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The Language (and the Law) of Chickens: “If they crow, they gotta go,”

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Apparently most of us city people don’t know that a cockerel is a rooster (i.e. a male chicken).

In the 4/14/08 Oregonian story, “It’s a hard life for boy chicks,” by Kate Taylor, we learn almost more than we want to know about chickens and the people who love (and hate) them:

(And even more people don’t know that “boychick” is a Yiddish term of endearment for a young boy 🙂

It’s only the luckiest of cockerels that make it to families’ homes and yards, but then they often face city bans or angry neighbors.

When it comes to many Oregon cities, it’s “If they crow, they gotta go,” said David Lytle, spokesman for the Oregon Humane Society. Portland, Corvallis, Eugene and Salem allow families to keep a few hens, but they all ban roosters, as do many homeowner associations.” (Full story)

The article includes a link to The City Chicken.

It’s a nice follow-up to the 4/8/08 Oregonian stories about an egg co-op, Eastside Egg Co-op at Portland’s Zenger Farm and Leslie Cole’s story, “Eggs, fresh from the city: Urban dwellers take the hens-in-the-yard idea up a notch with a co-op — and a coop.

My earlier posts about chickens, here and here .

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