Andy Schneider, self-dubbed "the Chicken Whisperer," is the one leading the charge for having urban chickens in Georgia.
In a recent profile in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, we find out more:
Due to his meetup.com group, many Atlantans know Schneider as their go-to-guy to get in the “game,” even if the game is played, er, raised in an urban backyard or garage. He created the online Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup Group to find others who share his plucky passion; membership has grown to 285 in less than nine months, he said.
The Chicken Whisperer, 39, got his start peddling pet poultry about five years ago when on a whim, he purchased some chicks as a gift to his wife Jennifer. He had raised poultry before, but this time, wanted them for fresh eggs.
About a year ago, he placed an ad on craigslist.com to sell a few chicks. The calls came pouring in, but not from farmers.
“The majority of people pulling in my driveway were soccer moms with minivans,” said Schneider. “I knew something was going on.”
It might be a chicken revolution. Oakhurst Community Garden director Stephanie Van Parys said that just two years ago, the Decatur garden couldn’t fill a single “Chicks in the City” class on raising backyard chickens, but now offers four a year with long wait lists.
So here's to Andy and his efforts in Atlanta. Is there a chicken whisperer near you?
1 comment:
Great blog! I found your site searching for organic egg delivery to my in-laws in Ann Arbor. However, I have chickens on my mind, because we are part of an urban chicken movement in Longmont, CO that has been dragging on since last June! We thought it would pass and then we didn't and now City Council has directed Planning to re-write the oridinance. The thing that has amazed me the most is all the chicken littles who run around screaming that if we approve city residents to have up to 6 hens (no roosters) they sky will indeed fall! And then their are others who say this is a waste of money in a bad economy. Excuse me? Raising my own food is a BAD IDEA when an oil crisis or any crisis could cut off our food supply. Any way -- thanks for providing the space to vent. And, if you know anyone in Longmont, CO -- please spread a kind word or two for the chicken ladies! Our blog is: http://www.longmont-urbanhens.blogspot.com/
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