chickens

The Jamaica Plain Gazette interviews the owner of four chickens ripped to shreds by some sort of canine last month. No names, since live chickens are illegal in Boston (they'd named one of the chickens Dr. Richard Kimball).

As part of its reporting, the Gazette talked to an area chicken expert, who said determined predators can break it or even squeeze through its holes.

Galen Moore of Jamaica Plain reports this is the print of an animal that killed and ate his neighbor's chickens. Yes, plural and, yes, Jamaica Plain. He wonders if anybody can tell what sort of animal did the fowl deed.

Doug Aamoth warns us today:

BE CAREFUL: There's a chicken loose in Boston. It's in Charlestown. A kid is feeding it.

In e-mail, he adds:

I don't know if it's a chicken or a rooster, but the little girl feeding it cracker bits on Sackville Street said it was a chicken and she seemed to have more control over the fiasco than anyone. I'm just happy to still be alive.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports some home-farming advocates aren't waiting for Boston officials to amend city zoning codes to allow backyard poultry, but that has at least one neighbor of an "illicit chicken-raiser" crying fowl.

The Jamaica Plain Gazette reports city officials have started looking at changing a section of the city zoning code that prohibits backyard chickens and offers an exclusive interview with one of JP's bootleg chicken ranchers, who only talked on the condition she be identified by a pseudonym.

Last year, you may recall, a pioneering Roslindale resident was ordered to banish her chickens outside the city limits.

Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition is holding a potluck dinner on Thursday at which to discuss urban agriculture, under a title that would be sure to get Zoning Board of Appeals members and ISD inspectors clucking: Backyard Chickens and Urban Agriculture:

Come hear from local chicken expert about keeping chickens. Hear stories of urban ag in JP, and share your own adventures.

Last July, the Zoning Board of Appeals - chaired by Jamaica Plain resident Robert Shortsleeve - ruled JP and Roslindale residents could not keep backyard chickens because of the zoning in the neighborhoods.

The potluck begins at 6 p.m. at the Nate Smith House, 155 Lamartine St.

The Zoning Board of Appeals today denied a Roslindale resident's request to keep hens in her Firth Road backyard because city zoning codes expressly forbid poultry in Roslindale and Jamaica Plain - but nowhere else in the city.

City Councilor Rob Consalvo (Hyde Park, Roslindale), vowed to work with Audra Karp to change the regulations that now prohibit chickens in the two neighborhoods - they are allowed with a zoning special permit in other parts of the city. He said it seems to make little sense to have the zoning board, which normally deals with matters such as building heights and setbacks, to deal with animal issues. However, he acknowledged that could be a lengthy process, saying if this were a baseball game, we'd only be in the first inning.

Parrots Parakeets in East Boston, emus in Waltham and now this, the latest proof greater Boston is for the birds: One of our eagle-eyed correspondents reports spotting a chicken wandering Walworth Street in Roslindale this morning, near Cornell Street. She adds:

There was another chicken in the yard directly in front. I guess people are getting their own eggs these days!

Or a couple of the specials from the Pleasant Cafe escaped.

The owners of three Cayuga ducks and two Wyandotte chickens are blogging to keep Cambridge from banning their pets.

BellyGlad reports on a talk about raising urban chickens, says there are lots of live chickens living in Cambridgeport, while Somerville bans chicken raising. Also:

Shredded junk mail makes great chicken litter.

Somerville woman wants to raise chickens. Worst case, she could move to Belmont.