The Official PoultryBookstore.com Blog

Klinka Steps Up!

2012-01-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

Klinka the Hen Saves a Bird of Another Species
By Kim Bartlett

This afternoon I looked out the window to the backyard to check on my pet chicken Klinka and saw that she was chasing the cat Osiris who has a little bird in his mouth. She pursued Osiris until he dropped the bird and it flew through the chain link fence to safety. Then Klinka patrolled that area of the fence for a few minutes. I always heard that chickens would bravely confront predators to defend their chicks, but Klinka chased a cat to save an unrelated bird, not even of the same species. January 24, 2009

Kim Bartlett, President of Animal People, Inc.
Postal mailing address: P.O. Box 960, Clinton WA 98236 U.S.A.
Email: ANPEOPLE@whidbey.com.
Website: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/
We believe that the Golden Rule applies to animals, too.

Back in February 2009, Klinka was attacked and severely injured by a coyote, as reported on this blog. She has certainly come a long way! Thanks, Kim, for bringing me up to date.

Being a mother to turkeys

2012-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

I've got several stories in How to Raise Poultry giving examples of smart turkey behavior. I'm looking forward to seeing his film, My Life as a Turkey!

From New Scientist:

To lift the lid on the lives of turkeys, naturalist Joe Hutto became a full-time "mother" to a brood of poults. What did he learn?

You lived with wild turkeys in rural Florida for over a year. How did it all begin?
I had been experimenting with the imprinting phenomenon - in which young animals become attached to the first moving object they encounter - for years, with many types of birds and mammals. Wild turkeys are difficult to come by, so when I lucked upon some wild turkey eggs I decided: OK, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

These turkeys regarded you as their mother. Was that a lot of responsibility?
It was, because wild turkeys are precocial - they are born fully alert and ambulatory and don't stay in the nest. They have to imprint at birth so they know who mum is, and they can't be left alone at all. I realised that if I was going to do this project then it was going to be a 24-hour-a-day commitment, which I was willing to do.

What did being their mother mean in practice?
I had to be with them before daylight so that when they flew down from the roost their mother was there waiting, and I had to remain with them until after dark. If I tried to leave before it was completely dark they would fly down and try to follow me, and then they were left on the ground, where they were vulnerable to snakes or weasels.

Was your research scientific?
It started out as a science project but it became more than that to me. I found it impossible to avoid a very personal involvement, so a certain scientific empiricism and detachment was immediately lost in the process.

Were there any specific skills you had to teach the turkey poults?
Not at all. Their innate understanding of ecology was complete. They knew everything from birth, and the knowledge is very specific. That was one of the most surprising things about the study. From birth they knew exactly which insect they could eat and which was dangerous. I didn't have to intervene and say: "No, no, don't try to eat that wasp." They knew not to eat the wasp.

Did you learn to talk "turkey"?
They sort of taught me their language. Researchers had identified 25 to 30 calls in wild turkeys that I was familiar with. But I learned that wild turkey vocabulary was much more complex than I had realised - within each of their calls were different inflexions that had specific meanings. For example, they had an alarm call for dangerous reptiles, but what I learned was that in that call there were specific inflexions that would identify a species of snake. Eventually when I heard a certain vocalisation I knew without question they had found a rattlesnake.

So turkeys are not as stupid as their reputation suggests?
No. But I think the first thing we do when we domesticate an animal is breed the fine evolutionary edge out of them. They lose that well-honed razor's edge of survival that causes them to be clever, independent and a survivor. In some sense we breed the brains out of them.

Profile

Joe Hutto is an ethologist. As well as turkeys, he has studied Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and has spent the past six years living with mule deer. My Life As A Turkey, a documentary on his time with turkeys, came out on DVD last month

Mobile processing unit up for auction

2012-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Sugar Mountain Farm for posting this:

The state of Vermont build a mobile poultry slaughter unit at a cost of $93,000 back in 2 0 0 8. That unit is up for auction with a price of $7,600 and no reserve. The auction ends January 13, 2012 at 6:18 PM EST. Ultimately, the unit sold for $61,000. A good deal, and I hope we will soon hear that it is being used.

This is your chance to get a nearly brand new, stainless steel, USDA/State inspect-able, fully outfitted poultry slaughter unit for 8¢ on the dollar. It comes complete with a very nice stainless steel scalder and plucker. You can see the interior at the links below.

I hope that someone will buy this for use ideally in Vermont rather than it getting sold as junk. Unfortunately it is being sold in an out-of-state auction in New York and may vanish from the Vermont agricultural landscape, perhaps just going for the scrap metal – it’s filled with valuable stainless steel.

That funny looking box of dots in the lower right corner of the photo is called a QR Code. I’m testing out using it. If you point your iPodTouch, iPad or phone with a camera and appropriate software on it at that it should scan^† the QR Code and take you to the web page for the auction. Let me know if that works.

Chickens in Chicago

2012-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

The Chicago Tribune's Home and Garden section takes notice of backyard chickens:

You don't need to be a farmer to have chickens. Keeping chickens in an urban setting is fun and educational, provides companionship and access to fresh eggs, and can even be useful for gardening.

Why do people do it? It is well-established that chickens allowed to free-range and supplement their diets with grasses and bugs produce tastier, nutritionally superior eggs. A Mother Earth News study in 2007 revealed that, compared with commercial eggs, pastured eggs contain two-thirds more vitamin A, two times more omega-3 fatty acids, three times more vitamin E and seven times more beta carotene.

But besides the better-quality eggs, there are other good reasons to keep chickens.

Jacob Komisar, a teacher in New Haven, Conn., spent more than a decade as a vegetarian. He and his wife started keeping chickens as a way to provide ethically raised, nutrient-dense animal protein (eggs) and to educate their son about the proverbial circle of life.

"We've become entirely too disconnected from our food as a society," Komisar says. "There was a time when every family had a few chickens (for both eggs and meat). It's not a big investment, and when compared to similar quality eggs and meat, it's actually not any more expensive."

Only two of his chickens are currently laying; they produce about 10 to 12 eggs per week. The flock consumes about one $12 bag of feed per month, which brings the cost of the eggs to about 72 cents per dozen (that was not a typo, but it does take into consideration that three-fifths of the feed goes to the non-laying hens).

Is it practical? The five chickens that live in the Komisar yard reside in a 12-foot-square chain-link dog run and sleep in a cedar doghouse to which he added nesting boxes and a roosting pole.

He has received nary a complaint from the neighbors. "The vegan anarchists in an apartment on the other side think it's cool. There's an older lady who lives behind us who said that she grew up on a farm and liked seeing the chickens running around my yard."

Some cities have archaic laws regarding chickens, but in many cities across the country it is perfectly legal to keep them. Check your municipal code before you start.

Where do you buy chickens and supplies? The Internet is a wonderful resource for finding local chicken-keeping supplies. There also are more specialized urban homesteading stores like the Biofuel Oasis (biofueloasis.com) in Berkeley, Calif., and the Urban Farm Store (urbanfarmstore.com) in Portland, Ore., which provide supplies for chicken keeping, offer classes and can offer information on where to buy chicks.

There are many breeds of chickens; get one that is right for you. For instance, some breeds are better scavengers and can thrive on a mostly scavenged diet, while others will fail to thrive without a full grain regimen. Some breeds lay more eggs than others. It will take a little research; don't just buy the cheapest you find.

It's all fun and eggs until … Keeping a backyard flock can be treacherous at times. "My wife heard bizarre noises from the coop at 1 a.m. and made me go out to see what was going on," Komisar says. "I found myself face to face with what I can only imagine was a 350-pound raccoon.

"I ended up just picking up a stick and poking it a lot until it left so I could figure out how it got in. But after many incarnations, my chicken run is now more secure than Fort Knox."

Marans joined the APA's recognized breeds in 2011

2012-01-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

The Black Copper Marans was accepted into the Continental Class of the APA Standard of Perfection in April. Getting a breed, and a new color variety, recognized is a demanding process and it hasn’t been smooth all along the way for the Marans. Dedicated breeders have overcome the problems and APA leadership is satisfied that the breed is worthy of the showroom.

Although Marans were not formally recognized even in their native France until the early 20^th century, the breed traces its roots back to the 13^th century. This Cuckoo Marans, a traditional variety, is from Feathersite. The official history notes the marshy areas around the port city of Marans gave rise to a locally adapted breed. Those birds were crossed with games brought into port on ships. Brahmas and Langshans were added to them in the 19^th century as those breeds acquired popularity. The first record of them at a show was in 1914, followed by organization of the Marans Club of France in 1929. The club established a Standard in 1931. Marans have been known for their dark brown eggs throughout the years.

A major point of discussion for Marans is whether their legs should be lightly feathered or clean. French Marans had lightly feathered legs, but after the birds crossed the English Channel in the 1930s and were first shown in England in 1934, breeders selected clean-legged birds. A separate clean-legged variety developed, but was not recognized. The Marans Club of Great Britain was organized in 1950.

This difference sparked contention over the years, and three separate Marans clubs were founded and disbanded by the early 21^st century. In 2007, when Dick Dickerson of Tennessee and Bev Davis of Florida got involved, there wasn’t any functioning Marans club. They knew they’d have to start one in order to get the breed accepted into the Standard. They formed the Marans Chicken Club, http://www.maransusa.org/. They decided to pursue the French, feather-legged standard. The Marans Club of America, founded after personal differences, http://www.maransofamericaclub.com/, also honors the French standard.

“With every breed club, politics can get involved and lead to hard feelings,” said APA judge and Standards Revision committee member Pat Malone of Texas. “I’m glad I have a really good relationship with the people in both clubs. We’ve met and they are free to contact me at any time. I count them all my friends.”

“Feathered legs can be bred into a flock by breeding a feathered-legged cock to a clean-legged hen, then breeding the pullets back to father.

Most of the world recognizes French type with feathers,” Mr. Dickerson said. “The first six months it took some explaining to people, but all have switched over now universally.”

Mr. Dickerson’s experience as a member of the APA Board was an advantage. He understood the requirements a breed must meet to be accepted: The written account of the breed’s history and proposed standard, affidavits from at least five breeders who have raised the breed for at least five years, 50 percent or more of offspring breeding close to type and birds being exhibited in APA shows for two consecutive years. At each of those shows, at least two of each cocks, hens, pullets and cockerels must be shown. The final qualifying meet must show at least 50 birds from five exhibitors in all classes of cocks, hens, cockerels and pullets. Full details are published in the APA Standard of Perfection.

Both Mrs. Davis and Mr. Dickerson were already raising Marans. Dickerson had seven of the twelve varieties recognized in France: Black Copper, Wheaten, Black, White, Blue, Blue Copper, Blue Wheaten, Birchen, Black-Tailed Buff, Cuckoo, Columbian (called Ermine in France) and Salmon. Fanciers also raise other color varieties, such as Blue Silver Salmon and Blue, Splash and Golden Cuckoo. Currently, Mr. Dickerson has all twelve.

Mr. Dickerson’s family has raised Marans since his grandfather and uncles brought birds back from France after World War II. He has visited the area, but didn’t notice the countryside to be particularly marshy. The climate is mild enough that the Town Hall is noted for its lush gardens of exotic plants.

Mr. Dickerson arranged an 18-course banquet and invited other poultry fanciers to honor Mrs. Davis when she visited him in Tennessee. They inspected his birds, followed by High Tea, in respect of Mrs. Davis’ English heritage, and set to work organizing a club. APA President Dave Anderson invited Mr. Dickerson to give a presentation to the APA at its Ventura show. With a constitution and bylaws modeled on other successful clubs, the organizers set up a web site and chat room and announced their project over the Internet in February 2008. The club has directors for five regions, a president and vice presidents. They confer regularly on conference calls.

Soon they had 900 enthusiasts signed on to the chat room. The club now has about 150 members and more than 1,000 in the chat room. They moved forward to the first qualifying meet, in Belvidere, Illinois in September 2009. Mr. Dickerson was among the 14 exhibitors who entered 82 birds. APA President Anderson judged the birds, accompanied by the Standard Revision committee. Although the meet was a success in satisfying the requirement, the birds were less than perfect.

“Some of them were pretty strange looking,” said Mr. Dickerson. “It was a trial run.”

Mr. Malone attended the meet as a member of the Standard Revision Committee. He was dismayed at the birds he saw there. “They were terrible,” he said. Many of the females had brown eyes instead of reddish bay. Males’ tails stood up at 70-75 degrees, instead of the required 45 degrees. They were too small, below the required 8 lbs. for cocks and 6 ½ lbs. for hens. Worst of all was that the females lacked the copper color on the hackles.

“It was such frustration in the beginning, trying to get a correct bird,” said Jeanette Smith, vice president of the Marans Club of America. She struggled with incorrect eye color, comb sprigs and white feathers in the Black Coppers.

Mr. Anderson described the birds as “right on the borderline of being accepted,” noting that in order for their acceptance to be done correctly, the birds exhibited needed to “reflect the quality necessary to warrant their inclusion in the Standard.” He reported that “The committee and I felt that if the next generation were equal to or better than the young birds shown at Belvidere, there would be no problem accepting them. I was impressed with the young birds shown at Belvidere and with the enthusiasm and sincerity of the exhibitors.”

Breeders took the advice back to their breeding pens and set to work. By the final Special Meet in Newnan, Georgia in February 2011, the birds had improved markedly. Breeders from 24 states showed 176 birds of 11 varieties.

“This time, the quality was deep,” said Mr. Malone. “It didn’t take a Solomon to figure it out. These birds are as they should be.”

One hen stood out as the Best of Breed standard-bearer. Mr. Malone was impressed with her in Newnan, and delighted to find that he judged her as superior again in March at the Pine Bluff, Arkansas show. She has been shown in three other shows, winning every time.

Owner Peggy Taylor of Texas doesn’t take credit for the hen. She acquired her and a dozen or so flock-mates from another Texas breeder. All those birds had the full, round bodies Mrs. Taylor had envisioned for her birds.

“Pat told me, ‘That hen’s got to die to get beat,’” said Mrs. Taylor. “I’d rather she’d get beat than raise her toes.”

Marans’ eggs are graded on a color chart from 1, a white egg, through 9, nearly black. Marans must lay eggs that qualify as 4 or higher. This hen’s eggs rate 7. Mrs. Taylor is breeding her, hoping her quality will prevail in the offspring. She’s got three roosters she likes, although none of them is exactly right. She finds incorrect combs and tail angles, narrow breasts and dark hackles. Her hens that lay darker eggs lack the exhibition qualities.

“How to we keep our show quality and go forward with dark egg color?” she said. “Getting all the pieces of the puzzle to fit with these birds is no cake walk.”

The Marans experience is an example of the importance of showing and attending shows. Seeing birds and getting advice from judges helped guide breeders. Breeders develop the sensitive eye needed to decide which birds go into the breeding pen when they see the birds and discuss their good and bad points with judges and other breeders. Photos and the Internet help, but they are no substitute for seeing birds in person.

“You learn a lot in the first 15 minutes of looking around at your first show,” said Ms. Smith. “For the first time, you see what other people have proclaimed to be the best of their flock. Everybody discusses and learns from each other.”

Mr. Dickerson intends to get all 12 color varieties approved in the future. Next on the list is Wheaten. He hopes that 50 or more good Wheatens will be available for a Special Meet as early as the Crossroads Poultry Show in October.

“Somebody has to do the homework and make the decisions,” said Mr. Malone. “That’s what the Standards Committee is all about.”

Nashville okays chickens

2012-01-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

With a sense of humor and armed with facts, Nashville residents are on track for full chicken approval. The Tennessean reports:

Scientific talk about the drawbacks of mass-produced eggs mixed with the excited chatter of children as the Metro Council took on an unusual subject — chickens — at a colorful public hearing Tuesday.

The council gave preliminary approval to a bill that would make it easier for urban residents to keep backyard hens after hearing from dozens of residents, most of whom spoke in support of the measure.

Partially organized by Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville — which had put yellow Peeps marshmallow candies on council members’ desks earlier in the day — and sporting yellow hats and shirts, they spoke of the benefits of producing good, organic eggs. They also talked about teaching young people the thrills of living off the land and the need to solve the “food desert” phenomenon in which some neighborhoods have no grocery stores or markets nearby.

“Many residents of Nashville are united in their desire to produce their own food locally,” said Andrew Greer, a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. “Local farming lets people know where their food is coming from and provides a space for social interaction when neighbors share produce or even meals together.”

Three critics of the proposed law warned that chickens would make noise and attract predators, and they noted that enforcement would be based on residents’ complaints rather than proactive efforts by Metro government.

“Constituents have few rights and little recourse,” said Michelle Miller, who lives in the Hillsboro-West End area.

The legislation, introduced by Councilwoman Karen Bennett last fall, would allow people living in residential zoning districts to keep up to two, four or six chickens, depending on the size of their property, for an annual permit fee of $25. Chickens wouldn’t be allowed in front yards, and roosters wouldn’t be allowed at all.

The bill still must win one more approval from the full council to become law.

The right to keep hens has been a long-standing cause for groups like Community Food Advocates. That organization’s office administrator, Megan Morton, an East Nashville resident, said the opportunity to raise chickens would give some people more “food security.”

“When you’re living on such a low income in terms of what you can buy, being able to grow a tomato plant, grow lettuce, get eggs from your backyard plays such a key role,” she said.

Kids, celeb attend

Children had their say to an unusual degree for a zoning matter. One boy wore a chicken hat as he came to the podium and exclaimed, “I’m a chicken lover!” Another youngster said chickens are quieter than dogs, better at staying put and less likely to leave their waste in places where it doesn’t belong.

The hearing also attracted a celebrity of sorts in the world of backyard chickens.

Andy Schneider of Ideal, Ga., host of a radio show called Backyard Poultry with the Chicken Whisperer, said he has seen chickens unite neighbors, not divide them, in cities around the United States.

In an interview, Schneider, 42, said the hens never cause as much trouble as some people expect.

“Regardless of how strict or lenient the law, the city still doesn’t have the complaints everybody thinks they’re going to have,” said Schneider, the letters “CW” stitched into the collar of his yellow shirt.

He also dismissed fears about the smell chickens might generate, saying, “We’re talking about six chickens, not 60,000.”

Schneider said Urban Chicken Advocates of Nashville invited him to speak to the council. He said they planned to go to dinner after the hearing at Otters, a place known for its chicken fingers.

Purely Poultry giving away Marans chicks!

2011-12-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

Tyler Danke of Purely Poultry writes:

We didn't send a newsletter last month because we were busy putting together the 2012 catalog. We happy to tell you it is nearly finished - we expect it to be in the mail or check out our our web site. Many birds are available for order now!

Like most businesses, the sales volume at Purely Poultry goes through cycles. We are gearing up for our busiest time of year, and looking for one or two more people to work part-time, from home as independent contractors serving as customer service representatives to help our customers by phone and email. Read our job posting, and if you feel you would be a great fit, send your resume to chicks@purelypoultry.com, and also comment about your poultry experience on BYC.

To celebrate the fact our customers were wonderful throughout 2011, and that we now have birds available for ordering, we have decided to give away 11 Black Copper Maran chicks. To enter, simply send an email to chicks@purelypoultry.com with FREE CHICKS CONTEST in the subject line. The 11th entry we receive will be the winner.

We hope that you are as excited about the upcoming year as we are!

chicks@purelypoultry.com
800-216-9917

ALBC looking for a new Executive Director

2011-12-30T13:07:00.000-08:00

ALBC is circulating this notice. Know anyone who fits the description?

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy has partnered with Alford Group Executive Search to find its next Executive Director. Based on our knowledge about your role in the not-for-profit sector, we wanted to make you aware of this exciting opportunity and ask that you help us identify candidates that would be energized by leading this organization.

The Executive Director, while retaining internal management and oversight responsibilities, is expected to serve as the primary external face of the organization to its various constituencies. The Board desires a candidate who will lead the organization from its current position, bring strong financial expertise, and build on further organizational growth as defined by the current vision and a collaboratively developed strategic plan.

The Executive Director role at ALBC will provide an experienced and successful leader with the opportunity to oversee a well-regarded and unique conservation organization that is making a substantial societal impact as part of the larger movement toward local, sustainable agriculture in the United States that promotes genetic diversity. Reporting to and working closely with a highly-engaged Board of Directors, the Executive Director will oversee all aspects of the organization, including vision-setting and strategic planning, fund development, staff management, finances, programs and membership. The selection process will focus on past leadership success in similar organizations and a demonstrated passion for, and full commitment to advocating the mission of The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Please click on the Opportunity Guide for more information.

Founded in 1977, The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is the only not-for-profit membership organization in the U.S. working to conserve rare breeds and genetic diversity in livestock. These breeds are threatened because agriculture has changed. Industrial food production now favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment. Many traditional livestock breeds have lost popularity and are threatened by extinction. These traditional breeds are an essential part of the American agricultural inheritance, and the loss of these breeds would impoverish agriculture. Thus, ALBC is working to conserve them through programs which include research on breed population size, distribution and genetic health; research on breed characteristics; gene banks to preserve genetic material from endangered breeds; rescues of threatened populations; education about genetic diversity and the role of livestock in sustainable agriculture; and technical support to a network of breeders, breed associations, and farmers.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply online with their cover letter and resume at http://ag-es.kintera.org/applicant. Inquiries will be held in strict confidence. Questions regarding the position may be addressed via email only to Kathryn Sime at ksime@alford.com

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Sincerely,

Heather Eddy, CFRE
President and COO

Buckeyes

2011-12-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

From Nettie Metcalf, who developed the Buckeye at the turn of the 20th century: her account of what she did is now posted on Google Books. Original sources are the best way to determine what was done, and I'm grateful to her for writing it, to Pacific Fancier of April 1909 for publishing it and to the Internet for making this resource available.

No chicken breed is perfect, but many Buckeye breeders figure they have come close enough in their breed. They extol the virtues of vigor, resilience and disease resistance in a bird that grows to a solid size and lays plenty of eggs. Their buckeye-color feathers and friendly, easy-going disposition win the eye and the heart. They have played an interesting role in poultry history, giving their breeders the honor of carrying the torch into the future. This lovely pullet belongs to Chris McCary of Alabama.

That’s a lot for one breed to live up to, but Buckeyes are equal to the task. W.H. Card, identified as a judge and breeder in the article he wrote about Buckeyes in the March 1913 issue of American Poultry Advocate, describes them with affection: “Their flesh-carrying ability being as natural as their vigorous, active disposition, there is never any loss of weight by persistent and constant foraging when on free range. In confinement they show no phlegmatic tendencies, being always busy and on the move without nervousness or seeming discontent, therefore keeping in the best of flesh and fettle at any season of the year.”

Laying resumes!

2011-12-28T16:39:00.000-08:00

I got up this morning thinking that I'd have to have a serious discussion with my White Dorking. She hasn't laid an egg for a couple of months. She went through her first molt in November. She took it rather hard, even lost her dominant place in the pecking order.

Chickens are said to require 14-16 hours of daylight in order to lay eggs, but my observation is that lengthening days, even if shorter than that, brings on laying.

Sure enough, just as I was losing patience with her, she laid a beautiful large tinted egg!

Her Buttercup companion hasn't laid for a while, either. She molted a couple weeks later than the Dorking, also taking it hard. The two brown egg layers, a Partridge Rock and a Speckled Sussex, have laid through the declining days thus far. The Buff Orpington, new to the flock a couple of weeks ago, lays regularly, three or four eggs a week. I expect that will pick up as the days get longer, but I'm impressed that she's hanging in there.

Thanks, girls!

African and China Geese

2011-12-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

Vest Pocket Farmer inquired about information for a neighbor who has acquired some African geese. There's isn't much available. Dave Holderread is the reigning expert but there are other knowledgeable people out there. Time for a new book on the subject! Here's some historical background on African and China geese:

Knobbed geese include both African, one of the three heavy goose varieties, and China or Chinese geese, a light variety. The size difference is significant, Africans weighing 18 lbs. for the goose and 22 lbs. or more for the gander, and China 10 and 12 lbs. equivalents, in the 2010 Standard. Really, as Samuel Cushman says in the article included in the 1912 edition of Harrison Weir’s The Poultry Book’s chapter on The Domestic Goose, the Chinese are “more on the bantam order.” Both have a more upright stance than other geese, and long, swan-like necks. Writers newly acquainted with them in the 19^th century occasionally classified them as swans. These African geese happily range on Harvey Ussery's farm in Virginia.

Both were separately recognized in the first Standard of Excellence in 1874, but with different weights, separated by only four pounds between African and China geese, according to Willis Grant Johnson’s 1912 edition of The Poultry Book, p. 1103, which gives weights of twenty pounds for the African gander and eighteen for the goose, sixteen for a Chinese gander, fourteen for a goose.

Other names applied to both include Guinea (dating back to the Willoughby, 1635-1672, a time when ‘Guinea’ was used to describe anything foreign), Indian (which took on a similar role in the 19^th century), Hong Kong, Spanish, Swan, Polish, Muscovy, Siberian, Russian. The first description of African geese in America is attributed to Caleb Bement’s 1845 American Poulterer’s Companion. I have not located a copy of the 1845 version to check, but the 1856 version, a copy of which is housed at Harvard’s Graduate School of Business Baker Library, is posted at Google Books.

The band of white now favored by such authorities as Dave Holderread of Holderread’s Waterfowl Farm and Preservation Center in Corvallis, Oregon to separate the satin-black bill and brown knob of mature Africans is disdained by Theodore F. Jager of Connecticut, who edited The Poultry Book’s chapter on The Domestic Goose. He states that the Standard requires an all-gray head, and he ascribes any white to “impurity of breeding.” Samuel Cushman is quoted from his article in Reliable Poultry Journal in the section admiring it: “A line of white feathers clean cut and distinct, close to the base of the bill, is considered a desirable feature in show birds.”

They were known as prolific egg producers, as many as 60 or more annually. William Rankin, noted goose breeder of the early 20^th century, claims one of his laid 68 eggs in one year. He also claimed he knew a goose who lived to be 101 years old and died as a result of being kicked by a horse. She had left the nest of 15 eggs she had laid to defend it against the horse, grabbed his tail and sustained her fatal injury.

Tracking such changes over time is challenging. Today, African and China Geese have that recognizable knob on their heads, between their eyes. The knob develops to its full size over several years. Although generally males are larger and have larger knobs than females, this is not a reliable way to sex African or China Geese. Both sexes vary too much in size. African Geese also have a dewlap, a bag of skin hanging down under the chin. Neither should have a lobe, although the large Africans may get a bit of a paunch.

Both make excellent meat birds as well as egg layers. China Geese are the most prolific layers of all geese today. Both also are good setters, with good fertility and hatchability, and good parents. They reliably raise their own goslings.

African Geese are recognized in the Brown color pattern and in solid White. The Brown have black knobs and the Whites have orange knobs. The Brown are abundant, but the White variety is rare. A Buff variety is also raised. China Geese are recognized in Brown and White varieties.

They thrive even in cold climates, although the knobs of the Brown variety may show temporary orange patches that gradually disappear if they get frostbitten.

Oprah Henfree

2011-12-12T18:44:00.000-08:00

Pat Foreman visited California on a book tour for her City Chicks. She was lecturing on permaculture and using chickens to enable local food. At one of her first stops at Fairview Gardens in Goleta, she met the resident flock. One chicken, a Buff Orpington, walked up to Pat, and ate from her hand. The hen was willing to be picked up and enjoyed the human company. She was dubbed the West Coast Oprah HenFree, since Pat was not able to bring her East Coast Oprah Henfrey on the plane from Virginia. Pat asked the flock owners to borrow the hen and become a co-presenter at the workshops on the remainder of her tour across the state. They agreed and a travel saga began.

Later the next evening, at the upscale Santa Barbara Public Library, Ms. HenFree was sitting on Pat’s arm during the workshop introductions. The hen was curious about the podium and decided to step onto it and proceeded to the top. Pat offered her the microphone and she clucked into it with a lot to say. She was an instant hit with the crowd.

This hen with star quality reminded Pat of the therapy hens she has in her own flock at home in Virginia. They include a Buff Chantecler, the same golden color but a different breed an Americana and a commercial hybrid hen.

Oprah traveled in a special carrier that had lots of window space so she could enjoy the magnificent California views. She spent the next month touring California and charming audiences. She spread the message that hens are charming, clean, entertaining beings that have multiple skill sets. One of their skill sets is as bio-mass recyclers. Chickens can help divert kitchen, yard, leaf and garden residuals from the trash collection—and transform that “waste” into compost, topsoil and eggs. Yes, chickens, working as clucking civil service workers can even save BIG TIME taxpayer dollars.

The hen kept Pat company as they traveled over 2,800 miles up and down the state and she participated in over 50 workshops, news and radio interviews and book signings.

As Oprah and Pat traveled, Pat saw that Oprah had a different message after her stay in Los Angeles. The Occupy Wall Street movement was making news and Oprah HenFree realized she could be the voice for the 99 percent of hens who are caged in miserable conditions for commercial meat and egg production. Chickens can “Occupy Back Yards and Enable Local Agriculture” has become be her rallying clarion cluck. It just might become the “Cluck Heard Around the World”.

As Pat’s tour concluded back at Fairview Gardens, Pat felt reluctant to re-introduce Oprah to the flock where she might fade into oblivion as just another hen. She asked whether I’d be willing to add Oprah to my small flock of four backyard hens. I was delighted.

From her new home in Cambria, Oprah will continue to serve her caged sisters.

The Orpington is an English breed developed at the end of the 19^th century. The original birds were black, but the buff color was very popular at the time. It was introduced in the mid-19^th century and breeders eagerly bred it into many breeds to satisfy poultry fanciers’ demand. The Standard of Perfection specifies eight pounds for an Orpington hen, but Oprah weighs less than that. She is probably a pullet, a hen less than a year old.

She laid only a single egg during her California tour, but chickens typically stop laying during the short days of winter. Her feathers are in beautiful condition, so she must have molted before meeting Pat. Chickens stop laying during their annual molt. I expect she’ll start laying again after the Winter Solstice, as she settles in with her new flock.

My White Dorking hen was standing on top of Oprah’s cage when I opened the coop this morning, intensely curious about this development. Oprah has already indicated her preference for black oil sunflower seeds.

Books for Christmas

2011-11-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a great year for chicken books! For the chicken lover on your list, or to help those who want to get you something you will enjoy, here are some of the excellent books that were published this year:

Of course, that's assuming that you already have my books, How to Raise Chickens and How to Raise Poultry. If you buy them through my site, I'm happy to inscribe them for you. Email me to let me know how you want the greeting to read. Free shipping through Christmas!

Pat Foreman's City Chicks comes first to hand, since she's currently on book tour throughout the West. The subtitle explains her goal: Keeping Micro-Flocks of Laying Hens as Garden Helpers, Compost Makers, Bio-recyclers and Local Food Suppliers. Pat has put her life's experience with chickens into this solid volume. It's a handbook for keeping a few hens in the backyard for suburban and urban enthusiasts. It' s comprehensive in advice and information but includes much more, such as Seven Outrageous Chicken Tricks. Novices will get a new perspective on chickens as their partners in gardening as well as the information to succeed. Pat's warmth and good humor come through.

Kelly Klober's informative reminiscence, Talking Chicken, is like spending time with Kelly on the porch. It's filled with solid husbandry information as well as background on traditional breeds. Every backyard flock of hens is one less customer for the egg industry, but hybrid egg breeds are an extension of that industry. Traditional breeds are gaining attention and support and Kelly's expertise is invaluable. A book focusing on husbandry of heritage breeds might have been considered too narrow a few years ago. Acres USA has done chickens a service by publishing Kelly's book.

Harvey Ussery's long-awaited Small-Scale Poultry Flock appeared this year. Harvey's been a dedicated contributor to Backyard Poultry magazine over the years. He takes on the practical challenges of poultry keeping and reports his experience in improving on husbandry and business. He's thoughtful and devoted to the idea that a small homestead can produce a good living and a great life. He's living that life and shares his knowledge and experiences in this collection. His book is unique in many respects, including the series of color photos showing how to butcher your birds. Not gory! Harvey's also an advocate for traditional breeds.

Andy Schneider has made a name for himself as the Chicken Whisperer. Pat Foreman is his co-host on a daily radio broadcast, on which I an a guest once a month. Andy partnered with Brigid McCrea to present a book of chicken basics, The Chicken Whisperer's Guide to Keeping Chickens. Lots of colorful pictures make it a welcome introduction to chicken keeping. Series 1 of his Chicken Collector Cards is available, too. Great stocking stuffer for kids, conversation piece for holiday parties.

Apart from the practical advice books, Susan Merrill Squier has applied herself to the interface between chickens and humans and written Poultry Science, Chicken Culture: A Partial Alphabet. Squier is a professor of women's studies and English at Penn State. Her attention was turned to the chickens she kept in her backyard the past seven years and she has written about how humans deal with the blessings chickens bring into our lives, how we include them in plays and films, how we have brought scientific knowledge to bear on reshaping them to serve our industrial food system and what that means for our lives. It's a fascinating book but not a casual read. The thoughtful and dedicated chicken lover will appreciate this unusual work.

No book list would be complete without Jerome D. Belanger's Complete Idiot's Gui de to Raising Chickens. His background of writing and publishing Countryside magazine for more than 30 years gives him insight into the rural lifestyle and enriches his book on chicken basics. Backyard Poultry magazine also collected articles from the magazine into an anthology, For the Love of Poultry. Harvey Ussery appears many times in these pages, as do I and many other poultry writers. Even those who have saved every issue will enjoy this compilation in one convenient volume.

The American Poultry Association brought out its new edition of the Standard of Perfection this year. This is an invaluable reference that every breeder relies on, so your chicken person may already have a copy. A copy of the color edition would be an appreciated addition. Diane Jacky's portraits are beautiful. Reproduction is on shiny paper, to capture the colors. A few copies of the special Limited Edition may still be available. They occasionally show up on eBay. Keep it in mind.

For the bantam exhibition fancier, consider Pat Lacey published her history of the American Bantam Association, All Cooped Up, in 2010. This is a valuable reference and historical document. Her careful research and knowledge of the events that influenced the ABA answers questions a bout who did what when and how the ABA became the significant organization it is today. As a historian myself, I'm grateful to Pat for putting this information into our hands.

If none of those suit, or you want more, check this blog for other reviews. There are poultry books for everyone on your list.

One last recommendation: buy them through your local bookstore or feed store. Keep your dollars circulating in your local economy.

Buying Local

2011-11-25T13:09:00.000-08:00

Local Harvest advocates for buying local:

Most produce in the US is picked 4 to 7 days before being placed on supermarket shelves, and is shipped for an average of 1500 miles before being sold. And this is when taking into account only US grown products! Those distances are substantially longer when we take into consideration produce imported from Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other places.

We can only afford to do this now because of the artificially low energy prices that we currently enjoy, and by externalizing the environmental costs of such a wasteful food system. We do this also to the detriment of small farmers by subsidizing large scale, agribusiness-oriented agriculture with government handouts and artificially cheap energy.

Cheap oil will not last forever though. World oil production has already peaked, according to some estimates, and while demand for energy continues to grow, supply will soon start dwindling, sending the price of energy through the roof. We'll be forced then to reevaluate our food systems and place more emphasis on energy efficient agricultural methods, like smaller-scale organic agriculture, and on local production wherever possible.

Cheap energy and agricultural subsidies facilitate a type of agriculture that is destroying and polluting our soils and water, weakening our communities, and concentrating wealth and power into a few hands. It is also threatening the security of our food systems, as demonstrated by the continued e-Coli, GMO-contamination, and other health scares that are often seen nowadays on the news.

These large-scale, agribusiness-oriented food systems are bound to fail on the long term, sunk by their own unsustainability. But why wait until we're forced by circumstance to abandon our destructive patterns of consumption? We can start now by buying locally grown food whenever possible. By doing so you'll be helping preserve the environment, and you'll be strengthening your community by investing your food dollar close to home. Only 18 cents of every dollar, when buying at a large supermarket, go to the grower. 82 cents go to various unnecessary middlemen. Cut them out of the picture and buy your food directly from your local farmer.

Or Buying Nothing:

Buy Nothing Day is your special day to unshop, unspend and unwind. Relax and do nothing for the economy and for yourself - at least for a single day.

Can you really buy absolutely nothing for just one day? You might say “Sure!” but can you ACTUALLY go one whole day without transacting ANY business? Are you totally debt free so that you can go a whole day without accruing interest on your mortgage? Are you off the grid so that you can go a whole day without paying the power company? Do you have ANY utilities? Water, Sewer etc? Do you have a cell phone? Do you have stocks or other investments that transact business in your name every day without your input? Do you have other debts, such as credit cards that accrue interest? Can you really go one whole day without buying anything? Try it!

Of course, we say this not to push you to attempt the impossible or go to extremes. We just want everyone to think about how integrated these transactions are into our daily routines.

Here at buynothingday.org, we believe every day should be buy NOTHING day.

Mother Jones on holiday turkeys

2011-11-21T09:22:00.000-08:00

Listen to your Mother:

So you've got your free-range turkey. This beautiful portrait is painted by Carolyn Guske. Your potatoes are strictly heirloom varieties. The cranberries for your sauce come from the local organic bog. Feeling pretty good about your Thanksgiving dinner, are you? Not so fast: The environmental footprint of food isn't always what you'd expect. Last Thanksgiving, PBS Need to Know took a hard look at the subject, from a diverse range of perspectives. In its podcast, which is definitely worth another listen, we hear from geophysicist Gidon Eshel, NASA agronomist Cynthia Rosenzweig, bestselling author Anna Lappé, agricultural analyst Philip Thornton, and animal rights activist Tara Oresick.

By now, most of us are aware of the outsized environmental footprint of meat. As Anna Lappé, author of Diet for a Hot Planet: The Crisis at the End of Your Fork and What You Can Do About It, points out, the production of one pound of beef can require as much as 16 pounds of livestock feed. And that's to say nothing of all the waste associated with raising livestock, the methane and nitrous oxide emissions generated by the cattle, and the carbon dioxide created by trucks and tractors that transport feed and animals.

Of course, not all meat is as resource intensive as beef. Similarly, not all vegetables are as innocent as you might think. Geophysicist Gidon Eshel, whom I interviewed for my piece on whether or not vegetarianism is always greener than eating meat, says that in order to lessen the environmental impact of our diets, we should look at the efficiency of foods: How much energy is required to produce them, and how many calories do we gain? From this perspective, labels like "organic" and "local" aren't always the most planet-friendly choices. In colder climates, local spinach and mesclun, for example, are frighteningly inefficient because they have to be grown in greenhouses.

And the efficiency of foods can vary dramatically depending on where and how you live. Livestock expert Philip Thornton argues that Americans use cattle very differently from people in other parts of the world. In Kenya, families often depend on one or two cows for income: The animals provide not only milk and/or meat, but also fertilizer, so their overall energy yield is much greater. In some climates, raising livestock can actually require fewer resources than growing crops.

So how efficient are the foods on your Thanksgiving plate? The answer may surprise you. (Hint: Turkey is not as bad as you might think. Phew!) For the answer (plus an inside look at an Adopt-a-Turkey program in upstate New York, and more) listen to the podcast:

When you've heard that, check out Slow Food's support of a California 4-H project that's applying thoughtful practices to raising turkeys.

Pat Foreman's West Coast schedule

2011-11-15T10:34:00.000-08:00

Pat is co-host of the Chicken Whisperer radio program and a friend. She is the author of City Chicks, Chicken Tractor, Day Range Poultry and other books. She is visiting the West Coast from her Virginia farm. I've featured her therapy hen Oprah Henfry in this blog.

Her events for the next month are listed below. Find one near you and meet her!

November 15 Goleta 11:30am-1pm at Fairview Gardens Program for Wild Roots School http://www.wildroots.blogspot.com/
Contact Erin Boehme
Fairview Gardens 598 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117

November 15th, Santa Barbara, Tuesday, 7-9p, Faulkner Gallery, 21 E. Anapamu St SB. CA 93101, $10/students $5
Contact; Margie margie@sbpermaculture.org 805-962-2571www.sbpermaculture.org
Sponsored by: Permaculture Credit Union, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network, SB Chapter Weston Price Foundation, SB Chapter Slow Money, SBCC Students for Sustainability Coalition, SBCC Center for Sustainability

November 16th, Meiners Oaks, (near Ojai) Wednesday, 6:30p, Farmer and the Cook, 339 West El Roblar Drive Ojai, CA 93023-2212
Contact: Margie Margie@sbpermaculture.org 805-962-2571 www.sbpermaculture.org
Sponsored by: Santa Barbara Permaculture Network and the Farmer and the Cook

November 17th, Filmore, Thursday, 6pm potluck 7pm, book talk,
Contact: Gerald Fitzgerald. Gerald 805-625-4365

November 19th, San Diego, Saturday, 1pm- 3pm Book Talk $20 general $15 Friends of the Farm, 2550 Sunset Avenue, San Diego 92154
Farm tour 3:30pm & 4:30pm Farm-made, organic sourdough wood-fired pizza and potluck
Contact: Mel Lions
Sponsored by: Wild Willow Farm http://sandiegoroots.org/events.html

November 20th, Silverlake, Sunday Workshop TBA Edendale Farms 2131 Moreno Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90039 (Silver Lake)
Contact: Dave Kahn (323) 454-EGGS (3447)
Sponsored by: Edendale Farms http://www.edendalefarm.com/

November 22nd, Los Angeles, Tuesday, 7:30pm, book talk, LA Eco Village, 117 Bimini Place LA CA 90004 Fee: $5 to $15 sliding scale
Contact: Lois Arkin Reservations required: 213/738-1254 or crsp@igc.org
Sponsored by: Los Angeles Eco-Village http://www.laecovillage.org/

November 23rd, Solvang, Wednesday, 2:30 – 5:30p, Table Ask the Chicken Expert, Solvang Farmers Market
Solvang Famers Market http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/

November 26th, Santa Barbara, Saturday, /9a – 1p Tabling Ask the Chicken Expert , Santa Barbara Farmers Market, http://www.sbfarmersmarket.org

November 27th, Ojai, Sunday, 9a-1p, Ojai Farmers Market, book signing Tabling Ask the Chicken Expert
Contact: Carla Rosin
Sponsored by: the Ojai Farmers Market http://www.ojaicertifiedfarmersmarket.com/

November 28th, Ben Lomond (near Santa Cruz) Monday, 3-5pm, Mountain Feed Bin, book signing 9550 Hwy 9 CA 95005.
Contact: Jorah (831) 336-8876
Sponsored by: Mountain Feed Bin, SLO Food Santa Cruz

November 28th, Santa Cruz, Monday, Green Grange Hall, 7pm -9pm book talk 1900 17th Avenue Santa Cruz, CA 95062-1806 (831) 476-6424
Contact: Dave Shaw shawstfari@gmail.com,
Sponsored by: The Officers of the Green Grange Hall (Live Oak Grange) http://greengrange.org/, SLOW Food Santa Cruz

November 29th, Campbell (near San Jose) Tuesday 5:30pm, French Culinary Institute, Campbell 700 W Hamilton Ave Campbell, CA 95008
Contact Rany Prambs
Slow Food - Santa Cruz http://slowfoodsantacruz.com/ - French Culinary Institute http://www.frenchculinary.com/courses/ca

November 30th, Petaluma, Wednesday, 3-5p, Petaluma Seed Bank book talk and signing 199 Petaluma Blvd. North Petaluma, CA 94952
Contact: Paul Wallace (415) 518-0333
Sponsored by: The Petaluma Seed Bank http://rareseeds.com/petaluma-seed-bank

December 1st,Berkeley, Thursday, 7-9pm, Ecology Center . book talk and signing 530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley CA 94702
Contact: Allison Moreno (510) 548-3402
Sponsored by: the Ecology Center Berkley http://www.ecologycenter.org/

December 3rd, Muir Beach, Saturday, 2:30p, Slide Ranch, book talk and signing 2025 Shoreline Hwy CA 94965
Contact: Charles Higgins (415) 381-6155
Sponsored by: Slide Ranch http://www.slideranch.org/

December 4th, Albany, Sunday,2-4p, Albany Library, Edith Stone Room, Chicken Whispering talk 1247 Marin Avenue Albany CA 94706,
Contact: Catherine Sutton Catherine Sutton
Sponsored by: Transition Albany http://transitionalbany.org/ ?

December 5th , Fresno Monday, TBA
Contact Tom Willey

December 6th, San Luis Obispo, Tuesday, 6pm, Ludwig Center, book talk and signing 864 Santa Rosa Street SLO CA 93401,
Contact: Teresa Lees treelees@charter.net
Sponsored by: SLO Permaculture

December 7, Santa Monica 8:30am - 1:30pm Tabling Ask the Chicken Expert, Santa Monica Farmers Market Arizona Ave. (between 4th & Ocean)
Santa Monica Farmers Market http://www.smgov.net/portals/farmersmarket/
Sponsored by Office of Sustainability & the Environment City of Santa Monica

December 7th, Los Angeles ,Wednesday, 7:15p, talk Costa Acupuncture 10200 Venice blvd #109b, Los Angeles, CA 90232
Contact: Shirley Schecker sscheker@gmail.com
Sponsored by: Santa Monica Weston Price Foundation Whole Food Nutrition Meetup
http://www.meetup.com/Los-Angeles-Whole-Food-Nutrition-Meetup-Group/events/40339842/

December10th, Goleta Saturday, 10a-1p,Workshop Gardening with and for Chickens $40 /early Bird discount $30 paid by Nov 30
Fairview Gardens To sign up go to www.fairviewgardens.org or contact Sharon@FairviewGardens.org (805) 967-7369
Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens 598 North Fairview Avenue, Goleta, CA 93117

December 10th,Westchester, Saturday, 7pm, Holy Nativity Church, 6700 W. 83rd, Winchester CA book talk and signing
Contact: Michelle Weiner, 310-780-1051
Sponsored by : Transition Culver City http://transitionculvercity.org/

December 13th, Tuscon, Tuesday TBA
Contact: Rhiwena 520-396-3266 Rhiwena Slack
Sponsored by: The Watershed Coop, www.watershedmg.org

December14th, Gilbert (near Phoenix) Wednesday, TBA 23517 South 182nd Street Gilbert, AZ 85298
Contact: Jeff.. info@chickenscratchranch.com (480) 516-6317
Sponsored by: Chicken Scratch Ranch www.chickenscratchranch.com

December17th, Santa Fe , Saturday, 9a-1p, , Santa Fe Farmers Market, book talk and signing
Contacts: Dorothy and Mary 505-988-4226
Sponsored by: Collected Works Book Store, www.cwbookstore.com

December 18th, Los Alamos, Sunday, 2pm, TBA.
Contact: Katie Watson 505-662-0460 Katie Watson
Sponsored by: Pajarito Ecological Center, www.pajaritoeec.org

December 19th, Tuscon, Monday, 5:30-7:30pm, Native Seed Retail Store 3061 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson AZ 85716.
Contact: Belle Star
Sponsored by: Native Seed, www.nativeseed.org

December 20th, Silver City NM ,Tuesday, TBA
Allyson info

December 21st, Kingston NM ,Wednesday, Black Range Lodge
Catherine Wanek http://www.blackrangelodge.com/

Chicken jobs

2011-11-11T10:36:00.001-08:00

The New York Times takes note of people applying livestock to local work:

In terms of social cachet, agricultural start-ups are a long way from Silicon Valley. But the phenomenon seems to be gaining steam.

Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, a nonprofit that matches willing farmhands with organic farms seeking temporary help, has become, for the 4-H crowd, what Stanford’s computer science department has been for Silicon Valley. In the last three years, membership in the group’s United States branch has quadrupled, and among a certain set of college-age agriculturalists, the organization has become a verb (as in “Did you WWOOF last summer?”).

Jason Stroud, 44, of Red Hook, Brooklyn, has been raising chickens since he was 19. He said he thinks many newcomers to the sustainable agriculture world are making a high-tech mountain out of a Bronze Age molehill.

“It’s simpler than one would think,” he said of modern-day homesteading. “Peasants with zero education were doing this hundreds of years ago.”

After his regular work, restoring high-end antiques, dried up earlier this year, Mr. Stroud began advertising his farm skills to fad-chasing urbanites: for a price, he would build them backyard chicken coops and teach them to care for the birds.

The offer was so well received that Mr. Stroud estimates that nearly half of his income now comes from chicken consulting. He dispenses advice on a Web site called Red Hook Chicken Guy, where he lists the benefits of chicken farming in Brooklyn. (Reason No. 10: “It’s just a cool thing to do.”)

“It’s a good opportunity for kids who have gone to college with degrees in Hungarian literature that they owe $300,000 on,” he said, chuckling.

Communities welcome chickens

2011-11-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Anne Constable writes about how Santa Fe, New Mexico residents are dealing with chickens:

The Eldorado community still isn't completely sure about how it feels about sun-tracking solar collectors sprouting in the subdivision south of Santa Fe.

Now it faces another issue that could divide residents: backyard chickens and goats.

Some say that having a few hens and nannies is a way to live more sustainably; others argue that barnyard animals are smelly, spread disease and would draw more coyotes and rodents to their neighborhoods.

The subdivision's covenants are somewhat ambiguous on the subject.

The section pertaining to household pets states that "no animals, birds or poultry" are allowed, except for "recognized household pets" that may be kept for the "pleasure and use" of occupants.

That language clearly allows residents to have cats and dogs, as well as other inside critters like parakeets, guinea pigs, lizards and fish. But on the surface it would seem to rule out Rhode Island Reds and nubians.

But maybe not.

Some residents say the covenants could be interpreted to allow them because they are as much family pets as the dog and cat.

The board of the Eldorado Community Improvement Association (ECIA) has asked its Sustainability Planning and Education Committee to look into the matter and decide whether to recommend changes in the ECIA's guidelines to clearly permit such animals — and to decide under what conditions they would be permitted. The guidelines assist the board in interpreting the subdivision's covenants.

A working group of the committee, led by Eduardo Krasilovsky, is doing research into how other communities have dealt with the issue and will prepare a report for the committee presenting both sides of the issue, possibly by the end of the year.

"There is no easy answer to this," the ECIA's lawyer, John Hays, said.

In an informal opinion, he said the question hinges on whether hens and goats are generally "recognized household pets." He suggested that one way to address the issue would be to present it to the community. If the community's sense is that hens and goats are OK, then that would support Eldorado's "recognition" of them as household pets.

Deviled Egg Day

2011-11-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Terry Golson, author of the Farmstead Egg Cookbook, gave this advice in the April/May issue of Backyard Poultry magazine:

First… Hard Boiled Eggs

Is the recipe for hard boiled eggs necessary first? Yep! If you’ve ever had an egg that was so tough you could bounce it off the wall,, or an egg with a green lined yolk, or an egg that you couldn’t peel, you need these directions.

That ugly green tinge to a hard-cooked egg yolk is from a reaction of the iron and sulfur in the egg yolks that occurs at high heat. To prevent that just use this method, which cooks but doesn’t boil the eggs. This low temperature will yield a firm, but not rubbery, texture.

Fresh hard cooked or hard boiled eggs can be notoriously hard to peel. Just try removing the shell from an egg laid the previous day, and you’ll end up tossing out half of the white along with the shell. As an egg ages, the membrane around the white begins to separate from the shell. This allows for easier peeling. However, as an egg ages the flavor deteriorates, so the best eggs to hard-cook are between one to two weeks old.

To hard-cook eggs:

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring the water to a simmer. Don’t let the water come to a rolling boil. As soon as the water is simmering, cover the pot and remove from the heat. Set a timer for 12 minutes for small, 16 minutes for large, and 18 minutes for jumbo eggs.

Meanwhile, fill a bowl with ice water. When the timer goes off, drain the water out of the pot. Then shake the pot back and forth so that the eggshells crackle all over. Immediately immerse the eggs in the ice water. The water will seep under the shells and loosen them from the whites.

When the eggs are cold to the touch, remove them from the water and peel. Any tiny pieces of shell stuck to the eggs can be rinsed off under the tap. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days for optimum quality.

Now that you have the perfect hard-cooked eggs, whip up a batch of heavenly deviled eggs.

Deviled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut lengthwise
1/4 cup mayonnaise (I add this a spoon at a time till I get the right consistency)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon juice from Sweet Pickles (the secret ingredient)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Paprika or Old Bay Seasoning for garnish

Remove yolks from whites, place in a small bowl and mash well with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. Fill the shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Cover and refrigerate. ENJOY!

Variations: You can add one (or more) of the following ingredients to change the flavor or add some kick to your deviled eggs:

1 teaspoon horseradish

1 teaspoon chives

Green olives, cut lengthwise

2-3 dashes hot sauce

1 teaspoon sweet red pepper, scallion or green onion or celery (each finely chopped)

1/2 teaspoon onion, garlic or celery salt

1/2 teaspoon Worcester Sauce

(Eliminate table salt when using any of these ingredients.)

Crossroads

2011-10-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pat Foreman called me from Indianapolis yesterday to give me an update on the Crossroads of America Poultry show. She was excited about buying some Colored Dorkings from SPPA president Craig Russell, which she will donate to the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. I took this picture at the Irish Farm section when I visited in 2008. He's a handsome rooster and had a couple of hens, but one of the staff members told me they were all getting old. The hens laid only an occasional egg. So it will be good to get a flock started there again.

Lots of photos of the show are posted at the show blog. Pat tells me over 10,000 birds are being shown.

Who will win the SPPA award of a 1905 edition of the APA Standard? Stay tuned.

Chickens and the law

2011-10-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

Davis, California is another city that finds chickens make good neighbors. Only three people – possibly four – have called the city of Davis in the past year to gripe about chickens.

Among the complaints: a backyard coop that was visible from a front yard, said deputy city manager Kelly Stachowicz.

The rest of the complaints? Hens that had somehow become liberated from their coops and were running free.

"We don't have a whole lot of chicken drama," Stachowicz said. "We cohabitate peacefully with our fowl."

Davis residents have been keeping chickens within city limits since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, and they have advice for Sacramentans, who – come Tuesday – can legally start housing hens in their yards.

The key to making Sacramento's new city code work: how neighbors take to the chickens.

Nashville is getting ready to take the step. The comments following the article encouraged me to keep spreading the word. All the objections come from ignorance, such as the one confidently asserting that "to get eggs, you need a male, called a rooster." Comments to the Davis article are more positive. Perhaps Davis and Nashville need to talk to each other!

A proposal allowing Nashvillians to keep chickens at urban residences –– a hot-button measure defeated just three years ago –– has resurfaced in the Metro Council.

Councilwoman Karen Bennett, the sponsor of several animal-themed bills during her four-year council stint, has filed a bill that would legalize housing chickens –– no more than six –– in urban dwellings, provided various sanitation requirements and other conditions are met.

“I’ve done a lot of research looking at what other sister cities have done, and what has worked for them, and what has not, “Bennett told The City Paper. “I’ve put together, I think, the best fit for Nashville where we can have chickens in the city and be responsible pet owners.”

Big Apple chickens on their way to new home

2011-10-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

A charming story from Manhattan! In the movie "Rocky," the fighter trained by chasing a rooster. I've done it more than once myself. It's definitely a workout.

Check out the link for photos of these nimble birds eluding their captors.

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS -- A wily rooster that evaded capture by two Parks workers and a transit employee over the weekend is now in the custody of the city’s animal shelter system, officials said. Fort Tryon Park turned into a hen run Sunday as parks workers, helped by a passing MTA worker, ducked and dived in a comic effort to corral a rogue rooster and its hen.

The two Urban Park Rangers and an off-duty MTA conductor's scrambling ended with the chicken in a cage — but their efforts were evaded by the rooster, who's still on the lam.

“He’s crazy,” said one of the Rangers of the rooster, which flew into a ramble after being chased by the men with a net. “This is the third time we’ve tried to catch him, but he’s too fast.”

“It was like watching an episode of Roosters Gone Wild,” said MTA conductor Trevor Parkins of the bird that evaded the three men’s advances by ducking into tangles of bush and ivy before flying into the air.

Parkins, who lives in Brooklyn and works on the A train line, often walks through the park during his break time. On Sunday, he stumbled on the chaotic scene.

“The rooster was just like the one on Looney Tunes,” he said, referring to the classic rooster character called Foghorn Leghorn, a Southern gentleman who often got embroiled in mischievous schemes.

Parks officials said the hen would be transported to Animal Care and Control where she will stay until moved to a haven for rescued animals likely outside of the city.

Upper Manhattan is no stranger to urban wildlife and Fort Tryon Park is no exception. Birds of prey, skunk, deer and even coyote have been spotted in the park in past years. Steps away from where the wild rooster hid, a groundhog took in the action Sunday.

Park rangers say that roosters and chickens are commonly found in the parks and often take several attempts to capture.

“We got his wife, so who knows, maybe he’ll give up soon,” said one of the Park Rangers involved in the chase. “We’ll be back.”

For weeks, locals have reported wild rooster sightings near the dog run in Fort Tryon Park. As dogs played in the field, a rooster’s cock-a-doddle-doo often sounded off in the woods.

Occasionally, the wattle-chinned fowl would saunter up the hill with his female companion.

Most locals said the birds seemed to be faring well in the park, but did worry about the birds' health as the weather turns colder.

Washington Heights resident Barbara Kennedy said she though the Parks Department was doing a good job in trying to round up and protect the birds, but hoped they would soon be reunited.

“They should be together,” she said. ‘They were only here for a few weeks, but in poultry life that’s practically an eternity.”

Parks officials caught the bird on Monday .

The black and red bird had been living in Fort Tryon Park with a Rhode Island Red hen for about three weeks until his partner was caught and taken to Animal Care and Control Sunday morning.

According to Empty Cages, an animal rescue group located in the city, the hen and rooster will likely be reunited at an animal sanctuary in Connecticut after a short stay at the city’s animal shelter in Harlem.

Small farm processing

2011-10-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

The state of Connecticut is moving forward in helping small poultry producers process their birds on the farm. The Waterbury Republican-American reported about the first approval from the state Bureau of Regulation and Inspections at the Department of Agriculture:

MarWin first farm in 50 years to get slaughter OK

BY BRIGITTE RUTHMAN REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

NEW HARTFORD — Small poultry farms, like family dairies, were a vanishing breed by the time buzz words like "sustainable agriculture" and "locally grown" began drawing them back.

As part of those trends, MarWin Farm on Steele Road has won the first state license in 50 years to slaughter poultry at its facility. For state inspectors, it meant dusting off the regulations.

"We are new to this," said Wayne Kasacek, assistant director of the state's Bureau of Regulation and Inspections at the Department of Agriculture. "We haven't done slaughter inspections at a poultry facility since the 1960s."

The state publishes a guide to custom slaughtering, but it specifically excludes poultry for sale, so perhaps it's out of date.

Chicken poetry

2011-10-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

Chickens inspire art and literature. I'm always delighted to find examples, such as this one:

Last Night I Dreamed of Chickens

Last night I dreamed of chickens,
there were chickens everywhere,
they were standing on my stomach,
they were nesting in my hair,
they were pecking at my pillow,
they were hopping on my head,
they were ruffling up their feathers
as they raced about my bed.

They were on the chairs and tables,
they were on the chandeliers,
they were roosting in the corners,
they were clucking in my ears,
there were chickens, chickens, chickens
for as far as I could see...
when I woke today, I noticed
there were eggs on top of me.

Jack Prelutsky

More poems from Jack Prelutsky

from PoemHunter.com

Poultry's Grand Old Man

2011-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Modern poultry is blessed with a lot of inspired leaders. Among them, Loyl Stromberg stands out as the Grand Old Man of Poultry. Loyl died September 30, 2011 at the age of 97. He will be missed. I had the privilege of knowing him and visited him several times at his Minnesota home, which was like a poultry art museum. See blog entries from April 26, 2010 and November 5, 2009 for other stories about Loyl. Backyard Poultry magazine invited me to write a profile of him back in 2008. This obituary is taken from that article.

He not only witnessed but participated in many of the changes that the 20th century brought to poultry husbandry. He was the driving force behind the National Poultry Museum. He wrote six books on poultry and traveled the world.

“My best years have been since I turned 70,” he told me from his home in Pine River, Minnesota. His home was located on the two-and-a-half acres his father bought in 1945 for $5,500. The family used the cabin as a vacation retreat until they built a permanent home in 1972, when Loyl’s wife Evelyn moved there. Loyl was researching his book, “Poultry of the World,” at that time. She passed away in 1991.

Loyl’s ruddy round face reflected the joy he found in life. His enthusiasm was infectious, energizing those half his age. He looked jaunty in the plaid cap he wore to shield him from the North Woods wind. Until a few years ago, he lived on his own, with support from his nearby son and daughter-in-law, who still run the family business. He moved to an assisted living facility in town a few years ago.

“A smiling gentleman in a red cap,” Turid Molvik, Danish tour operator who organized five European poultry tours with him, remembers from their first meeting at the Hannover, Germany airport in 1989. The date stands out in her mind for its global historic importance as well as its personal impact: It was the day after the Berlin Wall was torn down. “It was an historical date in European history as well as the start of a great friendship,” she said.

Loyl’s parents Ernst and Josephine Stromberg were farmers and cattle breeders in Otho, Iowa when he was born May 5, 1914. But they soon noticed that the chickens responded to improvements in their care by laying more eggs. The family story recounts that a cousin gave Ernst 100 White Leghorn chicks in 1919. He did well with them, so he converted the cattle barn into a chicken house for the flock, which soon increased to around 1,500 layers.

The next step was acquiring incubators to hatch chicks for sale, establishing one of the first chick hatcheries in Iowa. He bought a Queen, a Klondike and a Buckeye, then found a Jamesway that worked best for him. The incubators were reliable, but they did not include automatic turning. Young Loyl marked the eggs with an X on one side and an O on the other and turned them twice a day, morning and evening.

“I have turned eggs many, many times,” he said.

Stromberg Hatchery was officially established in 1924 in Fort Dodge, Iowa, which had better shipping connections. The building there housed three Buckeye 10,000-egg incubators, holding the eggs in tiers that were tilted twice a day.

“No more hand turning!” he said.

He still had to fill the kerosene containers and clean the wicks every day.

“They started selling all they could hatch,” Loyl recalls. At that time, the profit was $3 per hundred chicks.

Loyl grew up with the chickens. After graduating from high school, he began running the operation at their store on North Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis in 1932. The business was selling a million chicks a year.

“I’ve done everything you can imagine in a hatchery,” he said.

Stromberg’s Hatchery always took an interest in a wide variety of poultry breeds. The company’s goal was to provide the chickens best suited to their customers.

“We found the Danish Brown Leghorn laid large eggs without being subject to prolapse,” he said. “They proved very popular.”

Loyl had made a contact in Santiago, Chile who was able to supply chickens from South America. The Araucana had been introduced to the American public in the April 1927 issue of National Geographic magazine’s issue, devoted to poultry. “We were the first hatchery to offer Araucanas in the U.S.,” he said.

During those Depression years, the company employed 30 people. The women who handled clerical and administrative duties earned $7 a week. The men employed in the hatchery got $17.50 a week. “Times were tough, and men were glad to be employed,” he said.

He attended a cock fight in the forest near Forest Lake, Minnesota once during those years. Cock fighting was illegal then, as it is now. The organizers paid the police $5 to overlook the event, which attracted a large crowd. Betting was heavy among those attending, about 125 people. A bird could be disqualified if it jumped out of the 12’ x 12’ fighting space marked on the floor.

Under his leadership, the Stromberg Hatchery began hatching turkeys, as many as 200,000 a year. By supporting customers with financing for small flocks of 250-300 birds, the company was soon financing 35,000 turkeys a year. He trained as a turkey grader in Omaha, Nebraska.

The 1940s brought changes, starting with the Armistice Day Storm of 1940, which still ranks second of Minnesota’s Top Five Weather Events of the 20^th Century. This early season cyclonic blizzard began on November 11. The day started out warm, with temperatures in the 60s, enticing duck hunters out on to the Mississippi River and Minnesota lakes in light clothing. When the temperature began to drop sharply and the wind began to blow, they were unprepared for the conditions.

Rain turned into sleet, then snow, as the low pressure system brought moisture from the Gulf of Mexico over the southern plains and sucked arctic air from the north into Minnesota, Nebraska, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Iowa and Michigan. Temperatures dropped as much as 50 degrees. Collegeville, Minnesota recorded 27 inches of snow and 16 inches fell in the Twin Cities, blown into drifts by winds of 50-80 mph.

Forty-nine people died in Minnesota, about half of them duck hunters. Stromberg’s lost 13,000 turkeys. Although the birds were insured for three cents apiece, the resulting insurance wrangle made the company withdraw from insuring turkeys for the next five years. When the company decided to offer insurance again, it was at 25 cents per bird. Loyl turned his attention to the European war.

“With the start of World War II, I thought I’d better take flying lessons,” he said. “I’d rather be in the air than on the ground as a foot soldier.”

He eventually decided flying wasn’t for him, and he was automatically deferred from active service because poultry was an essential industry. He stayed at home and continued working in the business. The war had reduced the available employees.

Loyl continued to manage the business until 1962, when egg consumption dropped 30 percent in response to medical reports that eggs increased cholesterol. The family made the decision to close the hatchery.

In 1969, he created the first Stromberg’s catalog. It offered many exotics, including many breeds of rabbits, kittens, puppies and even bear cubs. Loyl’s collection of catalogs tells the tale: Ocelots, zebras, and a whole page of monkeys were available by mail order. They were never a big part of the business, and the increasing complexities of live animal shipping eventually ended that aspect of the business.

The hatchery’s connections to superior breeders provided a resource for top quality chicks of many breeds. Duane Urch of Urch/Turnland Poultry in Owatonna, Minnesota, now a highly respected poultry breeder and judge, has known Loyl for more than 50 years. Loyl attended Urch’s wedding to Phyllis 46 years ago, and Loyl and Ev attended the Urches’ son’s wedding in 1991.

“He got us started in Silver Campines,” Mr. Urch said. Stromberg’s was the source for Cubalayas from an original Cuban line.

“They were a lot better than they are nowadays,” he said.

“He has certainly been instrumental in providing an outlet for quality poultry over the years,” said Craig Russell, current president of the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities.

The business moved to Minnesota in 1972.

Loyl’s interest in rare breeds drew him to Neil Jones, who founded the Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities in 1967. The organization floundered in those early months, and Loyl’s impassioned article on the plight of isolated breeders in the July 1967 Poultry Press galvanized support and launched the new organization.

Enthusiasm flagged again by 1971, and Jones resigned. Loyl convened a meeting to save the SPPA at the Apache Plaza Show in Minneapolis in October 1971. Enough breeders were willing to commit the time and energy to make the organization succeed. Officers were elected, including Loyl as First Vice President, and objectives defined.

“He twisted several people’s arms to get them to take officers’ jobs,” said Mr. Urch, who took the position of secretary-treasurer in 1971 and served in that role until 1978. Mr. Urch served several years as first vice president and was president from 1989-1996.

“The SPPA owes their life to him,” he said.

Loyl produced the first Breeders Directory, he and his wife doing all the work and then paying for the printing.

“He has provided encouragement and money at a couple of key times,” said Mr. Russell.

Loyl continues to support SPPA and often contributes to the quarterly Bulletin.

“Loyl has been a tireless friend of the SPPA,” said Mr. Russell. “He has been responsible for whatever success the SPPA has enjoyed.”

He became a world traveler. International poultry events have made him an unofficial American poultry ambassador. In 1984 he attended the World Poultry Congress in Helsinki, Finland, where he met Dr. F. Orozco Pinan, a vice president of the World’s Poultry Science Association. It was there that he learned of Brazil’s Musician Fowl, one of the longest crowing birds in the world, and the champion Denizli Rooster from Turkey, which can crow 25 seconds or even longer!

The European contacts became hosts for the Poultry Tour of Europe, launched in 1985. It attracted about 20 participants each of the six times he led it. The groups toured Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, the Netherlands and England. Each tour visited the famous Hannover Poultry Show in Germany, where 20,000 or more birds were exhibited.

Several participants joined the tour more than once, turning the group into a gathering of friends. The groups visited local breeders to see their birds, as well as the bird parks and poultry museums of Europe.

“Loyl’s knowledge and contacts with breeders are unique,” said Ms. Molvik. “Everybody knew him and his books. Planning the tours was a pleasure. When I mentioned Loyl’s name, the response was always: ‘We are so happy you are letting us meet him! When do you arrive?’ Everywhere, we were greeted with open arms.”

He was inspired to write a book on the birds he saw. At the 1992 conference in Amsterdam, he met World Poultry Science Association president Dr. Yoshio Yamamoto, and five Russian poultry scientists, four of whom spoke perfect English. Noborou Suzuki of Japan and two Chinese poultry experts helped him cover poultry from their countries. “Poultry of the World,” published in 1996.

“Mr. Suzuki supplied the best pictures of breeds in Japan,” he said.

As he traveled the world, he acquired poultry souvenirs of every ethnic variation, expressed in every possible artistic medium: Silk embroidered Cochins from China, a black ebony carved chicken from Africa, glass chickens from Denmark. Although Loyl wasn’t interested in history as taught in school, he found himself fascinated with it as an adult.

“Teachers put so much emphasis on dates,” he said. “I’m interested on a whole other level.”

After seeing the Netherlands’ Poultry Museum in Amsterdam, he became determined that the U.S. should have its own museum to honor and preserve this significant part of our history. By 1994, the first building was dedicated, on the grounds of the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas. Loyl and other poultry leaders, including Dr. John Skinner of the University of Wisconsin, donated machines and materials that reflect poultry history, such as bone crushers and an Oats Sprouter – two important poultry tools that heralded improvements in chick starter and poultry nutrition. Dr. John Salsbury and his family of Charles City, Iowa, have been generous supporters.

“He has done yeoman’s work on the poultry museum,” said Mr. Russell.

Examples of early incubators include the coal, oil and kerosene burners that preceded electrical incubators. The museum has a three-deck Jamesway incubator. The most popular of its vintage was the Old Trusty, which sold for $15 at the turn of the 20^th century. In 1902, over 200,000 of these were exported from the U.S. to other countries.

“Loyl is an absolute diehard believer in poultry," said National Ag Center CEO Tim Daugherty. "It is his mission, his drive, to see this put together."

Loyl has also written “Sexing All Fowl: Baby Chicks, Game Birds and Cage Birds” (1977), “Swan Breeding and Management” (1986), “Caponizing, Modern Management and Profitable Marketing” (1980), “Exhibiting Poultry for Pleasure and Profit” (1978), “Pea Fowl Breeding and Management” (1985), and a book for his high school classmates, “Memories of the Class of 32: Where Did They Go, What Did They Do?” in 1979. In 1992, he compiled “Poultry Oddities, History and Folklore.”

Stromberg’s Chicks & Gamebirds Unlimited, www.strombergschickens.com, still offers over 200 breeds and varieties of birds, including chickens, wild and domestic waterfowl, turkeys, game birds including quail, pheasants and chukars, guinea fowl, peafowl, pigeons and doves. The business stopped hatching its own birds in 1962, and now relies on established, reputable suppliers across the Midwest. His son Loy and daughter-in-law Janet are now in charge of the business. Grandson Carl majored in poultry science at the University of Minnesota. He travels for a German firm, FarmerAutomatic, supplying large egg factory farms. Grandson Erin works for a financial company, Ameriprise.

Loyl’s long life has given him many opportunities to promote poultry, and poultry has blessed his life in return. His home is a living museum of art commemorating his career. Every piece has a story, and he tells them like the professional he is. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear some of those stories personally. Poultry lovers everywhere can be grateful that he has directed his energy and intelligence to our cause. He will be missed.

New York Chickens get a grant!

2011-09-28T15:21:00.000-07:00

Brook Park Chickens got $700 to engage volunteers to build the first chicken coop in Brook Park, providing residents with access to humanely raised chickens and eggs. “Chicken Deputies” will be appointed from local schools to monitor chicken and egg production.

The grant was one of 19 awarded to community groups as part of Change by Us NYC (nyc.changeby.us), a website that enables New Yorkers to connect with each other and with City government to create projects for improving their neighborhoods and our City. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the grants. Change by Us NYC, launched by the City in July, is currently focused on projects that answer the question “How can we make our city a greener, greater place to live?” Grants were awarded to projects on the website in three categories: community gardening and agriculture, composting, and tree and park stewardship – some of the focus areas outlined in PlaNYC, the City’s roadmap for creating its sustainable future.

“Change by Us NYC has given the City a way to interact with and support many community groups and civic-minded New Yorkers in all five boroughs,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “From planting new gardens to growing sustainable food, these projects will help make New York City greener and greater.”

The chickens are getting good coverage in the news media. Everyone's excited about chickens!

Chicken Whisperer follow-up

2011-09-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Greg Ellis runs Garden Matchmaking, a dating service for gardens. He's doing some great work.

The National Heirloom Expo was held in September. I wore my Have You Hugged Your Chicken Today tee shirt from Backyard Poultry magazine. Every time I wear it, I get lots of smiles and comments.

The Heritage Breeds Cross Stitch patterns will look great on shirts. Susan Cantor makes a quilt from mens' neckties with a poultry design for the raffle at the annual Poultry Science Association meeting. She needs more ties to make next year's quilt. Send your poultry ties to:

Austin H. Cantor, Ph.D., P.A.S., associate professor, Department of Animal & Food Sciences, 606 W. P. Garrigus Bldg., University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0215. Call him at 895-257-7531 or email him at austin.cantor@uky.edu.

Books we discussed include:

The Small-Scale Poultry Flock by Harvey Ussery.
The most comprehensive and definitive guide to date on raising all-natural poultry, for homesteaders or farmers seeking to close their loop, The Small-Scale Poultry Flock offers a practical and integrative model for working with chickens and other domestic fowl, based entirely on natural systems. Including extensive information on:

Formulating and making your own feed
How to breed and brood the flock (for breed improvement and for genetic conservation), including the most complete guide to working with broody hens available anywhere
Providing more of the flock’s feed from sources grown or self-foraged on the home place, including production of live protein feeds using earthworms and soldier grubs
Using poultry to increase soil fertility, control crop-damaging insects, and tmake compost—including systems for pasturing and tillage of cover crops and weeds
Step-by-step butchering—one of the best guides available—complete with extensive illustrative photos.

American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection, available from the APA.

The American Bantam Association 2011 Yearbook, available from the ABA.

Poultry Science, Chicken Culture: A Partial Alphabet by Susan Merrill Squier. A collection of engrossing, witty, and thought-provoking essays about the chicken—the familiar domestic bird that has played an intimate part in our cultural, scientific, social, economic, legal, and medical practices and concerns since ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

Talking Chicken by Kelly Klober, www.acresusa.com. Practical advice on heirloom chickens and eggs.

Enjoy! There's always lots going on in the poultry world.

Chicken Tunnels

2011-09-23T07:56:00.001-07:00

Although allowing your chickens to free-range a great idea, getting them to just stay on the grass and not destroy your garden is not an easy thing to do. They don’t seem to listen and wander about blissfully digging up your garden, making mounds in your vegetable patch, spraying dirt all over the place as they go hunting for bugs, worms and insects.

In a previous post we mention creating a series of wire “tunnels” that emerge from the chicken coop and direct chickens to work zones around the garden.

The tunnels are like a road network system that chickens are allowed to navigate through and then emerge at their designated “work zone” in the garden, usually an area covered in weeds or an old garden bed that needs some attention.

These old parts of the garden are a chicken paradise. Because its been neglected, there’s usually tasty critters hidden under the soil just waiting for the chickens to scratch up a treat. In return the chickens deposit a little fertilizer and do a lot of the physical work of turning the soil over preparing the garden bed for you. Keeping the system modular allows for flexibility in directing the chickens to where you want them to garden and also keeps them off sensitive parts of the garden.

Bruce Morgan the Chicken Tunnel guy explains his system in this YouTube video clip. You’ll get a better idea how light and easy to construct his tunnels are from watching the clip.

Thanks for these great ideas, Bruce!

National Heirloom Expo

2011-09-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

The National Heirloom Expo at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa was a huge success! I arrived late Tuesday and spent part of the day Wednesday there. Kids were arriving on school buses on Wednesday. What a great event for them, a taste of something less structured and corporate.

The organic popcorn was delicious. The Corn Stalk of Life weaving I longed for was outside my budget, but it’s in my mind now and inspiring me to think of my own handwork and how I can incorporate those ideas.

The poultry show was great! Kim Consol brought her Silver Gray Dorkings from Star Rose Ranch, and I was delighted to have a chance to meet her. She had a display to explain about heirloom chickens in general and Dorkings in particular. She brought lots of livestock: her Dexter heifer behind us, American Guinea hogs and St. Croix Hair Sheep as well as the chickens. I fell in love with her beautiful cow.

The poultry show attracted about 150 birds, not a huge amount, but a good showing for its focus on traditional breeds. I saw Auburn Javas, which I hadn’t seen in person before, although I’ve written about them in Backyard Poultry. There were some Mottled Javas, too. The stately Buff Orpington rooster took Best of Show, well deserved. Other breeds, both large fowl and bantam, shown included: Light and Speckled Sussex, Australorps and Black and White Ameraucanas, Brown Leghorns and Blue Andalusians. Marans were shown in Black Copper, the only recognized variety thus far, Blue Copper, Cuckoo and Splash, next to the Penedesencas. I wondered if they were grouped by dark egg color. Spangled Orloffs were there, and both silver laced and golden laced Wyandottes. Buckeyes were shown both as large fowl and as bantams. White, Blue and Wheaten Araucanas, Black and Blue Sumatras, another variety I had never seen. Wheaten Shamos stood tall, but the Black Shamo took reserve champion Large Fowl. Naked Necks got some attention. They looked like lovely birds. Silver penciled and Golden Penciled Hamburgs, Buttercups, Dominiques and Barred Rocks, both large fowl and bantam. Salmon Faverolles, a Black Frizzle Cochin and a Blue Cochin, a buff laced Polish frizzle.

Bantams were represented by Sebrights, Belgian Bearded d’Anvers, in Mille Fleur and Quail varieties, Mille Fleur d’Uccles, Kashimo Wheaten bantam, Modern Game bantams and several Nankins. The Speckled Sussex rooster was Champion Bantam, quite good size and an impressive bird.

There were lots of turkeys, most if not all from the Ryan Family Farm in Sebastopol. Tony and Lenore Ryan brought Sweetgrass and these Harvest Gold turkeys, the first I’ve seen of them. Tom Walker in Texas has told me about them, so I expected beautiful birds and was not disappointed! He brought several Bronze and a pair of Royal Palms, Narragansetts, Black, Slate and White Hollands.

Ducks were well represented: Welsh Harlequin and Magpie, Fawn and White Runners, a Black Muscovy hen who stole my heart.

There were a few geese: two Toulouse, one Buff and two Sebastopols. This is one of them.

Three Pearl Guineas looked better than any I’ve seen recently.

I was excited to connect with a high school teacher who is leading a poultry club that focuses on traditional birds. One brought his Brahma rooster, a gorgeous bird even if he didn’t win, and they brought all the Nankins. I hope to connect with her and encourage her work with this group. Meeting Jeannette Beranger, program manager and Alison Martin, research and technical program director for the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, in person was a treat. The Internet is great, but there’s nothing like seeing people face to face.

It was worth the five-hour drive! I look forward to future expos. Thanks, Jere Gettle and Petaluma Seed Bank and Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company for organizing it.

Slate turkey

2011-09-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

An unusual wild turkey appeared in this year's group of poults. He's slate, although with other colors mixed in. I've seen him in the neighborhood, but this morning I heard him and his cohorts in the yard and got some photos. He contrasts with his five brothers.

He may be emerging as a leader. He was certainly loud in his juvenile hoots. He was more wary than the others. I tried to get a picture of him last week when I passed a group in the car. As soon as I stopped the car and got out the camera, he was the first to leave, amid much flapping.

Turkeys are all one breed, with color variations emerging naturally. This one may result from some crossing in the past with domestic turkeys, white or Royal Palm, or simply be a natural sport, the term for an unexpected color variation.

I'm glad to see a good group of youngsters this year. I've seen mothers over the past months, every time with fewer poults following them around. This group of young men is encouraging.

I hadn't let the chickens out yet when they came by. I wonder if they would have stayed longer if the chickens were there.

They sparred a bit, the slate tom pushing the others around. He's got some size advantage over some of them, but not all. Here's a handsome fellow with more usual plumage.

Ross Simpson's drawing of color variations among turkey feathers is a good way to envision the possibilities. Domestic turkeys have been selectively bred in lots of colors, but this is the most unusual one I've seen in the wild.

National Heirloom Expo

2011-09-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'll be attending the National Heirloom Expo at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California on Wednesday, September 14. The expo runs from the 13th through the 15th. I'm sorry I can't be there all three days, but I'm happy I was able to arrange my schedule to be there at least one day.

Kim will be bringing his Dorkings to the Heirloom Breeds Show. He hasn't shown them before but he's one of the few people in California keeping them. So having any Dorkings there at all will be a treat, and an education for all who see them.

The poultry event will be judged by American Poultry Assoc. judge Walt Leonard. The prize for Best of Show will be $500; for Reserve Champion $200!

There's also an heirloom livestock show, sponsored by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. I'm eager to see the other farm animals on display.

Events like this are a wonderful opportunity to meet other breeders and learn what's working for them. See you there!

Central Coast Feather Fanciers sale

2011-09-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Central Coast Feather Fanciers will hold their Fall Poultry Sale Sept. 17th at Templeton Feed and Grain, 9 am - noon. It's the time of year that breeders are thinning their flocks, so these birds are excellent. It's a great way to get started or add to your flock. Young layers and exhibition quality birds will be among the sale birds.

Coming to the sale gives you a chance to visit with these breeders and get ideas for moving your flock forward. If you are keeping a few hens for eggs, this is the place to acquire hens from top egg production lines that are also beautiful. Try a breed you haven't owned before.

I've been delighted with my Speckled Sussex, who came to me from CCFF president Larry Stallings. CCFF member Barbara Bullock owns these Buttercups. No guarantees either of these breeds will be available, but be assured that the birds you find will be delightful.

Win at Crossroads!

2011-08-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

The Society for Preservation of Poultry Antiquities will award the winner of Best Rare Breed at Crossroads Poultry Show in Indianapolis a copy of the 1905 Standard of Perfection. Cash awards will also be given to winners in all categories.

"SPPA is delighted to share our fascinating poultry heritage with other poultry lovers," said Mary Ann Harley, SPPA vice president. "I look forward to seeing many wonderful birds at Crossroads. Which one will win this prize? Our judges will have the wonderful experience of seeing them all."

SPPA maintains a collection of antique poultry books and magazines, managed by historian Christine Heinrichs in California. In August, she provided research from the collection to members inquiring about Crevecoeurs, Jersey Blues and Rhode Island Whites. The collection got its start from a generous donation by Louis Meyi of New Orleans. Other donors have contributed additional books and magazines. The 1905 Standard is a duplicate copy from the collection.

The volume measures six inches by eight inches and has a dark green cover embossed in gold. A Polish rooster is impressed on the cover, although it's not visible in this image. It is illustrated with original drawings by noted poultry artist Franklane Sewell. The American Poultry Association still relies on Sewell’s drawings, and Robert Frost mentioned him in his poem about his favorite hen, “A Blue Ribbon at Amesbury.”

Cornish were called Cornish Indians in 1905, judged in the Oriental Games and Bantams class. There were only six American breeds, four Mediterranean, three English. The Continental Class had not yet been consolidated, so Polish, Dutch and French had their own classes.

Stop by SPPA’s table at Crossroads to see the book on display.

Enter your birds for a chance to win this unique book. To be eligible, join SPPA by sending $15 to Dr. Charles Everett, 1057 Nick Watts Rd., Lugoff, SC 29078, (803) 960-2114 or join online at http://poultrybookstore.com before October 1. Participate by adding your financial donation to the prize. Prizes will be awarded for Champion and Reserve Champion Rare Breed Large Fowl, American Class; Champion Rare Breed Duck; Champion Rare Breed Turkey; Champion and Reserve Champion RCCL Bantam; Champion and Reserve Champion SCCL Bantam. Donate $80 to contribute $10 to each award. Donations are tax-deductible.

Be part of history. Help conserve historic breeds.

Avian Influenza

2011-08-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

The World Health Organization reports that a six-year-old girl has died from Avian Influenza in Cambodia. While this is tragic, it's worth remembering that the Highly Pathogenic form, H5N1, does not exist on North America or South America. Although the virus that causes Avian Influenza can theoretically be carried by migratory waterfowl, years of sampling in Alaska have discovered no infected birds. None. Not one.

Even the US Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center emphasizes that there are no cases and no evidence that wild birds can transmit HPAI to people or to backyard chickens:

"Researchers have no evidence that the Asian strains of HPAI H5N1 are present in wild birds or poultry in the North American continent. "

Backyard flocks present no documented hazard to anyone. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Oriental Games

2011-08-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

I’ll be discussing Horst Schmudde’s excellent book on Oriental Gamefowl with The Chicken Whisperer on Tuesday, August 23. Check out my blog posts from February 13, 2009 and November 19, 2009 for information about the book and this group of chickens. This beautiful painting is from Lewis Wright's 1890 Illustrated Book of Poultry.

In the process of writing an article about Egyptian Fayoumis with Kermit Blackwood this month, I learned more about the history of Games in India. The Asil in India fought as a proxy for the gods in religious ceremonies as well as for sport. Asils came overland from India with traders to Canaan, present-day Israel. There, the Canaanites, the Hebrew people of the Levant, bred it selectively into an egg-layer, the first egg production breed. Chicken and eggs play a prominent role in Jewish cookery. These historic Hebrews were probably the first people to mix eggs into flour to make bread and noodles. Chickens and their contributions to the diet were one of the cultural additions incorporated into Roman life after the Romans conquered the Middle East.

That Game background influenced not only the Fayoumi, but spread into Mediterranean breeds such as the Leghorn and Minorca and the Lakenvelder. Ultimately, through the Fayoumi, it influenced Silver Campines and Friesans, which have plumage similar to Fayoumis.

Tune in to The Chicken Whisperer Tuesday for the discussion.

Raising drug-resistant diseases in industrial flocks

2011-08-14T07:29:00.001-07:00

Results of a new study show that poultry raised on farms that have shifted to organic practices have significantly lower levels of antibiotic- and multi-drug resistant enterococci bacteria.

Use of antibiotics in conventional animal food production has been linked to the rise in strains of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to one or multiple antibiotics. The results suggest that removing antibiotic use from large-scale poultry farms in the US “can result in immediate and significant reductions in antibiotic resistance for some bacteria,” according to “Lower Prevalance of Antibiotic-resistant Enterococci on U.S. Conventional Poultry Farms that Transitioned to Organic Practices,” published in the August 10 online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.

We initially hypothesized that we would see some differences in on-farm levels of antibiotic-resistant enterococci when poultry farms transitioned to organic practices. But we were surprised to see that the differences were so significant across several different classes of antibiotics even in the very first flock that was produced after the transition to organic standards, explained Dr. Amy R. Sapkota, the study’s lead researcher, an assistant professor with the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health. “It is very encouraging.

The scientists found that 67% of Enterococcus faecalis obtained from poultry from conventional poultry farms were resistant to the antibiotic erythromycin, while only 18% of the bacteria from newly organic poultry farms were resistant to it. Significant differences were also found in levels of multi-drug resistant bacteria – organisms resistant to three or more antimicrobial classes, according to the report.

Well, duh. If you stop the practices that are known to cause antibiotic resistance and interrupt that cycle, fewer dangerously resistant germs develop. It's gratifying to see this supported by research, but it's obvious. Pressure from the industry requires that plain facts be demonstrated repeatedly, then ignored.

Recently in California a court overturned the plastic bag industry's demand that plastic bags couldn't be banned without requiring the community to produce an environmental impact report. No report required for use of plastic bags, though.

Enough grumpiness! Every person who keeps a few chickens is one less customer for the egg industry and will see the meat industry differently.

Poultry quilt auction

2011-08-11T22:05:00.001-07:00

The Poultry Science Association Annual Meeting, Saturday July 16 through Tuesday, July 19, will include a silent auction to benefit the PSA Foundation during the Awards Reception. Be sure to bring your poultry "stuff" to the meeting to raise funds for the Foundation in a fun way. Austin and Susan Cantor, University of Kentucky, are again generously donating a handcrafted quilt to the PSA Foundation. The quilt features covers from nine volumes of The Journal of Applied Poultry Research, shown here. Last year, a total of $1,300 was raised through raffle ticket sales during the week of the Annual Meeting.

For the past few years, Susan Cantor (with a little help from husband Austin) has created a quilt with a poultry theme for the Poultry Science Association raffle at the annual meeting. This year the theme will be developed using men's ties with poultry motifs.

She is looking for men's ties she can cut up and use for the quilt.

If you have poultry-related ties please send them to Austin Cantor at:

Austin H. Cantor, Ph.D., P.A.S.

Associate Professor

Department of Animal & Food Sciences

606 W. P. Garrigus Bldg.

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY 40546-0215

Telephone: 859-257-7531

FAX: 859-323-1027

E-mail: austin.cantor@uky.edu

National Heirloom Exposition

2011-08-10T09:43:00.000-07:00

The National Heirloom Exposition will be held September 13, 14, and 15, 2011 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. It will include a Garden Art Show, a Giant Pumpkin Contest, Produce Exhibits, and a Poultry and Livestock Show. Poultry will be judged by APA judge Walt Leonard. The prize for Best of Show will be $500; for Reserve Champion $200!

Entries are free.

Contact Paul Wallace, The Petaluma Seed Bank (707) 509-5171, heirloomexpo@gmail.com.

Pullets starting to lay!

2011-08-08T10:45:00.001-07:00

Our large White Dorking hen started up a loud egg announcement this morning, so I went out to see what she was cackling about. She doesn't usually bother with so much fuss. No egg in her usual egg box, but my eye was drawn to the corner of the coop beneath it: two lovely light brown eggs!

Perhaps she was claiming credit for them, or perhaps she simply wanted to get attention to these unnoticed eggs. Whatever it was, I was excited to find that the new pullets -- at least one of them -- are laying. They are both the same lovely light tan, so perhaps they are both from Lady Fanny, the Light Sussex. I expect the Partridge Rock will lay darker eggs, but time will tell.

Eggs always feel like a sweet gift. Thanks, girls.

Humane treatment

2011-08-03T14:19:00.001-07:00

A study from the University of Kansas and University of Michigan supports the idea that consumers will pay more for information on humane animal treatment. It's a cautionary report from sources entrenched in supporting the food animal industry.

"When initially asked, 61.7% and 62.0% of survey respondents indicated they would be in favor of mandatory labeling of pork produced on farms using gestation crates/stalls and of eggs produced using laying hen cages, respectively. A series of subsequent survey questions were asked and models estimated to evaluate demand for mandatory labeling. The typical U.S. resident was estimated to be willing to pay about 20% higher prices for pork and egg products in exchange for mandatory labeling information conveying the use (or lack thereof) of gestation crates/stalls or laying hen cages. This estimate is prone to what economists call hypothetical bias suggesting it may overstate actual demand and hence should probably be considered an upper-bound . Several factors were identified to influence the willingness to pay of survey respondents. Females and younger consumers stated higher demand. The perceived accuracy of animal welfare information provided by livestock industries relative to consumer groups was also identified as an important demand determinant."

I liked that women and younger people were more concerned than men and older people. The market of the future will demand better treatment for their animals.

The August 2011 issue of National Geographic features Homes for Hens, photographed by Ed Thompson in England.

"Does a coddled hen catch your eye? It is a curious sight. But it also represents a serious issue. Year-and-a-half-old hens in British battery farms—known as factory farms in the U.S.—are deemed expendable, despite having several years to live and many eggs to give. These images show how folks are opening their hearts and homes to these refugee birds."

These people are not only willing to spend more for humane treatment, they are willing to step up and provide better treatment for hens who have been in that industrial system to make their lives better. I hope the members of the American Egg Board read National Geographic!

Graduate degree in Backyard Flocks

2011-08-01T14:24:00.001-07:00

Darrin M. Karcher, PhD, Poultry Extension Specialist is looking for an undergraduate who may be looking for an M.S. "I am trying to identify an individual who would work on a Masters revolving around programming for backyard flocks. Any leads would be greatly appreciated. I would look to fill this position ASAP," he writes.

Anyone out there interested? Or know some bright young person who'd like to be in the forefront of this great movement?

Contact Darrin at:
Dept. of Animal Science, Michigan State University
1287 Anthony Hall
East Lansing, MI 48824-1225

Phone: 517-775-0485
Skype: DMKarcher

F: 517-353-1699
dkarcher@msu.edu

Rent-a-Chicken

2011-07-17T08:51:00.001-07:00

Down Under in Australia, some chicken folks have come up with a good idea: Rent-a-Chicken:

CLUCKY Victorian families who want fresh eggs but are afraid to commit are renting chickens to try before they buy.

Sarah McKay, 37, dreamed of bringing up chickens in her Greensborough back yard, but was not sure she could handle them.

So when she heard about rental chickens she jumped at the chance.

"It was something I always wanted to do, but it just seems like a really big thing," she said. "I didn't want to just launch into it."

The mum of two convinced her husband, Nathan, 42, and at Easter they paid $150 to rent a coop and two female chickens, Maggie and Bianca, who have become part of the family.

"It really allowed us to see exactly what it was going to be like," she said.

This is a great idea, a way for interested folks to try out chickens as a home project without getting involved in building a permanent coop and making the full commitment. Thanks for finding another route to extend better chicken welfare and better food to more people. Every person who keeps a few hens for eggs is one less customer for the egg industry.

Hobby Farm Home

2011-07-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

The September/October issue of Hobby Farm Home features my article about Chickens in the Classroom on the cover. It's also posted on the web site.

The article was fun to write. I talked with old friends and made some new ones about how they are using chickens in the classroom. There's so much to learn and chickens provide an entry point for every subject I could think of. Chickens engage kids' interest and get them focused on what's going on. Kids. like this boy, love chickens.

Find it at your local bookstore.

Pet Chickens

2011-07-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

A local reporter has some fun with the Silkies who live there. This is Snooki and Gaga.

The article alerted me to the news that Tori Spelling carries around her pet white Silkie, Coco.
Chickens have been regaining the status that they enjoyed in past cultures. These high-profile chickens help acquaint the chicken-less public with the charming side of chickens. Thanks for brightening my day!

All Cooped Up

2011-07-06T08:56:00.001-07:00

Dedicated poultry judge Pat Lacey has applied herself to the task of recording the history of the American Bantam Association. She has published it as All Cooped Up, available from major booksellers for $19.99. Order it from her personally and she'll sign it for you, as I got mine. I do that for readers who purchase books from me.

Pat has researched her subject thoroughly and has documented fascinating details, such as the inability of breeders to agree on standards at the first American poultry shows in 1849 and 1850. Imagine the uproar! That chaos and contention led to the establishment of the APA and then the ABA. Her chapter on the Pioneers, Artists and Illustrators of the ABA could inspire books in themselves, biographies of the amazing people who devoted their time and talents to poultry. Information on these individuals is difficult to find and Pat has done us all a real service by compiling it and making it available.

Pat has included a section of illustrations that I've never seen before, such as the 100 men of the APA in 1874 and pictures of F.L. Sewell and A. O. Schilling. I'm confident that I'll refer to this book for research in the future. It will enrich the work I do on history of poultry breeds. It tells a compelling story of the personalities and events that mark American poultry history.

It's also available as an e-book. Thanks for adding this important work to our poultry heritage, Pat!

New girls in town

2011-07-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

The Speckled Sussex, here in front, is perhaps slightly more lively than her Partridge Rock sister, center, but they are a good pair. The two hens have taken a serious interest in educating these new girls. They are all getting along well. Buttercup hen Rosie keeps an eye on the young girls.

Barred Plymouth Rocks were recognized in the first Standard of Excellence in 1874, but the Partridge variety wasn't recognized until 1910, along with the Columbian. White, Buff and Silver Penciled varieties had already been accepted. The latest variety added was the Blue in 1920.

The Partridge color pattern is beautiful. Each feather has three or more pencil marks on it. The Standard specifies that "Pencilings in all Partridge varieties should be distinct in sharp contrast to the ground color, be regular in shape, uniform in width, and conform to the contour of the feather."

This young pullet has penciling that gleams iridescent green in the sun. I haven't been able to capture it in a photo. I find in the 1921 Second Edition of the APA Plymouth Rock and Standard Book that "Lustrous, greenish-black pencilings sometimes appear and are very pretty, though the Standard does not require penciling of such pronounced black." Only a pullet, and already a star.

New pullets!

2011-06-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

Two new pullets joined my flock yesterday! A Speckled Sussex and a Partridge Rock, four months old, hatched in February. They are adorable, like leggy young teenagers. We introduced them to our current two girls, the White Dorking we hatched last June and the Buttercup we acquired from friend Barbara Bullock, last night before sunset.

We placed them in a cage inside the chicken house, where they could spend the evening and the early morning getting acquainted. We planned to separate them with a fence for a few more days, but these girls short-circuited that. They promptly flew to the top of the fence and over into the run with the grown-ups.

It's going well thus far. I put plenty of scratch along the run. The run gives them plenty of space to escape, when they need to. For now, everyone is settled down to scratching and packing.

I was excited to have the opportunity to acquire this Speckled Sussex from Larry Stallings, APA judge and local president of the Central Coast Feather Fanciers. She's a beauty -- I'll post pictures soon. This illustration was originally a free gift with Feathered World magazine back in 1912. It's reproduced in David Scrivener's Popular Poultry Breeds. From top left to right, it shows Brown, Light Speckled and Red varieties.

The illustration of Speckled Sussex was also included with your 1929 Feathered World magazine. The Sussex was developed from English flocks in that county in the late 19th century, recognized in the early 20th century as a distinct breed with four varieties.

Welcome to my flock!

National Geographic targets heritage breeds

2011-06-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Food Ark

"A crisis is looming: To feed our growing population, we’ll need to double food production. Yet crop yields aren’t increasing fast enough, and climate change and new diseases threaten the limited varieties we’ve come to depend on for food. Luckily we still have the seeds and breeds to ensure our future food supply—but we must take steps to save them."

The article opens with a two-page spread of heritage chicken breeds, including this Silver Gray Dorking rooster, and includes them as important to food security. I like to think my work helped influence featuring chickens prominently.

"People eat more eggs and poultry than ever, but the world’s reliance on a few high-yielding breeds is edging out hundreds of others: Nearly a third of chicken breeds are at risk of extinction. That’s alarming because many varieties have traits, like heat or pathogen resistance, that could be invaluable in the future."

The article also notes that the legacy knowledge of breeders is vital to conserving heritage breeds.

"Still, storing seeds in banks to bail us out of future calamities is only a halfway measure. Equally worthy of saving is the hard-earned wisdom of the world's farmers, generations of whom crafted the seeds and breeds we now so covet. Perhaps the most precious and endangered resource is the knowledge stored in farmers' minds."

The article takes a broad view of the subject and covers important points, such as the claim that only high-yield hybrid crops can feed the world. The opposite is true: those crops are depleting the soil and pointing the world toward food shortages. Thanks to National Geographic for taking on this important issue.

Hawk Attack!

2011-06-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

LeeAnn Dunnington of Indiana took an amazing photo of her rooster, Kernal, defending his flock from a hawk flying down to attack. It's published on page 53 of the current, June/July issue of Backyard Poultry magazine.

LeeAnn writes amusingly about Kernal's flock management, apparently modeled on Foghorn Leghorn. Roosters can be buffoons, but their courage and solicitous care for their flock can't be doubted. They set another high standard of courtly behavior for us!

Thanks, LeeAnn, for sharing your story and photos with us.

Bantam News! 2011 Yearbook and Legbands

2011-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

Karen Unrath, ABA secretary, writes:

We have extended the ABA Yearbook Ad Deadline of June 20th, 2011 . I have included the information you will need to use if you want to be part of this book. You can also visit our website at www.bantamclub.com and submit an ad that way. Any questions, please email Karen Unrath at fancybantams@embarqmail.com. A big Thank You goes to all who support this year's book. We anticipate this year's book to be a winner! With your support - we can guarantee a quality product to enjoy for many years!

[This photo is Rusty Hart's lovely Pyncheon bantam cockerel.]

We do have some Premium Pages still available at $200 ea. These are located in the top positions of the book and are in FULL COLOR. They are offered on a first come, first serve basis. If you have an interest in any of these spots, please let me know via return email and we can work it out.

On another note, the 2011 Legbands are still available and can also be ordered on our website . They are .35 ea plus a $5 shipping and handling fee. The particulars were part of the newsletter which you should have recently received. Here is an article submitted by Russell Crevoiserat which may help those who use these for large fowl and waterfowl. Thanks again and enjoy!!

ABA Leg Bands on Large Fowl & Waterfowl

By Russell Crevoiserat, NH

The ABA has been receiving requests about sizing the seamless ABA leg band for use on large poultry. While some may ponder how a bantam size leg band would fit a large fowl, the answer lies in the fact that several years ago, the ABA began selling 18 and 20 millimeter bands for well-feathered feather leg bantams. As some breeders have discovered, these leg bands work just as well on some large fowl.

The ABA provides leg bands sized in millimeters as follows: 10, 11, 13, 15, 18 and 20. It would appear the 13, 15, 18 and 20 millimeters sizes will be most applicable to large fowl poultry. Unfortunately, due to variations in shank sizes within a class (such as American), a breed (such Plymouth Rocks), varieties (such as comparing White Rocks with Partridge Rocks) and even between certain strains within a variety, there is no one size fits all solution for your particular birds. However, knowing the shank size of your birds is the key to determining the correct band size for your birds.

Using a ruler or tape measure, determine the diameter of the shank on a male and female which have the largest shank. There may be variations in your flock and you will want to be certain to find the largest diameter for each sex. Next, you will need to convert the standard measurement to millimeters. Conversions are available on the Internet using Google or any other search engine, but a rough guide is provided below:

Standard Measurement ABA Millimeter Size

0.5 inch 13 mm

0.6 inch 15 mm

0.7 inch 18 mm

0.8 inch 20 mm

If your size is not listed here, please send an e-mail to the ABA and report the millimeter size for your breeds, varieties and the sexes that you have measured. Although leg bands larger than 20 mm may not be available for the 2011 season, the ABA can certainly order bands larger than 20 millimeter for the 2012 season if there is an interest.

The ABA leg bands are made of plastic and color-keyed for a specific year. The band data includes the letters ABA, year, millimeter size and a serial number. Leg band data for each buyer is registered with the ABA office. Waterfowl breeders have reported that the color and data do not fade with wet environments nor do they become brittle with age.

Egg labels mislead consumers

2011-06-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

John Barna of the Gloucester County Times reports on egg labels:

CAMDEN – If you think that you’re using humanely produced eggs for your omelets or deviled eggs, think again. Egg companies recognize that most Americans care about the welfare of farmed animals and many market their eggs with labels claiming the hens were treated well. But a Rutgers–Camden law professor warns that many of the animal welfare claims on egg cartons aren’t all that they’re cracked up to be.

Sheila Rodriguez, a clinical associate professor at the Rutgers School of Law–Camden, asserts that food consumers have a right to know how farm animals are raised and, for that reason, egg producers’ claims about animal welfare should be regulated by the federal government.

In a forthcoming edition of the Temple Journal of Science, Technology & Environmental Law, the Rutgers–Camden professor argues that egg consumers have a right to know that “[m]ost hens are packed eight or nine hens to a cage . . . [The cages are] so small that [hens] are unable to stretch a wing. The overcrowding causes them to fight, so their beaks are cut off to prevent them from injuring other birds. The fewer than 5% of eggs in the U.S. that are not produced under these conditions are from hens that were not even allowed outside,” says Rodriguez.

In her article, “The Morally Informed Consumer: Examining Animal Welfare Claims on Egg Labels,” Rodriguez contends that consumers need to understand that “‘cage-free’ hens are a subset of factory-farmed production. Even small farms that do not raise hens under industrial production standards purchase their birds from factory-farm hatcheries.”

Animal welfare claims on egg labels should be regulated to ensure accuracy. The Rutgers–Camden professor notes that “many of the production method claims made by egg producers cannot be accurately verified. Industry standards are factory farmed standards. Federally-verified claims made under the National Organic Program, though comprehensive, are problematic because of lax enforcement.”

Consumers also may be misled by such marketing claims as “natural,” “no antibiotics used,” and “no hormones administered,” which, Rodriguez explains, have no relevance to animal welfare. And while the terms “free-range” and “free-roaming” frequently appear on egg cartons, these are claims that apply to poultry, or birds raised for their meat, not to birds raised for their eggs.

Until clear and enforceable guidelines are established, Rodriguez argues, conscientious consumers should avoid purchasing most eggs.

Thanks, John for giving attention and space in your newspaper to Professor Rodriguez' research. Every family that keeps their own hens is one less customer for that system.

Beautiful chicken art prints

2011-06-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

Rick Bennett of North Carolina generously sent these beautiful prints of water colors he has done of his chickens.

He has captured the serious glint in Lizzie's broody eye in Lizzie Goes Broody.

Lucky is a handsome rooster who has been an inspiration to Rick.

The industriousness of hens at work, Waiting for Worms, shows how interested the girls can be in gardening.

The Bad Attitude Towards Authority -- is this Lucky, Rick, or is it you?

Rick works and exhibits at the Carter Building -- Glenwood South in Raleigh.

"What attracts me to watercolor is less science and is maore like alchemy. There are surprises, mishaps, and sudden beauty. Vibrant and transparent color layers over color to create subtle shifts or stark contrasts. Sometimes I scrape out shapes with my pocket knife or push pigment with an old driver's license." Rick teaches Watercolor at Pullen Arts Center and is a member of the Board of Directors of Visual Art Exchange.

His art has exhibited at the Charlotte Mint Museum, Fayetteville Museum, Raleigh Fine Art Society Annual Exhibition, Visual Art Exchange, Flanders Art Gallery, won Best in Show for Technique at The 2008 Raleigh Street Paintung Festival and a featured artist in 2010.