City blocks chicken-killing art project

LAWRENCE, Mo., Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Officials in Lawrence, Mo., said they will not allow a local woman to display and then butcher chickens as part of an art project.

Assistant City Attorney Chad Sublet said legal codes prohibit the harming or killing of domesticated animals within city limits and the only chickens allowed to be kept in the city are domesticated poultry for egg production, The Kansas City (Mo.) Star reported Wednesday.

Amber Hansen, a Lawrence artist, had sought to display five live chickens in a sculpture resembling a chicken coop for one month then slaughter and serve the birds as part of an April 21 community potluck. She said the project, titled "The Story of Chickens: A Revolution," was aimed at getting people talking about food consumption.

Karen Davis, president and founder of United Poultry Concerns, applauded city officials for blocking the project.

"We feel this project and our response to it has helped Amber even though the original project has been blocked," Davis said. "We also feel that she has been introduced to a sensibility about animals that maybe she hadn't been exposed to before."