Found this informative article - great news to millions of caged chickens in our nation who never get any semblance of appreciation for putting breakfast on our tables. Now, though not a complete chase the birds out to play, this movement truly builds a solid beginning for more humane chicken-care for more than a few, very hard working hens among us.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/the-state-of-the-chicken/253596/?google_editors_picks=true
Check out the chicken sites online; the 'keeping of city chickens' is a solidly growing movement across our nation. You will be amazed at the cities that are bending to the pressure from an increasing number of people who want fresh eggs to supplement their grocery store filled fridges - not to mention the learning and enjoyment garnered from chicken-keeping.
Chickens rock!
As always...Nature prevails.
Showing posts with label eggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggs. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Friday, December 2, 2011
Chicken Trails: Welcome, Little Peeps...
Had someone told me years ago that I would entertain the fascination I do for little critters of the feathered flavor, it would have been my best joke of the day. But Yesterday when our little balls of fluff arrived, it truly brightened my spirit, my day, my month! as it always does. DH and I fussed and doted for about 2 hours till completely convinced that the heat lamps were perfectly placed; that the water had just a touch of sugar for the first few hours; that they seemed settled in and happy; that they were all cuddled several times; that every detail of their amazing little bodies was discussed and absorbed!
This group came from Ideal Poultry in Texas; these are by far, the calmest yet liveliest birds we've owned; easily handled, not jumpy. Did I mention they are almost as cute as newborn kitties?!
Meyer Hatchery is sending 15 more next week. Visit here for updates as the flock grows.
“We can see a thousand miracles around us every day. What is more supernatural than an egg yolk turning into a chicken?” S. Parkes Cadman
As always...Nature prevails, in my chicken coop tonight.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tasty Hasty Eggs: Breakfast Trails
Hasty Acres presents our first home-grown egg-fry. When our hens started laying their first eggs 4 days ago, we were excited. Today, after enjoying this tasty egg-fry made with our home-grown onions, some pre-baked yellow potatoes, red pepper dices, a few mandarin orange decorations - and - of course, the main attraction, a combo of white and brown eggs from our pretties, well...yummbly fits!Though a lot of the hens are singing their gotta find a nook to lay this egg song, most have yet to discover the stylish nests waiting for them on their wall. Grass hay lines their nests made from matching milk crates; all 5 of the cubbies have a white golf ball in the middle...hints are good...
We traded a rowdy Rock rooster for an overly broody Buff Orpington from my dear friend who knows more about chickens, farming and everything else in life - than I will in a hundred years!
Buffy thinks she is setting on a nest full of eggs...all the time! When approached - by human or peer, she puffs up, sticks out her wings and clucks up a storm. She really looks BIG and BAD. I have no problem understanding her..."come near my babies and I'll pluck every one of your feathers - or eyes - take your choice"! Even the Rock roosters take heed. This chicken is a trip! I hope she will be one of our main setters next spring.
"The incredible, edible egg" is a phrase to ponder when trying to regulate your diet while ingesting healthy, nutrition-packed food.
For anyone hesitating to eat eggs, here are some links to browse for healthy information about eggs. http://www.eggnutritioncenter.org/content/nutrition-facts-panel
As always, Nature prevails.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Chicken Trails back on Track
Two day old poultry of geese, turkeys and chickens grace our lives - yet again. One of our local ranch stores got their yearly boarders of geese, turkeys, ducks and chickens. Cackle Hatchery had already mailed our chicken order so it was soooo easy to justify...JUST a few additions to the already large chicken family en route! Yesterday we brought home a couple turkeys and geese; today 2 ducks. Presto; the new Hasty Acres poultry flock is complete!
"EXCUSE ME, but you're hoggin' the water bowl"!
The larger poultry waterer at the other end of the sheep tank seems to be the playground for the geese and turkeys so we added a few small water bowls on this end, for the lit'ler guys. The water levels don't last long and the chicks do more swimming than drinking!
Most of these chicks are too small to easily reach into the chick feeder so we sprinkled a generous amount of feed on the paper towels. Most is wasted during the daily paper changes but the chicks seem to eat more this way. And even at 2 days old, a few of the chicks already know to scratch around in it besides the initial pecking instinct. Mother Nature gives these little guys a quick start!We bought 5 different breeds of pullets and 3 different cockerels, with plans to bring together certain breeds that will propagate a combination of broad traits into the flock. We're hoping to combine productive layers, tasty meat as well as natural tendencies to set, to allow a natural growth of the flock.
- -White Leghorn pullets (female), white eggs, almost daily layers, but non-setters.
- -Americauna pullets, green, blue, pink and brown eggs, multi-colored birds that are good setters, tasty meat.
- -White Rock pullets, fast growers, good layers of brown eggs.
- -Light Brahma pullets, large birds, fairly good layers of brown eggs, good setters.
- -Dark Cornish pullets, excellent tasting meat birds, fair egg layers of brown eggs, good setters.
- -Americauna, Cornish and Rock Cockerels to hopefully support the tinted eggs, tasty meat, quicker growth and natural setting tendencies.
It seems more and more people are raising chickens. Articles are popping up in magazines; more cities are allowing poultry raising within city limits; poultry websites are growing and the building of chicken houses is growing into an art-form! And some inner city chicken stories are worth retelling...for a long time.
Thinking about a few hens and some home-grown, healthy eggs? Leave a comment, ask questions. We'd be glad to help - OR - send you somewhere for helpful answers.
Hasty Acres chicken tracks...are back! Weekly updates ahead.
Nature prevails.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Chicken Tracks in the City
The economy is working to pull itself out of the sewer while Americans struggle with their increasing budgets and disappearing dollar values. Chickens to the rescue?
As nostalgia reminds us, chickens and other friendly critters in our backyards, used to be everyday fare. An increasing number of homeowners are choosing to raise a couple of hens in their backyards again, to offset their food budgets. A reasonable choice you say? ‘Reasonable’…may be subjective. Some city councils are raising their hackles at the thought of bringing the ‘farm’ to town!
Rob Ludlow, who runs www.backyardchickens.com, has a following of over 10,000 who agree that keeping a couple hens in the backyard is just good sense. “People are realizing chickens are a multipurpose pet. They eat bugs and weeds; they’re really fun to watch. And how many pets make you breakfast?” he was quoted in a 2008 article by Dave Phillips.
Research shows that the city councils that prefer to keep their cities ‘chicken-free’, such as New Haven, Connecticut, are no longer the leading edge of the chicken – yes or no – issue. Peter Applebome, a New Haven writer throws around this issue in his article of April, 2009, Envisioning the End of ‘Don’t Cluck, Don’t Tell. He brought out some research by Jennifer Blecha from her doctoral dissertation that said…53 (cities) allow hens, 16 prohibit them and 9 make no mention.”
In Salem, Oregon, the noble fight continues for the lowly chicken. Nick Timiraos writes in the Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2009, Some City Folk are Mad as Wet Hens When Chickens Come Home to Roost. He states in his article that Randall Burkey Co., a Boerne, Texas, hatchery, “…credits a doubling of small orders for chickens and supplies in urban and suburban areas…” Mayor Janet Taylor is “…guardedly supportive of the measure and ready to vote…” says Timiraos.
Trevor Hughes in USA Today says New York City, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and Seattle allow a maximum of 5 hens (no roosters). “Longmont, Colorado, city planner Ben Ortiz says elected officials in his city of about 85,000 near Fort Collins are considering whether to let residents raise chickens. Ortiz says many residents have cited financial sustainability as a major reason. ‘There may be some pent-up demand for this kind of thing.’ ”
The current thinking on ‘city chickens’ seems to be increasingly in favor of the quiet critters with the edible side product; the sinking economy seems to be the major catalyst. Cities such as Fort Collins; Missoula, Montana; South Portland, Maine and Ann Arbor, Michigan are successfully removing chicken ban ordinances. How goes it in your city? If you are considering bending the ears of your city council on this issue, here is some ammunition. Keep in mind that dogs are allowed in most cities. Here are a few comparisons:
Dogs bark; chickens quietly cluck – occasionally.
Dogs leap fences; chickens stay cooped – with the help of an occasional wing-clip.
Dog poo is pretty stinky; chicken poo grows beautiful gardens and other green things.
Dogs give Love – absolutely; chickens make quiet, Lovable pets as well – AND – give about an egg-a-day!
Dogs chew up ‘stuff’; chickens chew up all flavors of insects – usually the kinds that live in your garden!
Dogs die; chickens die too, but sometimes make it to the soup pot along the way.
Mother Earth News says, "Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
1⁄3 less cholesterol
1⁄4 less saturated fat
2⁄3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene"
Eggs are close to being a perfect food. According to the American Egg Board,
"Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs."
This is an example of a well researched, documented presentation to a city council supporting chicken-keeping in city limits.
In the end, life boils down to the basics of food, water and Love – according to most of the literature. While Washington goes about its own flavor of ‘economic stimulus’, we folks on the lower end of the food chain have to take more control of what and how we eat with a tighter and tighter budget in mind. Egg-laying hens are an economically feasible choice, a choice that… just makes tasty, wholesome sense!
As always, Nature prevails.
As nostalgia reminds us, chickens and other friendly critters in our backyards, used to be everyday fare. An increasing number of homeowners are choosing to raise a couple of hens in their backyards again, to offset their food budgets. A reasonable choice you say? ‘Reasonable’…may be subjective. Some city councils are raising their hackles at the thought of bringing the ‘farm’ to town!
Rob Ludlow, who runs www.backyardchickens.com, has a following of over 10,000 who agree that keeping a couple hens in the backyard is just good sense. “People are realizing chickens are a multipurpose pet. They eat bugs and weeds; they’re really fun to watch. And how many pets make you breakfast?” he was quoted in a 2008 article by Dave Phillips.
Research shows that the city councils that prefer to keep their cities ‘chicken-free’, such as New Haven, Connecticut, are no longer the leading edge of the chicken – yes or no – issue. Peter Applebome, a New Haven writer throws around this issue in his article of April, 2009, Envisioning the End of ‘Don’t Cluck, Don’t Tell. He brought out some research by Jennifer Blecha from her doctoral dissertation that said…53 (cities) allow hens, 16 prohibit them and 9 make no mention.”
In Salem, Oregon, the noble fight continues for the lowly chicken. Nick Timiraos writes in the Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2009, Some City Folk are Mad as Wet Hens When Chickens Come Home to Roost. He states in his article that Randall Burkey Co., a Boerne, Texas, hatchery, “…credits a doubling of small orders for chickens and supplies in urban and suburban areas…” Mayor Janet Taylor is “…guardedly supportive of the measure and ready to vote…” says Timiraos.
Trevor Hughes in USA Today says New York City, Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and Seattle allow a maximum of 5 hens (no roosters). “Longmont, Colorado, city planner Ben Ortiz says elected officials in his city of about 85,000 near Fort Collins are considering whether to let residents raise chickens. Ortiz says many residents have cited financial sustainability as a major reason. ‘There may be some pent-up demand for this kind of thing.’ ”
The current thinking on ‘city chickens’ seems to be increasingly in favor of the quiet critters with the edible side product; the sinking economy seems to be the major catalyst. Cities such as Fort Collins; Missoula, Montana; South Portland, Maine and Ann Arbor, Michigan are successfully removing chicken ban ordinances. How goes it in your city? If you are considering bending the ears of your city council on this issue, here is some ammunition. Keep in mind that dogs are allowed in most cities. Here are a few comparisons:
Dogs bark; chickens quietly cluck – occasionally.Dogs leap fences; chickens stay cooped – with the help of an occasional wing-clip.
Dog poo is pretty stinky; chicken poo grows beautiful gardens and other green things.
Dogs give Love – absolutely; chickens make quiet, Lovable pets as well – AND – give about an egg-a-day!
Dogs chew up ‘stuff’; chickens chew up all flavors of insects – usually the kinds that live in your garden!
Dogs die; chickens die too, but sometimes make it to the soup pot along the way.
Mother Earth News says, "Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:1⁄3 less cholesterol
1⁄4 less saturated fat
2⁄3 more vitamin A
2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
3 times more vitamin E
7 times more beta carotene"
Eggs are close to being a perfect food. According to the American Egg Board,
"Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs."
This is an example of a well researched, documented presentation to a city council supporting chicken-keeping in city limits.
In the end, life boils down to the basics of food, water and Love – according to most of the literature. While Washington goes about its own flavor of ‘economic stimulus’, we folks on the lower end of the food chain have to take more control of what and how we eat with a tighter and tighter budget in mind. Egg-laying hens are an economically feasible choice, a choice that… just makes tasty, wholesome sense!
As always, Nature prevails.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bumpy Chicken Trails OR Chicken Track Trails in Trouble
For those of you who are fortunate enough to have an e-mail subscription to the newsletter from BackYard Chickens, you may have noticed that there are over 20 linkable references to cities across the country that are hearing increasing noise from owners of backyard chickens...within city limits - cities that have codes against these quiet, friendly, egg-producing animals.
I just wrote an e-mail to a reporter of such an article from Salem, OR. My points are simple - even easy to understand for city council members (who seem as a rule, to have hearing difficulties when in the vicinity of citizen's opinions with which their may personally differ). Government anyone?
Keep in mind please, that dogs are everywhere! And certainly allowed in cities (to my continuing chagrin).
Dogs are not usually a quiet animal; they can bark incessantly. Hens quietly cluck.
Dogs can and occasionally do, bite people - which on rare occasion, can be lethal. A hen can try to peck you if she is setting on a clutch.
Dogs have a genetic feud with restraint; they are challenged by fencing of any kind, digging under, climbing over or simply leaping them. Hens (with an occasional necessary wing-clip), respect their fences.
Dog poo is more repulsive to me than a year-old chicken coop! And cities don't 'crow' too much about it, interestingly enough. Hen coops are easily cleaned - AND - hen poo is a welcome addition to a compost pile as well as a great fertilizer for gardens, trees, etc. Haven't seen much dog poo on anyone's Azaleas lately...
Dogs give a lot of Love; point taken. Hens...give Love too...and eggs.
Dogs don't seem to have a hankering for grasshoppers and other insects that plague back-yards gardeners. Insects are a hen's caviar!
When dogs die, (I lost 2 lifelong pets last year and still deal with the painful loss), they go to doggie heaven. When hens die, they can pass through the dinner table, first.
The price of food at my grocery stores has doubled, generally speaking; how are the prices at yours? An increasing number of people are turning to their 'backyards' to supplement their decreasing buying power. In addition, considering the detriments of eating increasing amounts of 'high fructose corn syrup', 'monosodium glutamate' and other unpronounceable chemicals added to store-bought foods, I look longer and harder at my 'backyard' lately, to feed me in a cheaper, healthier manner. Plus, I can use the exercise!
Nature may have her temper tantrums and bad moods, but overall, she provides for all our needs from medicinal herbs to edible wild plants to animals that can add protein to our diets. Nature is all around us, ready to support us in this life we live.
What are your thoughts? How do you feel about having a couple hens in your backyard? Please leave us a comment.
As always, Nature prevails.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Chicken Tracks: Nature's Eggs at Hasty Acres
According to the American Egg Board,
"Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs."
Mother Earth News says that hens - such as the spoiled girls at Hasty Acres, may be 'better than the average bear', (in egg-speak!):
"Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene"
The following American Egg Board site gives egg recipes. One particular recipe looked yummy enough to munch off the page:
Breakfast Biscuit Quiches
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Makes: 10 mini quiches
What You Need
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped ham
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
3 EGGS
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (12 oz.; 10 biscuits) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Here’s How
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE cheese, ham and green onions in small bowl; mix well. BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.
2. SEPARATE biscuits; press or roll each into a 5-inch round on lightly floured surface. PLACE 1 biscuit in each of 10 greased muffin cups, leaving the 2 cups in center of pan empty. PRESS biscuits firmly against bottom and sides of cups and form rim at top.
3. SPOON 2 Tbsp. cheese mixture into each cup. POUR IN egg mixture, dividing evenly.
4. BAKE in center of 350°F oven until filling is set and biscuits are deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. REMOVE from pan; serve warm.
Please let us know here on trails of nature, your success (or not) with this recipe. We want to know what our readers think.
We truly enjoy our 'girls' here at Hasty Acres. If you are in an area that allows keeping of hens, give some thought to raising 3 or 4 of them for your improved diet and added enjoyment of life.
Next time on Chicken Tracks, we'll look at some of the popular breeds and their different rates of egg production.
Have to run and throw my pretties some vegetable leftovers from last night's soup.
"HURRY UP! Mom's got scraps!"
"I'm first!"
Til next time, Nature prevails.
"Eggs are a naturally nutrient-dense food, which means they have a high proportion of nutrients to calories. One large egg has only 75 calories and provides 13 essential nutrients in varying amounts. Eggs are an excellent source of choline and a good source of the highest quality protein and riboflavin. Many of the egg’s incredible nutrients are found in the egg yolk, including choline, folate, lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin D. The yolk also includes healthy monosaturated and polyunsaturated fats and almost half of the high-quality protein found in eggs."
Mother Earth News says that hens - such as the spoiled girls at Hasty Acres, may be 'better than the average bear', (in egg-speak!):
"Eggs from hens raised on pasture may contain:
• 1⁄3 less cholesterol
• 1⁄4 less saturated fat
• 2⁄3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene"
The following American Egg Board site gives egg recipes. One particular recipe looked yummy enough to munch off the page:
Breakfast Biscuit Quiches
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Makes: 10 mini quiches
What You Need
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped ham
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
3 EGGS
2 Tbsp. milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (12 oz.; 10 biscuits) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
Here’s How
1. HEAT oven to 350°F. COMBINE cheese, ham and green onions in small bowl; mix well. BEAT eggs, milk, salt and pepper in medium bowl until blended.
2. SEPARATE biscuits; press or roll each into a 5-inch round on lightly floured surface. PLACE 1 biscuit in each of 10 greased muffin cups, leaving the 2 cups in center of pan empty. PRESS biscuits firmly against bottom and sides of cups and form rim at top.
3. SPOON 2 Tbsp. cheese mixture into each cup. POUR IN egg mixture, dividing evenly.
4. BAKE in center of 350°F oven until filling is set and biscuits are deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. REMOVE from pan; serve warm.
Please let us know here on trails of nature, your success (or not) with this recipe. We want to know what our readers think.
We truly enjoy our 'girls' here at Hasty Acres. If you are in an area that allows keeping of hens, give some thought to raising 3 or 4 of them for your improved diet and added enjoyment of life.
Next time on Chicken Tracks, we'll look at some of the popular breeds and their different rates of egg production.
Have to run and throw my pretties some vegetable leftovers from last night's soup.
"HURRY UP! Mom's got scraps!"
"I'm first!"
Til next time, Nature prevails.
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