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The 7 False Myths About Urban Chickens by Patricia Foreman The local foods movement is not only gaining ground, it is here to stay, and that includes family flocks of chickens. Chickens are the mascots of local foods because of the many talents and skr71 sets they innately bring to small scale food production. These skill sets include being pesticiders (eating mosquitoes, ticks and fleas), herbiciders (by eating and clearing unwanted vegetation), and organic fertilizer generators (that can help create and enhance garden soil). The trend for backyard flocks is so strong, that in the past 2 years, over 500 towns and cities have revised their laws to allow urban folks to keep their own chickens. With the reemergence of backyard chickens across the country, there have been tremendous amounts of misconceptions, false beliefs and downright prejudice surrounding the keeping of micro -flocks of chickens. As the co-host of the Chicken Whisperer Backyard Poultry and Sustainable Lifestyles Talk Show, we have heard it all. There are seven main concerns that routinely surface when the topic of city chicks is discussed These are 1. disease, 2 noise, 3. waste, odor and flies, 4. predators & rodents, 5. property values, 6. appearances, and 7 what will neighbors think? Let's look at the Lis behind each of these concerns. Moth 1. Chickens Carry Diseases Communicable to Humans. Fact: the truth is that small flocks have literally no risk of avian flu transmission to humans. The 2006 Grain Report states: "When it comes to bird flu, diverse small -scale poultry is the solution, not the problem." Centers for Disease Control (CDC) states on their website: "There is no need at present to remove a (family) flock of chickens because of concerns regarding avian flu." Avian flu has been in the press as concern to commercial poultry production where birds are raised in monster -size flocks that are confined in over - crowed environments. This causes high stress and compromised immune systems in the birds. Any sign of disease, including a sneeze, could result m a huge number of birds getting sick; and this puts at risk a large amount of profit. As many experts have stated publicly, the solution to avian flu is in small-scale poultry. fth 2. Chickens are too Noisy. Fact: laying hens — at their loudest — have about the same decibel level as human conversation (60 to 70 decibels). Hens are so quiet that there have been cases of family flocks being kept for years without the next door neighbors knowing it. To some, noise is a concern with roosters and their pre -dawn heralding of sunrises. Many urban codes ban roosters, or only allow them to be kept with special permits. The noise level of a rooster's crow is about the same as a barking dog; 90 decibels. But there are ways to keep roosters quiet throughout the night. Many folks regard crowing as a pleasant sound- M yth Waste and Odor. Fact: a forty pound dog generates more solid waste then ten chickens. To be more specific, one 40 pound dogs generates about a/4 (.75 pounds) of poo every day. Ten i chickens generate about two- thirds (.66 pounds) daily poop. The advantage to chicken manure is that it can be used as valuable, high - nitrogen fertilizer. j Unlike dog or cat poop, chicken poo can be combined with yard and leaf waste to create compost just as valuable, about 40% of the chicken manure is organic matter which is necessary for building fertile, healthy top soil, I Chicken manure is so valuable that there is a product called Cockadoodle Doo®. What Cockadoodle loo is made of? You guessed it-, dried chicken manure. A 20 pound bag sells for $15.00. That's 76 cents a pound for chicken manure! Lets take the stakes even higher. Where 29