Editor’s Note: The Chicks in the City symposium has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.
The Wylde Center and the Atlanta History Center team up for the first time to present the fifth annual “Chicks in the City” symposium.
The program is designed for people who own or wish to keep a backyard flock. From novice to expert and even for those who are just thinking about the benefits of adding fresh eggs to their diet, the symposium provides a mixture of classes, exhibitors and social functions.
Attendees will choose from a variety of interactive sessions led by local chicken experts, and will have the opportunity to see a flock of Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth Rock hens at the Smith Family Farm located on the center’s Buckhead campus.
The event is scheduled for March 26 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road.
The day includes a lunch break to enjoy an outdoor picnic or to purchase items from onsite food trucks, as well as a late afternoon reception and silent auction at the Smith Family Farm.
“As our experience organizing the Atlanta Urban Coop has taught us, more and more city-dwellers are discovering that it is possible, and enjoyable, to raise their own chickens,” said Stephanie Van Parys, executive director of the Wylde Center, a nonprofit that seeks to inspire environmental stewards and is named for the founder of the Oakhurst Community Garden in Decatur.
“The dual benefits of farm-fresh eggs and reclaiming ownership of the local food chain have inspired hundreds of people in and around Atlanta to give chicken raising a try. Plus, the chickens eat insects as well as some kitchen scraps, providing an environmental benefit, along with the fresh eggs.”
Tickets are $65 for the symposium ($50 for Wylde Center or history center members), or $30 to only attend the afternoon reception ($20 for Wylde Center or history center members), and may be purchased at wyldecenter.org.