'Chickenomics'

Saturday June 6, 2009
10:00 Overview of CSC and community of Stelle
11:15 Tour of community (Solar & wind applications, gardens, etc)
12:15 Lunch (Includes vegetarian option)
 1:30 Seminar - 'Chickenomics'

Afternoon ‘CHICKENOMICS’ WORKSHOP 1:30-4:30pm

- The Basics of Chicken Husbandry -
How to start and manage a chicken flock.

If you are thinking about getting a few chickens or starting a poultry business this is the workshop for you! There was a time not long ago when almost every rural and some town households kept at least a few chickens. Besides the delicious and healthy eggs and meat they provide, chickens eat table scraps and many harmful insects, their waste makes wonderful fertilizer and they are really fun to have around. Chickens are one of the easiest animals to keep even if you only have a small piece of property.

 

This workshop will describe three models of chicken raising:

The Silkie, an unusually tame breed that originated in China, is just one of many unique breeds. (click to enlarge)

Topics include:

• Choosing breeds
• Sources for chicks and chickens
• Requirements: housing, fencing, feed, water, etc.
• Costs
• Seasonal activities and needs
• Predators
• Diseases
• Hatching your own
• and more...

 

The workshop includes a tour of the Stelle Chicken Cooperative facilities, during which Ed Homier and Bill Land will describe the workings of a cooperative chicken raising venture.

The workshop will conclude with a tour of Mint Creek Farm's chicken raising operation which showcases a mobile chicken house. Harry Carr with describe the steps for converting to an organic chicken operation.

Our Presenters:

Bio: Ed Homeier

 

Ed Homeier

Ed has been an active member of the Stelle Chicken Co-operative since it was founded in 2006 and has been co-manager of the operation for the last two years.  He has participated in raising flocks of meat birds and laying hens.  Before moving to Stelle in 2006, Ed served in Chicago as a community organizer (3 years), Associate Research Scientist (27 years), Associate Professor of Chemistry (7 years) and High School Chemistry teacher (3 years).  He holds a Bachelors degree in education and a PhD in Chemistry. Ed is an active member of the CSC and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

 

Bio: Mark Hoffman

Mark Hoffman

Mark grew up on a wheat and cattle farm in central Kansas, and his farmboy roots provide the foundation for a number of agricultural pursuits include beekeeping, raising poultry, and operating the permaculture oriented gardens at the Greenhouse Bed and Breakfast he and his wife Guia operate two miles from Stelle. He has raised poutry since age 8, experimenting with many breeds and fowl species over the decades. lMark is one of the founding members of the Center for Sustainable Community, having been engaged in the Stelle Community for over 25 years. Professionally, He works as a technical writer, trainer, and engineer, and serves as the webmaster for the CSC website.

 

Bio: Harry Carr

Harry Carr

Harry Carr moved to Stelle from New Jersey at age 20, and over the past 30 years has applied his entreprenurial spirit and unlimited energy to a variety of businesses and projects. He and his wife Gwen own and manage About Frames, a Stelle based picture frame making business that employs 25 individuals in and around Stelle. Almost two decades ago Harry and his wife Gwen bought a 40 acre conventional corn and soybean farm and converted it into a certified organic grass and legume based farm now known as Mint Creek Farms. Early in that venture a friend gave Harry a few sheep - and now those sheep have multiplied into a flock of 400 plus. In 2003 the Carrs bought the farmland adjacent ot the Stelle community and subsequently turned it into a lush meadow. Harry, a member of the CSC board of directors, is currently expanding his farming operation to include many species of fowl, including a large flock of chickens.

 

Bio: Bill Land

Bill Land

Bill Land Bil is currently the Land Education Director for the CSC. He is also a Co- Manager of the CSC Chicken Co-op. Bill has owned poultry for egg production for 17 years as a homesteader, which included the teaching of a popular self sufficiency class called "Visiting Planet Earth". As a homesteader he and his family planted an edible landscape as part of living a more self sufficient lifestyle. As a consultant in site design, permaculture and Chinese Feng Shui Bill’s interest has evolved into enhancing the natural energy of the land.

 

 

 

Cost is $40 - includes handouts, a hatchery catalog, and tour of two chicken operations

Location: Stelle’s Orchard and Mint Creek Farm
(Workshop will start at the CSC office.)

If you are planning to attend, please register online, send us an email,
or call Julie at 708-828-4325.
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Click here for directions to Stelle and the CSC office.