RIVERTOWN CHICKENS: A Community Round Table Discussion about raising chickens in Rivertown Backyards
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| Dobbs Ferry chicken farmers |
Where: South Presbyterian Church, Dobbs Ferry
Registration Required: Program Free and Open to the Community
Program
- Introductions
- Show video by Susan Rubin and Nicola Coddington "Chicken Flick: Backyard Chickens for All"
- Discussion with Film Makers Susan Rubiin and Nicola Coddington
- Presentation and Discussion with Lenore Lelah and Eric Sweeting on raising backyard chickens
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| Susan Rubin with a backyard chicken |
Chicken Flick was created by Nikki Coddington, former mayor of Irvington, and Susan Rubin, a holistic nutritionist, to highlight the benefits of backyard chicken farming through the experiences of four Westchester County families. The two local environmentalists made this short film at the Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab on behalf of Transition Westchester, a grassroots initiative that seek to build community resilience.
“As people grow more concerned about the economy, the environment, food safety, emergency preparedness and animal welfare, they are returning to basic skills their grandparents knew well—vegetable gardening, canning food and raising chickens,” says Coddington. “Safe, healthy, local eggs are one of the main benefits to keep chickens,” adds Rubin.
Dr. Lisa Preston, a Dobbs Ferry osteopath, agrees. “Chickens are meant to eat bugs and larvae. When they eat a varied diet they produce eggs with the best ratio of omega 3:6 fatty acids and more micronutrients. Backyard chickens are good for the land, and their eggs are good for us.”
But while backyard chickens are legal in Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Hastings, they’re illegal in many parts of Westchester. “I live in Chappaqua, where we need 10 acres,” exclaims Rubin.
“One of the reasons Susan and I made the movie is because the laws regarding keeping chickens don't always make sense. In one community it’s okay and in another it’s against the law. In one town you need a few feet, in another you need acres,” says Coddington. “Chicken-Flick was created for use as an advocacy tool for those working to modify municipal zoning ordinances to allow backyard poultry.”
Many Dobbs Ferry commuters are used to seeing chickens roaming a backyard across the street from the train station. “We have three chickens now, Chipmunk, Poseidon and Athena,” says David Person. “When my daughter, Kalle, hatched chicks in first grade at Springhurst Elementary School, she really wanted to take some home. We did—and that was about four years and six chickens ago. We’ve lost two to raccoons and two turned out to be roosters—we’re actually wondering what gender Poseidon is at the moment.”
David Person and his wife, Lenore Lelah, are on the discussion panel for Rivertowns Chickens, along with Eric Sweeting, of Hastings, NY, who has eight hens.
“We've had a small backyard flock for almost 10 years now,” says Sweeting. “It began as a project for my son Kevin and I to work on together. We started with 12 chicks but 6-8 hens is really the right number for our size coop. At one point we were getting a couple dozen eggs a week to pass on to friends and neighbors. My son is grown now and I've become the chicken caretaker so I've scaled back on the flock—but I can't imagine not having them. They're low maintenance and the eggs are fantastic.”
Nikki Coddington, of Irvington, NY, is a writer, consultant and community educator. A former trustee and mayor of Irvington, she currently serves on a number of local and regional committees, including Irvington’s Green Policy Task Force, which she chairs. Previous professional positions included two years as Executive Director of the nonprofit New York Interfaith Power & Light and five years as Energy Conservation Coordinator for the Town of Greenburgh. She has served on Governor Paterson’s Renewable Energy Task Force, the Westchester County Global Warming Task Force, and an advisory working group for the Green Jobs/Green NY program. She is currently writing about how to accelerate positive social and behavioral change.
Susan Rubin, DMD, HHC, of Chappaqua, NY, is a holistic nutritionist, environmental educator and leader in the world of school food activism as well as a mother of three. She is the founder of Better School Food, a coalition of health professionals, educators, and concerned parents whose mission is to raise awareness about the connection between better food and better health. She co-starred in Two Angry Moms, a documentary film about school food. Before she switched to integrative nutrition, Rubin was a dentist in private practice for 14 years. She is a Master composter/ recycler and is one of the Worm Women of Westchester, teaching worm composting techniques to schools and other groups.
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