Archive for May, 2012

31 May

New Chicks are at Belmont Feed and Seed!

Posted by chickenwoman in Chicken stuff to buy. Tagged: , , , .


May 22, Chicks @ Belmont Feed & Seed
We have all these breeds on our order:
-Rhode Island Reds
-Black Astralorps
-Buff Orpingtons
-Araucanas / Americanas
-Barred Rocks
-Silver Laced Wyandottes
-Golden Laced Wyandottes.

Special Breeds & Bantam Chicks have been ordered.
First delivery, June 17-19:
-Buff & Black Silkies
-Araucana Bantams
-Partrige Rock Bantams.
Second Delivery, July 8-10:
-Buff Rocks
-Blue Silkies
-White Polish
-Araucana Bantams
We also still have 3 week old chicks: Rhode Island Reds, Red & Black Stars, New Hampshire Reds, Buff Orpingtons, Black Austrolorps & Barred Rocks. If you want it easy, take the 3 week old and skip use of the light with them.

Contact:

(773) 588-1144

3036 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60618

31 May

The Ubiquitous Chicken: A Quick History Lesson

Posted by chickenwoman in Bird miscellany. Tagged: , .


You want chicken? You got it – 10,000 years of chicken history, that is! An entertaining read about the ubiquitous chicken: from red jungle fowl in southeast Asia to KFC in China, and everywhere in between.

7 May

Chickens Proposed as Part of Compensation for Employment

Posted by chickenwoman in Weird chicken stuff. Tagged: , , , , .


Reporter Joshua Foust provided the Atlantic with a story on hens in lieu of monetary compensation in Uzbekistan. Apparently the chickens are to be imported from Serbia.

This is similar to my blog post on raising chickens in exchange for healthcare.

A French village recently proposed giving chickens to citizens in order to eliminate waste.

6 May

22 May, 2012: Chicken Planning Meeting for Arlington Heights, IL

Posted by chickenwoman in Laws. Tagged: , , , .


If you live in Arlington Heights, join the backyard chicken supporters for a planning meeting on 22 May, 2012, from 7-8 PM.

Contact Mary Green (marysgreen@hotmail.com) for more information.

Home to Roost will attend, as well.

1 May

Chicken Retirement

Posted by chickenwoman in Chicken care, Urban agriculture. Tagged: , , .


I got a call yesterday from a reporter who wanted my opinion on “chicken retirement” – sending older hens who’ve stopped being productive to a local farm. Apparently there are farms in Portland that take in aged birds, allowing owners to get new egg producers without killing the nonproductive ones. (See this blog post for a first-hand account.)

How sustainable is this model of “chicken rescue?” What are the costs to the farmer who puts time and resources in keeping a flock of nonproductive hens? Does the fertilizer gained offset the feed consumed and lack of eggs?

Before you get chickens, consider the lifespan of the bird (6-8 years). Then consider that the most productive years are the first 2-3 years of life. Are the birds pets? Are they stew birds?

We are promoting urban agricultural practices in keeping backyard birds, but are we sidestepping the reality that animals are domesticated and brought to live with humans because they are a food source? In short, are we exchanging one unsustainable practice (large-scale egg farming) for another (the potential of filling rural farms with former urban pets)?

Have comments? I’d love to hear them.