Raising Backyard Chickens

While real estate advertising for Friendly Acres of the 1930s and 40s pitched the opportunity of raising chickens in your new plot of land - chook farming seems to have been something that has ebbed in and out of fashion - but nonetheless continued to appeal to successive generations.

I didn't realize how much of a marketing factor raising chickens was to the purchase of buying a home in Friendly Acres back in the day, until I came across some old real estate ads for the district.  It really was part of the sales pitch for the middle to working classes.  The depression of the 30s had made self-sufficiency a buzz word.  And in the 40s it was very much part of the War Dept.'s  homefront strategy of thriftiness tied in with the Victory Gardens program.

March 28, 1938.  Burlingame Times and Daily News.

In a previous post I had mentioned seeing chickens and roosters in a couple of front yards here in Friendly Acres.  Apparently Redwood City's zoning ordinance allows for a maximum of 4 chickens in backyards (note the word "back", not "front" - presumably so they'll be safer) - and roosters over 4 months of age are outlawed, - noise abatement, and cock-fighting issues I suspect.

June 19, 1943 - San Mateo Times

The most recent Redwood City Parks and Recreation for Winter 2011 advertizes a class on raising chickens.   More info on registration is available at the city's Parks and Rec website.