News from The Chicken Whisperer

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
The Chicken Scratch
Issue #18
March 11, 2009

A MESSAGE FROM THE CHICKEN WHISPERER™:
Hello Chicken Buffs! I hope you’re enjoying this nice weather we are having. I have already seen an increase in egg production from my hens. I hope you have too! If you purchased some ISA Browns from me back in November you might start seeing some eggs! I’ve had several calls from customers that have already started getting some eggs at 17 weeks. Start checking the nesting boxes, and of course all of those little hiding places your hen will find to lay! I’m really eggcited to see how these ISA Browns are going to perform. So far, so good! I will be at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center this Friday, March 13th from 11:00am to 1:00pm for a Lunch & Learn about keeping backyard poultry. I will be at the Dunwoody Nature Center on Saturday, April 4th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm teaching a class about keeping backyard poultry, and I will also be teaching the “Chicks In The City” class at the Oakhurst Gardens on April 25th. There will be an Atlanta chicken coop tour right after this class! You can find more information about all of these classes below. I have temporarily suspended all chicken sales until Easter, and maybe even after. I had to eliminate something off my schedule to free up some time, and it was the most time consuming, least profitable portion of my business. This is not a permanent decision. I will resume chicken sales once things settle down a little bit.

BACKYARD POULTRY RADIO SHOW:
The Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer radio show is breaking records! The show this past Saturday, March 7th broke the record for the most number of listeners ever at the radio station! I could not be more proud! It just so happened that CNN was there filming the radio show for an upcoming special about the growing number of people in America keeping backyard poultry. Thank you so much for listening. We have had e-mails and phone calls from all across this great nation, and they just keep coming. We have three national sponsors, and eggspect many more in the weeks to come. I believe we will break our current record for the number of listeners on Saturday, March 21st when we welcome Dr. Tarah Hadley to the radio show. Dr. Tarah Hadley, DVM is one of about 120 certified avian veterinarians in all of North America, and she will be joining us the third Saturday of every month! Wow!

MARCH SPONSOR:
The sponsor for our March meetup meeting is www.CityCoops.net. Meetup member Greg Haney owns www.CityCoops.net, and designs custom chicken coops. Please visit his very informative website, and order your custom coop plans today! They will be providing the door prizes for our March meetup meeting! Door prizes will be $10.00, $20.00, and $30.00 gift cards to Tractor Supply! Wow! Thank you Greg Haney with www.CityCoops.net.

Redbone Consulting, LLC
c/o www.CityCoops.net
10945 State Bridge Road
Alpharetta, Georgia 30022
770-330-0334
greg@CityCoops.net
www.CityCoops.net

If you know a company that would be interested in sponsoring one of our monthly meetings, or the Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer Radio Show please let me know! We have listeners from all across this great nation!

MARCH MONTHLY MEETUP MEETING NORTH UPDATE:
The March Monthly Meetup Meeting North will be held on Monday, March 16th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. It will again be held at the Golden Corral in Alpharetta. The address, phone number, and directions are located on our meetup website. There is a pretty good chance that CNN will be attending and filming the meeting so we need to have a good crowd! Please remember to RSVP!

MARCH MONTHLY MEETUP MEETING SOUTH UPDATE:
The March Monthly Meetup Meeting South will be held at the Golden Corral in Jonesboro. The address, phone number, and directions are located on our meetup website. Andrew Wordes, our Assistant Organizer will be responsible for this meeting. Please remember to RSVP!

MARCH POULTRY SHOW UPDATE:
Here is some information about the Carpet City Bantam Poultry show this weekend…
Carpet City Bantam Club - Blue Show
North Georgia Fairgrounds
March 14th, 2009
Dalton, Georgia
Contact- Jeff Wilson
Phone 706-695-7092

EGGCITING NEWS:
If you have not noticed we are STILL the largest pet chicken meetup group in the country with 453 members. Congratulations!

CHICKENSTOCK 2009:
Chickenstock 2009 is still alive and well! I have however decided to keep it a statewide event for the first year because of limited resources, and volunteers. I’m working on this daily, and should have some updated information very soon. This will be our first pre-pay meetup event meaning you will pre-pay when you RSVP. All of this will be explained in detail when everything is finalized.

GWINNETT ENVIRONMENTAL & HERITAGE CENTER LUNCH & LEARN:
Friday, March 13, 11:00am-1:00pm
Food for Thought - Lunch & Learn Series
Join us for an insight into the food we eat. Discover the differences between frozen and canned items. Learn the benefits of organically grown produce. Learn about keeping backyard poultry. Visit the recycled art show hosted by the Junior Master Gardener (JMG) home school students currently meeting at GEHC. Enjoy a presentation at 12:00pm by Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Program who will present "Give Peas a Chance"! This performance is suitable for all ages.
Cost: FREE, GEHC Admission extra

OAKHURST COMMUNITY GARDEN CLASSES:
Chicks in the City: Keeping Backyard Poultry
Join the Chicken Whisperer for our popular chicken crash course. An intro to coop design, relevant ordinances, breed selection, care and feeding, and resources with a local keeper of an "urban flock."
Saturday, April 25, 12pm -2 p.m.
$25 Garden member, $30 non-member
You can register online at www.oakhurstgarden.org, call (678) 642-4977, or email director@oakhurstgarden.org. Thank you for your support!

DUNWOODY NATURE CENTER CLASSES:
Andy Schneider, the "Chicken Whisperer," is coming to the Dunwoody Nature Center! Learn how to care for and enjoy fresh eggs from chickens that are at home on your range.
Saturday, April 4; 1-3 pm
DNC members: $20; General Public: $25
Dunwoody Nature Center is located at:
5343 Roberts Drive
Dunwoody, GA 30338
Telephone: (770) 394-3322
Fax: (770) 394-8811
info@dunwoodynature.org

CITY OF ROSWELL UPDATE:
The article in last week’s Johns Creek Neighbor was a good one. Andrew’s court date is set for Thursday, March 19th so keep sending the e-mails, letters, and faxes! CNN is calling the City of Roswell to get permission to film inside the courtroom. Wow! Many of our members keep chickens under the radar, and this could be any one of us in this situation! Because this is an ongoing legal battle I can’t comment very much regarding this particular case, however we are making some good progress. We have met with the Mayor, City Officials, Criminal Defense Attorneys, and attended by invitation a Community Development meeting. Thank you so much to those of you who have sent letters, faxes, and e-mails to the city regarding the keeping of backyard pet chickens. Please keep sending them! This is not over! The more the better! I promise to keep all you all posted on the latest details as they become available. I will also let you know when it’s time to really get involved by showing up at City Hall if need be. This could be a huge WIN for backyard pet chicken owners all across the state!

THE END:
Well, I guess that’s about it, but I’m sure I will think of something I missed about the time I hit the send button! Please make sure to listen to “Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer™” this Saturday at 9:00am!

Until next time…
Thank you so much for being a member of the Atlanta Pet Chicken Meetup Group!

Chicken Whisperer™