Yard Birds

With a chick chick here and a chick chick there. Here a chick. There a chick. Everywhere a chick chick.

Suddenly, chick chicks have become the hottest new backyard accessory. Barbecues? Gazebos? Tennis courts? Pools? Forget about it! A hen house is really where it's at.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune has this to say on the subject:

Chickens are becoming popular with urban homesteaders because they fit neatly into the gardening cycle. They're natural composters.

"You feed chickens your food waste, they produce meat or eggs for you, and they also produce fertilizer for your garden. It's a great cycle," Estrade said. "That's one of the great things about having chickens."

Chickens always have been a part of the fabric of New Orleans during its long history, from the first French Quarter patios. They are nearly ubiquitous to this day; many residents see chickens roaming the area or hear a rooster crow regularly.

But the recent renaissance in backyard chickens is part of the national "locavore" movement, which is all about knowing where your food comes from. Poultry lovers in many cities have flocked to city halls to get ordinances changed to allow small numbers of hens to live in backyards. Thousands of enthusiasts post messages and videos on www.backyardchickens.com; subscriptions to Backyard Poultry magazine reportedly have more than tripled since he launched in 2006.

That's right. Backyard Poultry Magazine. Domino Magazine might not have been able to fly, but Backyard Poultry seems to be eggs-actly what the magazine reader is looking for these days.