A campaign is under way in Georgia to take chickens from the henhouse to the statehouse.
The Flip the Birds campaign is seeking signatures for a petition to install the Cornish hen as the state bird, dethroning the brown thrasher.
In a video on the group’s Web site, the narrator tells viewers to “ruffle some feathers” by signing the petition and contacting their legislators. With dramatic string music in the background, a photo of a noble-looking rooster fades to a waving Georgia flag. Taking a page from political attack ads, the campaign fricassees brown thrashers for migrating south during cold weather.
Follow this link to flipthebirds.com Follow this link to see the campaign video The Cornish Chicken
“That’s right. Come winter, Georgia just isn’t good enough for the brown thrasher,” the narrator says as a photo of the thrasher is superimposed on a Florida postcard.
Chris Cunningham, who runs a chain of Augusta-area restaurants called WifeSaver, said he got the idea for the “flip” campaign while sitting on his porch, sipping a cocktail and watching brown thrashers hop around his yard. He launched the campaign in February and has been beating the drumstick ever since.
Adopting a new state bird could help rebrand it in the minds of potential business owners, Mr. Cunningham said.
“If somebody’s looking to expand they may look at Georgia and say ‘The state bird of Georgia is the chicken – it’s the chicken capital of the world!'” the restaurateur explained.
About 124,000 Georgians directly or indirectly in the poultry industry.
“You can’t argue with the fact: the economic impact of the chicken is huge,” Mr. Cunningham said.
The other side of the road
The Georgia Conservancy has started a counterpetition to keep the thrasher on its perch. The Conservancy’s Web site accuses “Big Chicken” of ignoring history for profit.
On April 6, 1935, Gov. Eugene Talmadge declared the brown thrasher the state bird after a statewide vote by schoolchildren, according to the Georgia Conservancy. On March 20, 1970, at the urging of the Garden Club of Georgia, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution solidifying the thrasher’s position.
CHICKEN FACTS* If Georgia were a country, it would rank behind only the United States, China, and Brazil in terms of chicken production.* Georgia broiler production accounts for 16 percent of the nation’s total.* Chickens replaced cotton as Georgia’s leading agricultural moneymaker by the beginning of World War II.* There are more chickens on Earth than there are humans.* Chickens can fly, but not for long. The longest recorded flight is 13 seconds.* On average, a hen lays 300 eggs per year.* There are more than 150 kinds of domestic chickens.* Chickens make sounds with actual meaning, giving different alarms when threatened by different predators.Source: www.flipthebirds.com
Despite an economic interest, Nadine Woods, who raises broilers on two farms in Dade County, is not ready to cross over to Mr. Cunningham’s side of the road.
“I would think if he really wanted to change something, he would change it from the Peach State to the Chicken State,” she said. “We produce more chickens than peaches, so that would be more truthful.”
State Rep. Tom Weldon, R-Ringgold, said he hasn’t been approached by anyone about changing the state’s feathery mascot. If it comes to a vote, the Republican legislator said he prefers the status quo.
“The chicken’s where the chicken ought to be – on the table,” Mr. Weldon said. “The brown thrasher’s served well, and I think he’s qualified to continue serving.”
Mr. Cunningham acknowledged that such a superficial change probably was low in the pecking order for legislators who face difficult choices in balancing the state budget.
“In today’s economic times I’m sure they’ve got bigger fish to fry,” he said.
Regardless of any legislative actions, the campaign will not just be scratching in the dirt.
“If nothing else, the chicken will get a little respect,” Mr. Cunningham said.