Welcome!
Welcome to Yardbirds Backyard Chickens! We can help you with nearly anything and everything backyard-chicken-related. Need a coop and/or chickens? We can do that. Need a chicken sitter or coop design consultation? We can do that. Need to rehome an unexpected rooster? Yep, we do that too.
YBC was founded in early summer 2012 by Khrysti Smyth, known as The Chickeness of Somerville. With a lifetime of animal husbandry experience to build on, Her Esteemed Chickeness started thinking about keeping her own backyard birds in the fall of 2008, and quickly soaked up everything she could find out about her new hobby, doing hours upon hours of research on coop design, breeds, and everything related to their care. She got her first batch of chicks in May of 2009, and continued to become more and more involved, eventually entering a number of poultry shows with a few of her birds, meanwhile getting to know the people involved in the broader regional community of backyard chicken hobbyists. During this time, she began teaching classes and seminars and offering kids' programs back in the Boston area, and in late spring of 2012 realized that her knowledge and expertise were in high demand, and her placement within the broader regional community offered her a unique opportunity to connect local breeders and hobbyists with a vast population of urban chicken keepers-to-be. And thus, Yardbirds Backyard Chickens was... ahem... hatched.
Since then, Khrysti and YBC have become more involved in both the political and community aspects of urban agriculture, including becoming an integral part of the creation of Somerville's new urban agriculture-focused zoning ordinance - the first of its kind in Massachusetts - and is currently working with the City of Boston to create their own version, entitled Article 89. Additionally, she is incubating a plan to establish a strong backyard chicken-keeping community in the Boston area, with classes and backyard chicken meetup events at the newly-opened Relish: Center for Urban Agriculture in Union Square (Somerville). Please see below for more information on these lovely little eggs!
More details, info, and updates can be found on The Blog of the Chickeness.
YBC was founded in early summer 2012 by Khrysti Smyth, known as The Chickeness of Somerville. With a lifetime of animal husbandry experience to build on, Her Esteemed Chickeness started thinking about keeping her own backyard birds in the fall of 2008, and quickly soaked up everything she could find out about her new hobby, doing hours upon hours of research on coop design, breeds, and everything related to their care. She got her first batch of chicks in May of 2009, and continued to become more and more involved, eventually entering a number of poultry shows with a few of her birds, meanwhile getting to know the people involved in the broader regional community of backyard chicken hobbyists. During this time, she began teaching classes and seminars and offering kids' programs back in the Boston area, and in late spring of 2012 realized that her knowledge and expertise were in high demand, and her placement within the broader regional community offered her a unique opportunity to connect local breeders and hobbyists with a vast population of urban chicken keepers-to-be. And thus, Yardbirds Backyard Chickens was... ahem... hatched.
Since then, Khrysti and YBC have become more involved in both the political and community aspects of urban agriculture, including becoming an integral part of the creation of Somerville's new urban agriculture-focused zoning ordinance - the first of its kind in Massachusetts - and is currently working with the City of Boston to create their own version, entitled Article 89. Additionally, she is incubating a plan to establish a strong backyard chicken-keeping community in the Boston area, with classes and backyard chicken meetup events at the newly-opened Relish: Center for Urban Agriculture in Union Square (Somerville). Please see below for more information on these lovely little eggs!
More details, info, and updates can be found on The Blog of the Chickeness.
The Chickeness, Khrysti Smyth, with "Lucifer", one of her Chicken Ambassadors.
Upcoming events and appearances
- Help chickens become legal in the City of Boston! Throughout June and July, the Boston Redevelopment Authority hosted neighborhood meetings in each neighborhood in Boston to present and discuss their newly-proposed urban agriculture zoning ordinance, entitled "Article 89". You can go here for more info on the new Article 89. The next step is the final public hearing in front of the BRA board, happening Thursday November 14th at 5:30pm at Boston City Hall, 9th Floor, Room 900. Please come join me in voicing your support for urban agriculture, especially if you are a resident of Boston! (This is a new hearing date as of 10/1/2013.)
- Oct 1st (Tues), 7-9pm, Yardbirds' monthly backyard chicken meetup at Relish. This month's featured (and seasonally-appropriate) topic: "What's your endgame? Discussing the realities and options for when your hens get older." The presentation will begin around 7:30pm and will be more of a guided discussion than a lecture. These events are BYOB (or food!), so feel free to bring libations! It's also the 2-year birthday of two of my main chicken ambassadors, Lucifer and Gabrielle! Lucifer is featured in my promo picture (above) and more than a few news articles, and Gabrielle has been seen in the City of Somerville's ABC's of Urban Agriculture info booklet!
- Nov 5th (Tues), 7-9pm, Yardbirds' monthly backyard chicken meetup at Relish. Featured topic and presenter TBD.
- Dec 3rd (Tues), 7-pm, Yardbirds' monthly backyard chicken meetup at Relish. Featured topic and presenter TBD.
You say you don't live in Boston? The Chickeness may be coming soon to a town near you! If you would like to schedule a seminar or on-site consultation, please contact me and we'll make it happen. With enough heads-up, I might even be able to get a full coop setup and/or locally-raised birds for you! (Local to you... I'm not planning to bring chickens on the plane. Though I could probably make a gloriously terrible movie about it.)
The Chickeness in the news!
THE LIST... thus far.
June 2013 - Featured in the June issue of Edible Boston
May 2013 - The City of Somerville has released its "C is for Chicken: Chicken Keeping in Somerville, MA" video, which features my flock and a clip from a presentation I gave at City Hall last fall. Watching this video will be required as part of the permitting process for having chickens in Somerville!
February 2013 - Mentioned in an episode of Greater Somerville about Somerville's Urban Agriculture Initiative and quoted in The Somerville Patch
November 2012 - Somervillebeat.com and the City of Somerville's Urban Ag blog
October 2012 - boston.com
August 2012 - Seedstock.com
May 2012 - The Somerville Patch and the City of Somerville's Urban Ag Blog
Feb 2012 - Dig Boston
November 2011 - Animal Planet's "Pets 101" (video clip coming soon!)
July 2011 - WBUR, Boston's NPR radio station (and mentioned in a related article)
Here's a Chickeness blog post with a bit more detail.
And an Honorable Mention, of sorts... Hatched here at my home coop, The Menagerie, former resident "Little Blue" made the back cover of a new book by famed photographer Tamara Staples! In the grid "outtakes" picture of the book cover, he's in the top row, 2nd from the right. Yay! :D
June 2013 - Featured in the June issue of Edible Boston
May 2013 - The City of Somerville has released its "C is for Chicken: Chicken Keeping in Somerville, MA" video, which features my flock and a clip from a presentation I gave at City Hall last fall. Watching this video will be required as part of the permitting process for having chickens in Somerville!
February 2013 - Mentioned in an episode of Greater Somerville about Somerville's Urban Agriculture Initiative and quoted in The Somerville Patch
November 2012 - Somervillebeat.com and the City of Somerville's Urban Ag blog
October 2012 - boston.com
August 2012 - Seedstock.com
May 2012 - The Somerville Patch and the City of Somerville's Urban Ag Blog
Feb 2012 - Dig Boston
November 2011 - Animal Planet's "Pets 101" (video clip coming soon!)
July 2011 - WBUR, Boston's NPR radio station (and mentioned in a related article)
Here's a Chickeness blog post with a bit more detail.
And an Honorable Mention, of sorts... Hatched here at my home coop, The Menagerie, former resident "Little Blue" made the back cover of a new book by famed photographer Tamara Staples! In the grid "outtakes" picture of the book cover, he's in the top row, 2nd from the right. Yay! :D
The Chickeness about town.
(In my best TV announcer voice) Previously, on "The Chickeness"...
- Sept 2013
-- Sept 3rd (Tues), 7-9pm, Yardbirds' monthly backyard chicken meetup at Relish. Featured topic: "What substrate should I use in my run?". - Aug 2013
-- Aug 6th (Tues), 7-9pm, Yardbirds' inaugural monthly backyard chicken meetup at Relish! These events will occur on the first Tuesday of each month, and will have a featured presentation and discussion from 7-8pm (generally $5-10 to attend the presentation), then socializing from 8-10pm (free and BYOB!). This month I and MaryCat (of Relish) will be presenting our vision and goals for this meetup group and community, and soliciting input and involvement from the community to make it all happen. Our kickoff event also happens to be on The Chickeness' birthday, so come on out and celebrate with us! Relish is located on Sanborn Ct in Union Square, Somerville, behind The Independent. - June 2013
-- YBC's home coop was a featured stop on the Somerville Garden Club's annual Garden Tour! We had a potluck lunch/grilling and music happening in our backyard from 11am-4pm.
-- YBC's very own Chickeness was part of an urban ag panel focusing on laws and regulations at Relish, Somerville's new Urban Ag Center in Union Square
-- Roxbury and the Beacon Hill/Chinatown/Downtown/North End/West End/Charlestown neighborhoods had their neighborhood meeting about Boston's urban agriculture rezoning process - please go here for more info on the new Article 89, and here for a pdf flier about the neighborhood meetings happening all over the City of Boston (the flier is also linked at the bottom of the BRA website on Article 89). Please come out and voice your support for urban agriculture, especially chickens!
-- Yardbirds' June "Backyard Chickens 101" class at Relish, Somerville's new Urban Ag Center in Union Square (behind The Independent). The class is $15 - for more info on the June class go here, and check the Relish webpage for upcoming events.
- April 2013
-- YBC table at the Get Growing! festival at the Cambridge Winter Farmers Market, held at the Cambridge Community Center at 5 Callender St (off Western Ave). Open to the public, 10am-2pm.
-- YBC presentation for Somerville's Urban Ag Ambassadors program.
-- YBC kids! program for a class of 1st graders at The Brown School in Somerville, MA.
- March 2013
-- YBC table at the Somerville Winter Farmers' Market from about 10:30am-2pm. Open to the public. Location is the Armory at 191 Highland Ave. More event info on the Somerville Urban Ag blog. - October 2012
-- Presentation for the Somerville Garden Club. 7-9pm at the Tufts Administration Building (TAB), 167 Holland Street, 2nd floor. Free and open to the public.
-- DIY demo at the Boston Local Food Festival on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Event runs from 11am-5pm, I'm on from 11:15am-12pm on the DIY Program Stage (1). Free and open to the public, so come on down!
-- Somerville Community Growing Center's Annual Harvest Festival. Event is from 1-4pm at the Center's location on Vinyl Ave just off of Summer Ave (just behind the grassy park on the corner). I'll be there for an hour or two starting at 1pm, and there will be demonstrations and music and general harvest-y mayhem. - May 2012
-- Wake Up the Earth Festival near Stonybrook in Jamaica Plain, MA
-- Harvard Square MayFair Festival in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
