'Mad City Chickens' - Chicks in the City

by Emily Farris, Posted Jun 26th 2009 @ 4:00PM

On Monday night, 75 people piled into a Kansas City, Mo., church to catch a free screening of "Mad City Chickens," a documentary from Tarazod Films that chronicles the resurgence of the urban chicken.

Unfortunately, like many U.S. cities, Kansas City makes it nearly impossible to have even just a few hens in the backyard. Chickens are only considered legal residents if their coop is 100 feet from the nearest home or business; they're certainly not allowed to roam. But the more people focus on eating locally, the more chickens pop up in backyards all over the United States (and Kansas City for that matter), legal or not.

Up until a few years ago, Madison, Wis., ("Mad City") banned urban chickens, forcing more than a few rogue backyard farmers -- known then as "the Chicken Underground" -- to get the law changed ... if they wanted to keep their chickens, that is. Now Madison is a veritable backyard chicken oasis, and serves as the backdrop for "Mad City Chickens."

Read about Big Tiny the rooster and Consuela the hen after the jump.

While its narration and staged outtakes can at times be distracting, if not slightly annoying, the film is full of vignettes that are both hilarious (Big Tiny, the rooster who died from too much sex) and inspirational (Consuela, the factory chicken who was left for dead in a dump and now lays eggs daily in a Madison backyard). The movie even pretty clearly spells out the ABCs of first-time chicken farming without being pedantic about it.

But buyer beware: If you even think you want a backyard hen or two now, you most definitely will after seeing "Mad City Chickens." If you think you can handle that, check Tarazod's blog for screenings in your area or buy the DVD.

Filed Under: Farming, Trends, Food Politics, Ingredients
Tags: backyard chickens, eggs, emily farris, EmilyFarris, mad city chickens, MadCityChickens, madison, midwest cities, urban chickens