Chickens 101 Workshop at Weedon Island Preserve

Interested in raising chickens in your backyard? Pinellas County Extension will provide expert information on raising and caring for backyard chickens. The workshop is scheduled for Saturday, April 20, from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Weedon Island Preserve Education Center in St. Petersburg. The cost is $10 per family.

The workshop will address the fundamentals of raising chickens in Pinellas County. Dr. Robert Kluson, extension agent with Agriculture and Natural Resources at Sarasota County Extension, and other experts will discuss local regulations, housing, health issues and nutrition of backyard chickens.

In December 2011, Pinellas County passed the ordinance to allow four chickens per resident in unincorporated areas. The ordinance requires that chickens be housed in a secured coop with three square feet of floor space per bird and that the area must be covered by a roof and enclosed with a minimum of two sides for protection from prevailing rain and wind. The coops must be in a backyard and not visible from adjoining properties or streets.

To register for the Chickens 101 workshop, visit http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5546918984# or call Weedon Island Preserve at (727) 453-6500. Advance registration is required as seating is limited.

Weedon Island Preserve protects more than 3,700 acres of natural ecosystems and is located at 1800 Weedon Drive NE in St. Petersburg. The preserve is operated under the Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources Department and is open to the public seven days a week, including holidays, from 7 a.m. to 15 minutes before sunset. Its many outdoor activities include walking trails, a fishing pier and a canoe/kayak launch.

Pinellas County Extension offers classes, programs and activities at the Cultural and Natural History Center. The center features the permanent exhibit, Connecting People and Place, an art-inspired, hands-on educational exhibit which reveals the area’s history, ecology and people. The center is open Thursday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is closed all Pinellas County holidays.

To learn more about Weedon Island Preserve and its upcoming programs and events, call (727) 453-6500. To register for programs and events, visit www.weedonislandpreserve.org. Videos featuring Weedon Island Preserve can be viewed at www.youtube.com/pcctv1.

Pinellas County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are a person with a disability who needs any accommodation in order to participate in an event or class, you are entitled, at no cost to you, to the provision of certain assistance. At least seven days prior to the event or class, please contact the Office of Human Rights, 400 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Suite 500, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 464-4062 (Voice/TDD).

For more information about Pinellas County services and programs, visit www.pinellascounty.org, now with LiveChat, or create a shortcut to www.pinellascounty.org/mobile on any smartphone. Pinellas County government is on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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