KEEPING CITY DUCKS and CHICKENS

Date: 06/30/2013
Time: 11:00am - 12:30pm
Cost: $20

Interested in starting a backyard flock, but don’t know what poultry might be quite right for you–quackers or cluckers?  Portland allows for ducks as well as chickens and while many of their husbandry needs overlap, they still have distinctive pros and cons, though both are equally charismatic.

This class will cover what it takes to keep both types of birds healthy and happy and cover the benefits/challenges of ducks vs. chickens.  Live representatives of both species will be present!

Michelle Koeppe is a farmer and horticulturist, who is the owner/operator of Phasian Farms, a heritage poultry and vegetable farm located on Chehalem Mountain.  With a background working as a zookeeper, park ranger, and veterinary assistant she brings a unique perspective to farming, maintaining a balance with nature and focusing on holistic methods.  Though Michelle maintained a chicken flock while living in New Zealand a decade ago, her true chicken zeal started when she worked with Pistils Nursery in Portland– the first business to sell chickens within the city limits.  She has raised over 75 breeds of poultry.  Now active with the Pacific Northwest Poultry Association, she is working on her certification to become an American Poultry Association poultry judge.