Cooped up during Covid, they hatched plans for chickens
Plus: The top news of the week: CMS rolls out another new schedule — Med school location officially revealed — Robinhood is coming
Sign up today to have The Charlotte Ledger delivered straight to your inbox. We have free and paid subscription plans. Find out more.
Today’s Ledger is sponsored by NATIVE COLLECTIVE, your N.C. resident experts at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. Thinking about selling your home? Contact your local real estate professionals with a global marketing reach for your private consultation. Phone: 704.665.0527. Email: native3co@premiersir.com
Charlotte families reap fresh egg bonanzas after flocking to chicken suppliers a year ago; coop permits soar 70%
The Mangum family in Charlotte’s Mountainbrook neighborhood in south Charlotte got chickens a year ago, right as the pandemic hit. Seen here are Maggie Mangum, age 12, with Nala; and Robert Mangum, age 11, with Anna. (Photos by Amy George)
By Amy George
Early in the Covid-19 pandemic, when her work was shut down, Beth Lipari’s maternal defenses were also lagging. Her daughter Hanna, now 14, must have sensed it, as she swooped in with a … different kind of ask: Can we get ducks?
“Honestly, I think she saw something on TikTok,” Lipari said.
So while many folks were baking bread and hoarding toilet paper, Lipari researched ducks. The verdict: No way. For various reasons, ducks aren’t all they’re quacked up to be, household-wise.
But she did agree to birds of a different feather. And that’s how the Liparis, late in spring 2020, got six baby chicks advertised as “docile, friendly chickens.” They ordered them from a drive-thru in Wake Forest, N.C., making their selections from a white board.
Five of those chicks are now full-grown, egg-producing hens: Bubbles, Hot Lips, Foxy, Roxy and Millie. The other one, Shirley, turned out to be a rooster. Renamed Sherman, he was rehomed before he could get too big and too loud.
“I never thought I would even consider keeping chickens until I had 10 weeks with nothing to do,” said Lipari, a hair stylist who lives with her husband and two daughters off Carmel Road in south Charlotte.
It also helped that Lipari’s research found that other people probably would have taken the birds off her hands if it didn’t work out for her family. Lots of folks in and around Charlotte are raising backyard chickens these days, especially since they’ve had time to learn how to do it. Facebook groups where chicken keepers gather to share tips and find homes for roosters and hens have gotten larger.
“Last May or June, there was a big uptick in brand new chicken keepers. I saw it across all of my various chicken groups on Facebook,” said Monica Raab, who lives in Matthews, is an administrator for the Charlotte Chickens group on Facebook and started raising chickens a year before the pandemic.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Animal Care and Control last year issued 118 chicken-keeping permits, up from 70 in 2019; that’s almost a 70% increase. Of course, it’s possible the number of chicken-keepers is even larger with some who are peckish for chickens keeping illicit, non-permitted coops.
Animal Care and Control is responsible for approving permits within Charlotte, Mint Hill and Pineville, as well as unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County. It requires chicken keepers to file for an annual permit, and there’s an inspection before the initial permit is approved.
To obtain a permit, residents must meet criteria related to shelter, care and the nuisance factor of their chickens. Fowl conditions and behavior will not be permitted.
But the rules around keeping chickens are surprisingly less than clear. For example, many seem to think that roosters aren’t allowed, which isn’t exactly true. While not technically outlawed in Charlotte, roosters are better bets for nuisance complaints, which doesn’t exactly win favor with neighbors. Some also think flocks must be kept to a certain number, but that also appears up for debate.
Animal Care and Control is prohibited from enforcing many requirements still listed in the city ordinance: The state legislature in 2015 passed legislation that limits the aspects of livestock maintenance that local governments can regulate. Other towns, individual neighborhoods and homeowner’s associations also have their own ordinances and rules.
While making sure the chickens stay quiet certainly helps, another key to keeping peace in the neighborhood might be sharing the wealth of eggs with neighbors.
That’s an eggsellent idea, said another chicken-raising family. The Mangums moved to the Mountainbrook neighborhood in Charlotte in 2018 after spending a few years in Australia. Farm-to-table isn’t a trend there, mother Beth Mangum said, but a way of life.
The Mangums had been used to buying fresh meat, eggs and produce at individual markets and farmers markets while down under. So Beth and her husband, Bobby, promised Maggie, 12, and Robert, 11, that the family could get chickens once they were settled back in the states. That turned out to be March 2020, just as the pandemic took hold in the U.S.
“When the pandemic hit, it was the perfect time. We were home,” said Beth Mangum, head of client journey transformation at Truist. “We could get used to them and figure out the routine.”
Both the Mangums and the Liparis said there’s not really a downside to keeping chickens but acknowledged it’s not for everyone. There’s a lot of poop and a lot of responsibility in terms of keeping chickens safe from predators.
It’s not expensive. Chicken feed is cheap — and so are the chicks. Beth Lipari made daughters Hanna and Reese, 12, pay for their chicks — $3 to $5 apiece — with their own money. And chicken coops don’t have to be pricey, though Lipari said she went a little cuckoo with hers. She estimates she spent $1,200 in materials for the henhouse, which matches her home’s modern design.
Beth Lipari with Millie, one of the family’s 5 hens. (Photo by Amy George)
Fast forward one year.
The Mangums have four hens: Nala, Merida, Anna and Mulan. Mangum once did a work conference call from inside the chicken coop — just to alleviate some pandemic boredom and Zoom fatigue.
They enjoy eating and sharing with neighbors an abundance of fresh eggs and having friends and neighbors visit their chickens. Mangum also appreciates the sense of responsibility and pride having hens has instilled in her children, who help clean the hen house, secure the hens at night and collect eggs in the morning.
“I love the fresh eggs. I love that the kids have a sense of ownership and get excited to eat the eggs, cook the eggs and share the eggs,” she said.
And while Beth Lipari said she never imagined having chickens, it has more than worked out and has been no flight of fancy. Her husband, Billy Lipari, who with his stepdad built the hen house she found on Pinterest, told her he’s never seen her happier.
“I’m into it. I love these chickens,” Lipari said. “I’ve made jokes about getting a goat next.”
Amy George is a freelance writer and the owner of By George Communications, a public relations agency celebrating five years of serving clients in the Carolinas and beyond.
Today’s supporting sponsors are Sinclair Public Affairs …
… and Soni Brendle:
Busy news week in Charlotte: CMS rolls out a new schedule; restrictions ease; vaccines open up for all adults; new medical school headed to Midtown (or is it Dilworth?)
On Saturdays, The Ledger sifts through the local news of the week and links to the top articles — even if they appeared somewhere else. We’ll help you get caught up. That’s what Saturdays are for.
Politics
2040 plan debated: (Biz Journal) Dozens of developers, neighborhood leaders, community organizers and real estate agents weighed in with opinions on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan at the City Council meeting on Monday night. A city council vote had been scheduled for April on the plan, but Mayor Vi Lyles postponed the action until the end of June to allow for more discussion and debate.
State budget: (Observer) Gov. Roy Cooper’s proposed state budget includes 10% raises for teachers over two years, a boost in education funding and putting a $4.7B bond on voters’ ballots this fall.
Education
Another new schedule for CMS (Ledger 🔒, WFAE): Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students in grades 6-12 will go to class 4 days a week starting April 12, and all grades will go 5 days a week starting May 10, under a new schedule approved by the school board. Leaders said a new state law and guidance prompted the increase.
Falling test scores: (WFAE) Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools released a midyear testing report this week that shows that failure rates have risen substantially during the pandemic. CMS plans to offer six weeks of free summer school for up to 50,000 students.
Local news
Cooper relaxes restrictions: (Ledger) Gov. Roy Cooper eased some of the restrictions on business capacity. Retail shops can be at full capacity, restaurants can be at 75% and bars can be at 50%, and the requirement to stop selling alcohol at 11 p.m. has been lifted. Other states in the South have made similar moves.
US Marshal shooting: (Observer) A U.S. Marshal shot and killed 32-year-old Frankie Jennings while attempting to serve 16 outstanding warrants Tuesday near Plaza-Midwood. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said in a statement: “one of the deputies perceived a lethal threat and fired a service weapon, striking the man.” The shooting took place at the Citgo gas station in the 2200 block of The Plaza, near the intersection with Parkwood Avenue.
Vaccines available to all: (WSOC) Beginning April 7, anyone age 16 and older will be eligible to receive a Covid vaccine in North Carolina. In South Carolina, anyone age 16 and older can receive the vaccine starting March 31. If you’re hunting a vaccine, WSOC reporter Joe Bruno is constantly updating his Twitter feed with the scoop on where shot appointments are opening up.
Business
Medical school details: (Ledger, with renderings) Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health released further details about their planned 4-year medical school, to be called the Wake Forest School of Medicine-Charlotte. It will be on a 20-acre site near the intersection of McDowell and Morehead streets in the Midtown/Dilworth area, about 3/4 of a mile from Carolinas Medical Center. The Ledger identified the location in November (🔒), but Wednesday’s announcement made it official.
AvidXchange eyes IPO within months: (Reuters) Charlotte payments software company AvidXchange has hired investment banks, including Bank of America, to advise it on an initial public offering (IPO) that is expected to take place by the end of June.
Robinhood scouts Charlotte: (Ledger 🔒) Financial technology company Robinhood, which has an app that lets people trade stocks and cryptocurrency with no fees, is looking to open an office in Charlotte, sources told The Ledger and the Charlotte Business Journal. Mecklenburg County’s online permit database lists a permit requested for “Robinhood — Office Upfit” at 650 South Tryon, the new 18-story tower at Legacy Union uptown. Nobody is saying anything publicly.
Sports
LaMelo out for season? (Observer) Charlotte Hornets rookie star LaMelo Ball may recover from a broken wrist in time to play again this season, Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters on Friday. “There is a possibility (of Ball playing again), just based on other players who have had this injury, that maybe he does come back for some portion of the year,” Kupchak said. Ball had surgery on Tuesday in New York.
Good reads
Five big ideas: (UNC Charlotte Urban Institute) From a more integrated transit system to capping I-277 and making it a park, Ely Portillo breaks down five big ideas for Charlotte’s growth that are still swirling — with a breakdown of how likely each is to actually happen.
Midnight hockey in Pineville: (Ledger) So many Northern transplants have moved to Charlotte in recent years that recreational hockey programs are playing games well past midnight to accommodate the demand for “ice time.” The Ledger’s Cristina Bolling sits in on an 11:30 p.m. game and witnesses the excitement, the camaraderie … and a fight.
A shooting, and a call for change: (Q City Metro) Glenn Burkins of Q City Metro tells the story of a grandmother who lost her grandson on Wednesday to gun violence, three months after her son was shot to death in the very same Beatties Ford Road convenience store parking lot. “Last night when it all happened I felt pretty numb,” Jackie Davis Lewis said. “It’s not real. We just went through this. And here we are, back at the same place again … three months later.”
Ledger originals
Hospital gown composting in Matthews: (Wednesday 🔒) A company that makes biodegradable hospital gowns has entered into a 1-year agreement with the town of Matthews to try composting the gowns in a future town park site.
Covid forgettable moments: (Wednesday 🔒) The Ledger recalled 7 of the most interesting and quirky episodes of the last 12 months, from freak outs about people playing volleyball to public officials’ double standards.
Tunnel update: (Friday 🔒) City Council member Tariq Bokhari spoke with a representative of Elon Musk’s The Boring Co. this week about the possibility of tunneling under Charlotte to help with traffic congestion.
Development Q&A: (Friday 🔒) We answer a reader question about why the design of the LYNX Silver Line doesn’t have the light rail going closer to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Esports in Charlotte: (Friday 🔒) Ledger intern David Griffith takes readers inside the South End hub of esports in Charlotte and introduces us to an 18-year-old high school senior named Kai Hickey, a.k.a. “CosmicFlippy,” who has landed a 4-year college esports scholarship.
‘Dilworth’ vs. ‘Midtown’: (Friday 🔒) What neighborhood is Charlotte’s new medical school going to be in? There’s disagreement.
A thank you to our Premium subscribers
The Ledger is able to deliver original, local information to you because of the support of our sponsors and paying subscribers. We are grateful for them.
Today, we want to give special recognition to our Premium-level subscribers. Premium subscriptions are for companies, groups and individuals willing to give more in exchange for a few extras — and also to lend support to the new model of independent local journalism that The Ledger represents.
They pay $379/year, which comes with newsletters for up to six email addresses, a monthly public thank-you (if desired) and an invitation to Ledger events.
A special thank you to:
AccruePartners
Ally Financial
ATCO Properties
Axios Charlotte
Batson-Cook Construction
Carroll Financial
The Center for Intentional Leadership
Centerpoint Wealth Strategies
Corporate Information Technologies
Crescent Communities
Crown Castle
Drew Long Productions
Dyer & Co.
Eagle Commercial
Eric Moore, LLC
Foundation For The Carolinas
Greenway Wealth Advisors LLC
Jessica Grier
JLL Capital Markets
Ann Doss Helms
John Miller Law Firm, PLLC
K&L Gates LLP
Kearns & Company
Levine Properties
McGuireWoods LLP
MVA Public Affairs
Next Stage
Nichols Architecture, PA
NorthMarq
Northwood Office
OrthoCarolina
The Providence Group
Rachel Sutherland Communications
SignatureFD
Social Pet Hotel and Daycare
Starrett Law Firm
Tassel Capital Management Inc.
T.R. Lawing Realty Inc.
Tribek Properties
Trinity Partners
Worth Supply
Joan Zimmerman
For more information on paid subscriptions to The Ledger, including Premium subscriptions, check out this post.
If you or your company would like to upgrade your subscription to the Premium level, email us. Thanks.
Need to sign up for this e-newsletter? We offer free and paid subscription plans:
The Charlotte Ledger is an e-newsletter and website publishing timely, informative, and interesting local business-y news and analysis Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, except holidays and as noted. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
Got a news tip? Think we missed something? Drop us a line at editor@cltledger.com and let us know.
Like what we are doing? Feel free to forward this along and to tell a friend.
Searchable archives available at https://charlotteledger.substack.com/archive.
Social media: On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Nab an “Essential Charlotte Ledger” T-shirt or hoodie.
Sponsorship information: email editor@cltledger.com.
Executive editor: Tony Mecia; Managing editor: Cristina Bolling; Contributing editor: Tim Whitmire, CXN Advisory; Reporting intern: David Griffith