Who would have thought that DC Urban Moms and Dads, D.C.’s most judgmental website, would have less-than-kind words about a member’s plan to raise chickens in Montgomery County? What ensued was a deathmatch between two competing parenting trends: locavorism, and not wanting anything to do with the labor classes.

After the first poster asked whether chickens would cause trouble with her neighbors, Urban Moms and Dads suggested delicately that having your own barn animals in the DMV is, how shall we say this gently, déclassé:

“Chickenshit everywhere,” said one. “Screams, ‘I am poor.'”

Another suggested that the aspiring chicken owner consider moving to another neighborhood, if it’s really come to owning chickens:

You really miss the point. Raising chickens is an activity for the poors. It’s the last step before total destitution. It says, “I cannot afford to buy eggs at the grocery store, so I’m going to try to collect my own and sell the extras.” So, the appearance of chickens in any established neighborhood immediately downgrades the neighborhood quality. There is a STIGMA attached to this activity. You might as well put your beater up on cinder blocks in the front yard or something.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Maybe you ARE having some difficulty with your finances. I’m sympathetic if you are. But, if that’s the case, maybe you are stretching too far to buy the house and maybe you cannot afford the neighborhood? Something to think about.

Even fellow chicken owners admitted that owning chickens is, far from a sign of Omnivore’s Dilemma chicness, the last stop before the alms house.

“I have both chickens and a chicken coop in my yard,” said one poster. “But I am poor.”

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