looking for people for radio piece on backyard chickens

[sheila2read]

I've been lurking here a bit and am amazed at the enthusiasm and commitment that so many of you show toward your chickens ...

I work for The Story with Dick Gordon, a nationally syndicated public radio program that features stories of people with interesting experiences. We're interested in doing a story on backyard chickens.

I'm looking for people with interesting stories to tell about their experience raising chickens in urban or semi-urban areas. If you think you have a good story and want to be considered to go on the show, email me at [email protected].

Thanks and hope to hear from you!

Sheila

 

[dlhunicorn]

Hi Sheila... I seriously doubt I would be a candidate for your show as I am in the Netherlands... (I am originally from Missouri). However I would dearly love that you consider the following to be brought up on your show:
In the USA chickens (even the tiny fancy breeds like japanese bantams and Seramas (which are just a little bigger than a coke can by the way) are by legal definition FARM ANIMALS and not PETS (this is an important point to Veterinarians who have to decide to put their license on the line in order to give the medication to save a dearly beloved PET)
Now here in the Netherlands it is quite common to have chickens as pets AND to keep them as such in your backyard. Chickens as PETS in this way (even though you do collect and eat their eggs if you decide not to hatch them) are not considered FARM animals and as such are excempt from the medication regulations governing the FARM FOOD ANIMALS
I say it is time for the chicken to legally gain recognition as a PET ... Who the heck is gonna eat a serama??? This has made it darn near impossible to even worm the birds safely forcing those who wish to abide by the regulations no medication that is effective on most of the internal parasites that end up killing them (or to use the exact same meds causing resistance issues as PETS are kept far longer than the commercial birds which are culled after two years)

It just breaks my heart to try and help members here sometimes and i soooo wish they had easy access to the necessary meds we have here for our PETS ...that is all I wanted to point out... lol

 

[annmarie]

Someone that might be nice to talk to is Nifty Chicken, the administrator of this site. (I'm assuming the one behind all this chicken madness that has become BYC?!)