed Lisa her coop of chickens, she decided that it looked easy enough to try out herself. Plus, she loved how docile the chickens were and thought about blogging about them on her blog Tweetheart. After some online searching, she bought a Silkie hen, Wyandotte hen, and a Delaware hen. She and her fianc built their coop to match their charming house, where they host many parties with friends. Lisa enjoys an array of hobbies and loves learning new things. She plays ukele, avidly collects wine, enjoys baking, and participates in online activities such as instagram, twitter, facebook, and blogger. She likes to document and share a lot of her daily activities, especially her chickens!

energetic

social

artistic

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Task Analysis

Goal
Eco-friendly Living by ethically practicing urban chicken farming

Goal
Legalizing Urban Chickens by persistently fighting against city council

Obstacles predators neighbor complaints city ordinances

Decisions predator proof coops neighborly gestures fight city government

Obstacles misinformed public unsupportive city council lack of community support

Decisions informing public create awareness recruiting people

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Goal
Establish Local Urban Chicken Community by actively networking through awareness

Obstacles lack of communication channels lack of resources (monies) lack of connections

Decisions using online channels to access other groups networking with more people joining with other eco-groups

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The Conclusion

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Why keep those hens?

Urban chicken farming has been trending steadily since the surge of the local food movement. More and more familes are finding the benefits of raising these docile creatures. Its an engaging way to include the whole family while maintaining an eco-friendly lifestyle. Most of these chicken owners also tend to have gardens that benefit from having the chickens. Its almost difficult to understand why some cities ban chickens from suburban settings or make it very difficult to keep them. Regardless, the practice of owning urban chickens is not thwarted by these politically motivated efforts; rather it seems more and more people are fighting the pecking order and seeking the right to own chickens. For urban chicken farmers, its all about the family.

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Diagram
Urban Chicken farming is more than raising chickens for their eggs. The people who partake in this hobby care deeply about the environment, their family, and their freedom to raise chickens in their backyards. This diagram reveals the motivations behind urban chicken farming.

Urban Chicken Farm

(in an eggshell)

Environmental

Political

Societal

Local Food Movement

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle

City Ordinances
Fighting for the right to own chickens

Family Values
Teaching children the cycle of life