ANNOUNCING A BYC MEMBER PROJECT!!!!! JOIN IN!!!

[Chemguy]

I'm thinkin if this should be more written ....or do we let pictures do the talking?

Pictures can be used very powerfully to convey a message, and to gain the attention of a person who would not be inclined to take the time to read a simple page of text. I'll suggest both pictures and text. Maybe mostly writing, but definitely with pictures.

 

[WriterofWords]

If you want it to be one regular page I suggest dividing into 5 paragraphs, the 1st being the intro, then the second the benefits of owning your own chickens/fowl, the third could expand on the value and benefits of knowing exactly what is in your eggs or fresh chicken, the fourth a condensed version of what is needed to house and raise chickens in your backyard. The last paragraph would restated your intro and also direct everyone where to go to expand on the information they have been given in the info sheet. Just give the basic information in the body, don't try and cram a ton of info in it or they wouldn't read it because of info overload. The wrap up is the important link to the expansion and leading them to BYC or available books. You could include a couple lines that contain websites and books/magazines.

 

[spacecowgirl]

Yes, I think it should be divided into sections like a newspaper, with cute little pictures and articles to go with them.

One of the topics could be how fun chickens are! They do tricks, like run after you and jump up in the air for treats. They are also hilarious to watch interact with each other and play "food football" (as I call it, when they find a tasty morsel and steal it from each other repeatedly

They can be very loving and sociable, like hopping into your lap and cuddling, and enjoying being petted, much like a cat or dog...

They are very inexpensive, after the initial setup of coop and pen, and enjoy every sort of scrap you have to offer, food-wise.
Unlike a cat or dog, who will only usually eat meat scraps, chickens will eat all of your scraps: fruit, vegetable, meat, bread, dairy...you name it, they'll probably eat it!

Not only that, but besides getting rid of what you would normally throw in the garbage, they will give you delicious fresh eggs to feed to yourself and your family. ( you might even mention that you can feed the eggshells back to them for extra added calcium )!

I can't think of a more perfect pet, when you think of it that way!

 

[Blondiechic]

as a newbie to your site I too think its a great idea - I keep telling everyone how fun chickens are, and those who have met Barry do agree (barry is a she).
With the pictures - which I think are great, may I suggest 'cartoony' friendly, fun ones rather than serious actual photos (unless you use baby silkies who are too cute for words!)

 

[texas75563]

Chickens are the perfect starter livestock for your
homestead, whether you have a small backyard in an urban area or 20 acres in the boondocks.

Chickens provide eggs, meat and fertilizer, plus they’re small and easy to manage.

Keeping pet chickens is great fun and relaxing at the same time. They make productive pets and they’re definitely a magnet for children.

Chicken keeping is a joy for the whole family! Can you imagine your children naming the baby chicks and then help nurturing them into fully matured egg laying chickens? What better way could there be of introducing your family, first hand to nature, by keeping chickens at home.

But of course it’s not just the children who’ll get great enjoyment from raising chickens… You’ll soon be spotting the different characters within your birds and recognising who rules the roost when your hens sort out the pecking order within your flock.

Before you decide which chicken breeds to raise, you’ll want to decide which attributes are most important to you: egg production, meat production, temperament or other qualities.

If you want low-maintenance chickens to clean up ticks and insect pests, most breeds are good choices.

Free-range chickens (chickens allowed to range on
pasture) produce the most nutritious and flavorful eggs.

Most of the eggs currently sold in supermarkets are
nutritionally inferior to eggs produced by hens raised
on pasture.

1/3 less cholesterol
1/4 less saturated fat
2/3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene

Come to BackYard Chickens for all your questions!
http://www.backyardchickens.com

 

[3goodeggs]

All of these are excellent ideas, The need to distill it all down into concise succinct wording will be a difficult job. (Chicken sound bites. brrrrk.)
Is this a double sided or just one side of 8x10 piece of paper ?
Will this be something that we all can down load, print out, and hand out to friends, neighbors, clubs, and family ?

 

[Chemguy]

If you want it to be one regular page I suggest dividing into 5 paragraphs, the 1st being the intro, then the second the benefits of owning your own chickens/fowl, the third could expand on the value and benefits of knowing exactly what is in your eggs or fresh chicken, the fourth a condensed version of what is needed to house and raise chickens in your backyard. The last paragraph would restated your intro and also direct everyone where to go to expand on the information they have been given in the info sheet. Just give the basic information in the body, don't try and cram a ton of info in it or they wouldn't read it because of info overload. The wrap up is the important link to the expansion and leading them to BYC or available books. You could include a couple lines that contain websites and books/magazines.

I'm in strong agreement. It's easy to overwhelm with words. This should be kept simple and attractive. So says the guy who often writes at maximum verbosity.

 

[RedheadErin]

Not to mention, they don't have allergy issues like furry pets do!

 

[Fierlin1182]

I think this is a good idea. Most people in my city like the idea of back yard chickens (it's a pretty quiet city with the old and young and people from surrounding country. Lots of chicken owners. ) but there are certainly people that have their doubts . . . .

Do you need any pictures? I can do sketches.
Or I can write if you want, but I am not that knowledgeable about the inner workings of the chicken.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks, Fierlin . We will certainly need help with everything, as soon as we know what we're doing, LOL

There's just so much information to put on one page. I started this thread because I wanted members to have something to print off to give to people that can't for the world understand why we would consider a chicken a desirable pet; a valued pet.

That's all for this page. But I think there should be more printable pages covering many more aspects of the chicken world.

On this page I was thinking that it might be best to quote as many of us as possible to the question
"Aside from eggs, what's there to like about your chickens?" or
"Why do you like/love your chickens?"

Or questions like that, and quote many answers. Then look for some real nice pictures that DO say 1000 words.

Need answers. Need pictures. Need a good quote to tie it all together. Need design/layout ideas.....