When I was a kid I went through all sorts of "When I grow up" dreams. There was a long period where being a horse jockey seemed like heaven (after the Eight Belles incident I'm glad that didn't work out), the cursory veterinarian period (until I learned about worming and med school), being an artist (this was much more than a dream, more like an ingrained detail), living on an island. . . which turned into having an island that was a small village like minded people (those were my Utopian teenage years) that farmed and lived happily together rebelling against popular belief.
Those dreams went away for a long long time, but are back in an evolved form.
Do I have Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver, Linda Cockburn and her family to thank? My first awakening came from Peter Singer's Animal Liberation, a book originally published in 1975 that has been updated and reissued periodically to reflect changes in technology and farming practices. "Rebellion" itself is now inherent in small scale gardening and farming, 2 practices that I find integral to each other. I'm not a meat eater, but I wouldn't hesitate to snack on a freshly laid, unfertilized egg, it offers a flavor like no other.
Plus, they eat bugs (pest control, woo hoo!), produce manure, and can be quite social animals.
And chickens, that's a dream I can really wrap my little hippie head around, even now. Every time I think of my long term, greater-sustainability dream, chickens seem most feasible. Through my Mr., Charlie, I met Troy and Alisha, parents of Mr. Joy. They gave us fresh eggs to eat, and since then factory farm eggs have been the equivalent of a supermarket tomato. They're completely different beasts. Truly cultivated farm products (produce, milk, eggs, etc.) are rich in color and taste, not to mention nutrients. Between the Tomlinsons gals and gentleman (image right, via Mr. Joy.Net) and my brother's ever-growing chicken family (now at 8!), I'm constantly in awe of the civilized nature of chickens. Apparently I'm not the 
only one; check out this article in the New York Times.
Rules vary from town to town here in the US, check your town website for animal control ordinances. In Matthews, NC
one must first apply for permit, then be accepted. The coop must be 25
feet away from property lines, and each bird mush have a minimum of 4
feet floor space. There are, of course, other rules about cleanliness
and upkeep. I'm thinking these rules do not apply to any of the
industrial farms in the area.
It is currently illegal to keep chickens within the city of Toronto, but there is an active movement and petition to have that rule changed.
Even if you have a small space, there's tons of info on small scale coops:
The City Chicken Gallery is amazing!
The early iMac twin of lesser fame: The Eglu.
Perhaps you consider yourself a Renaissance (Wo)man? Then a Chicken Moat might be more your style.
Other keepers of the coop:
The City Chicken
Sunset Magazine's One Block Diet Blogger
The Urban Homestead
The Urban Chicken Underground
Getting Started, some helpful resources:
According to the University of Illinois, there are over 175 varieties of chickens!
If you really want to geek out on these fine feathered friends, the Ithaca College Chicken Chart has all sorts of info you never knew you needed to know.
Heritage breeds are the livestock equivalent of an heirloom plant. They have historical significance, and are often times hard to find, due to breeding out certain traits for commercial farming means. Learn from the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy about the importance of protecting the biodiversity of these breeds of chickens.
This Poultry Mini-Manual from Mother Earth News just might be my new birdie bible.
Image above from Mad City Chickens, a group dedicated to raising awareness about raising chickens in Madison, Wisconsin.
How about you? Do you want your own farm fresh eggs, or do you think keeping chickens is just plain fowl?
Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish
thumb wants her to believe otherwise. When mud pies aren't on the
menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.
