Resident seeks backyard chicken ordinance

To the Editor,I am writing to ask you (Tecumseh City Council) to go ahead and approve the backyard chicken ordinance as soon as possible, rather than making it go to the ballot in November.You see, I’m a home-schooling mom with grade-school-age kids, and I always want them to learn hands-on as much as possible. Having a few backyard hens would give us dozens, if not hundreds, of lessons. Here are just a few.Science class is obvious, but it’s a biggie. Kids can watch, up close and personal, as a baby chick grows into an adult hen, and then lays some healthy organic eggs for the table. This opens up conversations about responsibility, healthy food, and composting, to name just a few.Math? I plan to have the kids figure out how much a dozen eggs cost to produce. Then they can compare that amount with what eggs are sold for in local farmers markets.And last but not least, civics. My kids have already had the opportunity of watching a small group of committed people rally an entire community in favor of letting people have all those learning experiences with their families. My kids are excited and ready to get started.All it takes is for council to do the right thing and approve that ordinance.Because, if you do it right away, we can still get our flock as baby chicks (spring is baby chicks season, FYI). And my kids can watch firsthand as a baby chick grows into an adult hen, and then lays some healthy organic eggs for the table.Or, they could just read their lessons from a dusty textbook. You get to decide.Alycia SpreemanTecumseh