Park Street Cultural Tour

Chicken Underground

The Chicken Underground is a group of people who raise chickens in coops in their backyards.
–Martha

It all started for the Robinsons when they found that some of their friends had chickens! Cheryl and John thought the idea interesting and decided to get some.
–Izzy

One year John built a cozy-looking coop for the hens (John is giving classes on how to build chicken coops). It can fit up to five adult chickens. It does look cozy, if you’re a chicken.
–Chiara

The coop is about four feet wide and four feet long. There are two levels. On the bottom level there is straw on the ground, and branches for perches. On the second level is a nest house, a lot more straw on the ground then on the first level. In the back on the right hand side of the coop, there are two, white eggs
–Sara

People used to not be allowed to have a coop, but they could have chickens, and if the neighbors complained, then you had to get rid of the chickens.

So, many of the people who owned chickens and formed a group. “I don’t know who came up with the name, the Chicken Underground, but we all liked it, and that’s what we became,” said John. They wanted to change some chicken laws.
–Leora

Now chicken underground isn’t underground anymore. It’s above ground because they won the trials. Now they can have up to four chickens in a coop outside without getting in trouble with the law.
–Nico

Now it’s legal to have four chickens in a coop but you can’t slaughter the chickens. Cheryl and John have chickens that lay an egg each day. They thought it would be good for their kids to know that you don’t just go buy food at the grocery store, but that you get it from nature.
–Izzy

After lunch we held the chicks. I held one that was reddish-brown, black, and white. It had a light yellow beak. Some of the chicks have names. Rosemary got Captain Black Beak. I held the smallest of them, which I thought of as "Cherry" because of the red.
–Leora

[The chicks] were so tiny and soft and most of them fell asleep in your hand. Now a lot of us want chickens.
–Izzy

The chicks are soft and warm. Their down is fluffy and satiny. They try hard to peck you, but you don’t feel a thing.
–Sara

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