France's Queen of Chickens struts its stuff

France, which has a proud rooster as its unofficial emblem, is holding a week of celebrations to mark the anniversary of the Queen of Chickens -- the poulet de Bresse.

Queen of Chickens

Can a person get high by sniffing chicken droppings?

Can a person get high by sniffing chicken droppings?

In a strange story it is rumored that some young people have resorted to sniffing chicken droppings to get high if they could not obtain glue.

Having spent more hours than I can count in chicken coops, I feel I can say with some certainty that it wont work.

Thats a lot of Burritos

Over the past three weeks, southern California consumers have devoured more 350,000 Del Taco Spicy Chicken Burritos, helping the company in its bid to raise more than $100,000 for fire relief efforts.

Del Taco will donate 25 cents from the sale of each Spicy Chicken Burrito sold until Christmas at southern California company-owned Del Taco’s and participating franchise restaurants.

Bracelet Found in Chicken After 25 Years

A Massachusetts man has his metal identity bracelet back after it was found inside a chicken gizzard in Minnesota, more than 25 years after he lost it. Aaron Giles, aged 31, lived in Fairmont as a child and played with his brothers in their grandfather's barn.

"I would spend most of my time out at his farm and that's the only place I can think of that I would have lost it," Giles said Thursday, adding that he thinks it was lost when he was 4 or 5 years old. The barn was dismantled a few years ago, and the old wood was used to construct another barn about 45 miles away, he said. Giles thinks his bracelet must have been in the barn wood.

Workers in Fairmont Minnesota were cutting the meat of chickens that came from the new barn when one of them came across the identity bracelet in a chicken gizzard.

Chicago considers residential chicken ban

As more and more people are looking for healthy food sources, the keeping of city chickens is on the rise. Now Chicago aldermen are moving to ban the keeping of chickens in residential areas. Animal control officials in Chicago say they've had more than 700 complaints about chickens this year. That includes hundreds of gripes about rosters crowing too loudly.

Way to chicken utopia

I found this story interesting. City Chicks, a company which supplies on a "rental" basis, chickens and all their accoutrements for people who live in the burbs.

Way to chicken utopia

Chicken Sodium Injection

Officials at the USDA say they are reviewing the issue of chicken sodium-injection.
Chicken labeled "natural" is being injected with a saltwater solution. The industry calls it a marinade to make the chicken moist, but consumer advocates claim shoppers are being deceived. Many consumers do not know that when they purchase chicken labeled natural it may contain up to 15 percent saltwater. The injected chicken has up to eight times the salt of unaltered chicken.

A chicken in his pot

I Want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday, "Henry IV, king of England"

Crash Throws Frozen Chicken on Interstate.

A semi carrying 15 tons of frozen chicken tipped over on Interstate 65 Thursday morning. The semi is owned by Perdue Farms.

Kentucky Fried Chicken Not So Finger Licken Good ?

A man is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 from Kentucky Fried Chicken after finding it contained parts of the bird's spine, head and neck.

He claims after biting into the chicken he became "violently ill, among other things" that caused pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, and a disability.

In New Zealand Rabbit is the New Chicken

Local farmers in Bendigo station New Zealand have found a new use for wild rabbits. They are heading for the tables of some of the country's top restaurants - as bunny sausages, smoked rabbit, or the ever popular rabbit pie.

Shooters are employed full-time to roam the hills. In the last six months, over 6,000 rabbits have been killed at Bendigo station, going to restaurants all over the country.

Chicken Jerky Treats May Pose Danger To Dogs

There is a government warning out for a popular kind of dog treat. They’re chicken jerky products, variously described as chicken tenders, strips, or just plain treats.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates human and pet food, has received more than 70 complaints involving nearly 100 dogs that have become severely ill after eating chicken jerky products. Most recovered, but some died. However, in its warning to dog owners, the agency says, "to date, FDA has not been able to determine a definitive cause for the reported illnesses." And the illnesses haven't been traced to any particular brand or manufacturer, either.

Do you have a chicken in your computer?

A new product has hit the market that is designed to be functional and funky at the same time: A normal USB Flash Drive that is shaped like a chicken’s foot, scaly, yellow with claws and all. The idea is to make the consumer stop, look and have a bit of a laugh at the absurdity of a chicken’s foot sticking out of a laptop or PC,

Ontario bird die-offs troubling to wildlife officials

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of birds, like loons, grebes, ducks and gulls, are expected to die in the next couple of months as they pit-stop along the central and eastern shores of Lake Ontario, en route to their winter destinations in the United States. Scientists are trying to figure out why in the last six years "die-offs" have become common in these areas.

Life in the modern world.

Plans to establish Europe's largest free-range chicken farm have sparked fears that Edinburgh's water supply could be contaminated with life-threatening parasites, experts have warned.

Glenrath Farms hopes to house about 300,000 chickens on land in Peebles-shire and has submitted a planning application to the local authority.

However, residents are worried that an aqueduct, which runs under the land and carries the capital's water supply from the Talla and Fruid reservoirs, could be compromised.

This story in my opinion highlights one of the most pressing problems of modern life in the western world. We all want the benefits but we don't want the consequences. People don't like factory farming but we all want lots of cheep food. We don't want a dump next to our house but we all want to purchase lots of items and then throw them out when the no longer satisfy our perceived needs.

Now I don't pretend to have an answer to Edinburgh's problem of the chicken farm dilemma. All I do know is that the people of Edinburgh eat a lot of chicken, and it comes from somewhere.

I dress my cats up as chickens

This is a funny little story I found

I dress my cats up as chickens

Cold War To Chicken War

Americans may pay less for chicken this winter thanks to Russia.

Russia is the largest customer for U.S. chicken producers, buying 30 percent of all exports. As of Nov. 1 has Russia will de-list 17 U.S. poultry plants, meaning that those plants will no longer be able to export to Russia. The drop in exports is expected to create a glut of chicken and drive down prices. The price drop is expected to hit chicken legs the most as Russians are partial to chicken legs.

The move by Russia to de-list the plants appears to be a swipe at the Bush administration and made in hopes of bringing down the price of chicken in Russia, which has hit 45 cents a pound.

The Power Of Poo

Fibrowatt opened the country’s first poultry-waste-fueled power plant last week in Benson, Minnesota., using turkey waste for energy. The waste is stored in sealed containers at negative pressure, and the air is used as combustion air. The waste is burned at high temperatures, which heats water for a turbine that creates electricity. Now people in Maryland could find their energy coming from chicken waste.

“We have a site. We have a plan” to build a plant to convert chicken waste into power, Attorney General Doug Gansler said.

Because it’s burning a biomass, the plant’s emissions don’t have chemical toxins. The company still follows the relevant emissions regulations. However, some activists aren’t convinced the technique is environmentally friendly.

Fundraiser to keep funky Chicken sculpture

CEDAR FALLS --- Metal artist Scott Wallace is relieved his Drop Leaf Chicken didn't lay an egg.

The bronze sculpture, measuring almost 13 feet tall, stands on the corner of Fifth and Main streets, near the Cedar Falls Public Library and at the gateway of the Main Street business and cultural district. The Cedar Falls Art Committee is raising funds to purchase the piece for permanent installation.



You can read the rest atDrop Leaf Chicken

Chicken Truck Wipe Out

In England a truck with 3,000 chickens skidded into the crash barrier on the central reservation and across the outside lane of the A80 Glasgow-Stirling road.

Police, vets and chicken catchers were called in, and the road network was gridlocked as the clear-up operation began.

Some of the chickens died instantly. Others were seriously injured and vets were called to put them down.

Up to 400 died. The rest flew, confused, around the road, distracting drivers heading north and creating a major headache for the emergency services.

Fiona McLean, 37, from Glasgow, said: "There were chickens everywhere, running about the roads and up the embankments. It would have been comical if it had not caused so much gridlock."

Six-month jail term for steeling chickens

A man was arraigned before a magistrates’ court in Gambia for his role in chicken poaching. Saidu Leigh appeared before magistrate John Njie at the Brikama Magistrates’ Court for stealing 29 fowls alongside other animals in Brikama Sanchaba.

Saidu pleaded guilty and was consequently sentenced to serve a six-month jail term with an alternative of D2000 court fine.

Magistrate Njie, in the meantime, cautioned the convict to endeavour harder to desist from such unholy acts and see how best he can take wisdom in the dignity of labour.

Hashish helps the suffering of chickens

The famed coffee shops of Amsterdam are turning to free-range eggs for their hashish "spacecakes" to reduce the suffering of chickens.

Four large shops have switched to free-range eggs and 20 more plan to follow. The shops get through hundreds of eggs a week for their spacecakes, which are baked with marijuana or hashish and can give an intense high.

Soft drugs are officially banned in the Netherlands but under a policy of tolerance, buyers are allowed to have less than 5 grams of cannabis in their possession.
The coffee shops, where marijuana can be smoked openly in a relaxed atmosphere, are one of Amsterdam's big tourist draws.

50 Thousand Bird Chicken Cull Complete

Following the confirmation of avian flu last week, 50 thousand birds were destroyed at Pedigree Poultry near Regina Beach in Saskatchewan Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the task was completed Sunday morning. The next step is disposal and deep burial in the next 48 to 72 hours. That will be followed by a thorough cleaning and disinfecting of the entire farm.

Broiler Chicken Can Cause Breast Cancer

A study conducted by Goa government-run medical college and hospital in India has discovered that constant eating broiler chicken particularly hen raises possibility of breast cancer in women.

Read More

Chicken Farmer Among New Survivor Contestants

"Chicken" Morris, a chicken farmer form Marion, Virginia, is among the contestants in the next Survivor show, set in China.

Chicken Dung A Cure For Baldness

A 17th-century medical handbook advises men to put chicken manure on their scalps as a cure for baldness and offers other bizarre remedies for infertility, "stinking breath", head lice and aching breasts.

The Path-Way to Health, written by Peter Levens and published in London in 1654, was recently discovered among a collection of antiquarian books and is due to be auctioned by Bonhams in Oxford on Oct 9.

Chicken saved from attack In New Jersy Park

People in a Park in Hoboken came to the rescue when they saw three men attacking a chicken. Witnesses said they saw three men, armed with sticks and a slingshot, hitting the chicken. When people rushed over to defend the bird, one of the men grabbed it and threw it into a thorn bush. They then ran away.

Dogs Kill Chickens

RCMP have charged the owner of two pit bulls that killed 37 chickens at a Halifax-area hobby farm last week. The charge, under the Halifax Regional Municipality's dog bylaw, is owning a dog that runs at large. Both pit bulls were put down by animal control. The dog owner faces a fine of between $100 and $5,000, or a maximum 30 days in jail.

Woman pays £1,800 to save chicken.

A woman from Cwmbran, Torfaen took out a bank loan and lived on beans on toast for a year to pay £1,800 in vet bills after her pet chicken injured its leg.
Vicky Mills, 24, was heartbroken when Lily, a Rhode Island Red, got her leg trapped in a barbed wire fence.

Despite the costs, Mrs Mills told her vet to try to save the limb rather than have her put down. When the treatment failed, she paid for an amputation.

Read the full story on the BBC

Icelanders choose chicken over lamb

According to icelandreview.com for the first time, Icelanders bought more poultry than lamb and mutton over the last 12 months. Sheep has been the most popular source of meat in Iceland since the settlement in 874, but Icelandic consumption habits appear to be changing.

Osama May Use Chicken Farmers To Attack The U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security believes that Osama may be planing to use chicken farmers in his next attack on the U.S. To counter this deadly threat the Department of Homeland Security has come up with a brilliant idea to prevent this attack from happening.

Under proposed regulations from the Department, anybody with 7,500 pounds or more of propane gas should register with the agency. The threshold is low enough that poultry farmers who use propane to heat chicken houses may be affected.
The proposal would require many farmers to register with the agency and fill out a risk assessment about their propane tanks. By industry counts, up to 40,000 farms could be affected.

A Homeland Security spokesman says farmers would only need to spend "a couple hours" online to comply and that the agency is right to compile data on dangerous chemicals even in rural areas.

Thank god that each terrorist will only have 7,499 pounds of propane gas. I sure we all feel much safer now.

$10,000 Reward For Info About Brockville Fire

As a result of the million doller fire which killed about 40,000 hens at its processing plant near Brockville Ontario, Burnbrae Farms is offering a $10,000 reward for information about how the blaze started.

According to a release from Crime Stoppers, fire officials have ruled cause of the July 23 fire in Lyn as "undetermined." Anyone with information about the fire can call Crime Stoppers at 613-233-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-222-8477.

Flames destroyed one of the barns on the property off County Rd. 27. Losses from the fire exceed $1 million.

Appreciative pigeon won't leave benefactor

I thought ths was kind of cool.


Appreciative Pigeon

Thats a lot of chicken

Worldwide consumption of broiler meat is steadily increasing. A total volume of 58.95 million metric tonnes was used in 2006. This year global consumption could reach 59.52 mmt.

The US is the largest producer of chicken meat. With a total production of 16.04 million metric tonnes the volume significantly surpassed the US consumption volume.

Pigeon Netting

New York City has received negative press in the past weeks due to more aggressive and frequent pigeon netting attacks in the area. These netters capture the birds and sell them out of state to restaurants and pigeon shooting galleries.

Cook Chicken Well

In a story that reminds all of us to cook Chicken well. Jordanian health authorities have banned the serving of chicken shawerma sandwiches in the kingdom's restaurants, after hundreds got Salmonella poisoning. Over 200 people have had to be hospitalized since Saturday, because they ate sandwiches with undercooked chicken infested by the Salmonella bacteria. The Salmonella is said to have originated from a restaurant in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa. The restaurant sold some 600 meals of undercooked chicken meat, causing food poisoning among a third of the consumers.

Salmonella poisoning is a bacterial disease involving diarrhea, fever, and abdominal pains. The illness usually lasts up to a week and most people recover without treatment. In some cases with severe symptoms, the patient needs to be hospitalized. The bacteria is destroyed if chicken is cooked properly.

Wearing a chicken suit as punishment for a crime

A Painesville Ohio man has to wear a chicken suit as a form of punishment for soliciting a prostitute.

The strange punishment was handed down by Judge Mike Cicconetti "If it causes a little bit of embarrassment, then so what," Cicconetti said. "I found out that the traditional sentences, the jail time and a fine weren't working."

Costco In Hot Water Over Chicken Welfare

US based grocery and retail giant Costco has come under fire from animal rights group PETA over its methods of poultry slaughter. PETA has tabled a shareholder resolution calling on Costco to “disclose its progress in evaluating the less cruel method of poultry slaughter called controlled-atmosphere killing.

Piping Plover Or Cats

Cats are the main suspect in many deaths of the endangered piping plover, a fist-size, white-and-brown bird that has closed beaches and stopped development projects in the interest of protecting their habitat.

The plovers build nests in sandy, open stretches of beach, making them and their chicks easy prey for a variety of predators, including cats. With only 115 pairs of piping plovers left in the New Jersey, the federal government may intervene on the side of the birds.

Cape May is one of the prime bird-watching spots in all of North America. The World Series of Birding is held there each year. And with bird watching and related expenditures bringing in nearly $2 billion a year to New Jersey’s economy.

As part of federally mandated beach management programs, communities with populations of threatened or endangered species are required to prevent the birds from being harmed.

Biologists say that beach closures, twine barriers and other buffers between birds and humans are paying off: Plover populations along the East Coast have rebounded from 722 pairs in 1985 to 1,743 pairs this year.

Chicken Roping At Rodeo ?

It is kind of strange but apparently chicken roping raises cash for injured cowboys. Kids raised $754 for injured cowboys and cowgirls at a chicken roping at the Deke Latham Memorial PRCA Rodeo on July 20.

Webley Joins the Farm Menagerie

 Meet Webley, our latest addition to the farm menagerie, better known as The Petting Zoo..... He's a Shiz-tzu, age 8 weeks. Barley likes him and fusses over him constantly!

Barley and the Guinea Fowl

 Barley helps let the guinea fowl and the chickens out every morning. Her job is to lie there and not disturb the birds.

Crate Training a Bust

Ok we give up. Here' is Barley's latest break out from her crate. You can see the bars hanging that she broke off with her teeth. $1500.00 worth of dental surgery later, she's been put on anti-anxiety meds (as well as sedatives for emergencies, anti-inflammatories, & pain pills) and we've given up on the crate training. Yesterday we bought a harness and now we chain her outside when we go to town. She seems much happier - who knew!! She's also been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive neurotic behaviours coupled with separation anxiety and confinement anxiety. And I was the one who said 'no puppy, they are too much work!"

Hail Storm Hits

 A bad storm hit the farm last night. We lost power all night, leaves were blown off of trees, and there was lots of thunder and lightning. You can see the size of the hail that hit - it sounded like our roof was being torn apart. The orange item in the photo is a marble.

Barley & Dog Diapers

 Did you know they make dog diapers? I didn't! Barley, the Australian Shepherd we rescued a month ago, is 5 years old and supposed to be spayed. Guess what - she isn't. Our friend in New Jersey told us about dog diapers but we can't get them where we live. So he bought some, and FedExed them to us overnight. They must be the most expensive diapers in history! Anyway, she's in diapers until she is not in heat (another few weeks). She can hardly walk when I put them on her and eventually she walks right out of them. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but maybe it's just because she's a pretty smart dog.

Abuse Of Chickens In India

In 2005, approximately 2 billion "broiler" chickens were slaughtered in India. These birds are crammed by the tens of thousands into dark, filthy sheds, where the ammonia from the chickens’ accumulated waste actually burns their eyes. According to DR. Vandana Shiva. See the full story at Chicken Abuse

Barley Breaks Free

Barley breaks out of her crate while we are in town. She bent the side bars with her teeth (breaking off a tooth root and all in the process). When they were bent, she was able to push one of the ends out. That isn't an open door to the crate, that is the whole end of it pushed off. Then she got blood all over the room as she leapt up and down against the doors. We came home to blood splashed on the doors and walls and dripped on the floor. Oh yeah, she destroyed her foam bed too.... we took her to the vet but other than one lost tooth and a swollen jaw, she was fine.

Chicken Coop No. 3 Must Be Demolished

Chicken Coop No. 3, one of the historic outbuildings in the farm complex at Maudslay State Park, is beyond repair and must be demolished. The 97 year old building is in terrible shape. Shingles are flaking off, and the roof is caved-in.

Rob Kovacs, the park supervisor, said park officials would have preferred to have been able to maintain the coop building. But with limited resources and more than 40 structures needing attention at the 480-acre park, there just isn't enough manpower to keep up every building. Every building on the old Mosley Dairy Farm is on the Massachusetts Historical Commission's Inventory of Historic and Archaeological Assets.

The Grass Is Always Greener

The Grass Is Always Greener

When I got up this morning the sheep were in the donkey field and the donkey was in the sheep field. It would seem I did not lock the gate properly when I last used it and the animals decided they would like a change of scenery. Perhaps the grass tastes better when belongs to someone else.

Pigeon Stuck In A Tree

Fire chiefs have defended a decision to send firefighters to rescue a pigeon - stuck up from a tree after the fire service was called out by an RSPCA inspector. The firefighters used an aerial ladder platform to recover the bird on Monday evening.
Crews took about 45 minutes to recover the bird.

The charity had received reports that the bird had been trapped by its leg in a tree at a retirement home for two days.

Organic Chicken Not As Safe As We Might Think

More organic chickens contain a food poisoning bug then factory farmed poultry, according to a television investigation. When scientists tested 46 organic birds they found about 80% contained the most common bacteria that causes food poisoning, campylobacter. This compares to the 70 per cent of factory farmed chickens that Government tests showed carry the bug.

Professor Martin Blaser, head of medicine at New York Medical school and an expert on the bacteria, told the programme: "I think it's important to educate the public that organic chicken is not free of bacteria and it's not free of campylobacter and it has to be prepared in exactly the same safe ways that non organic chicken is."

Tasty Chicken Burgers

I do not normally talk about recipes but this sounded kind of good.

Ingredients
500g ground chicken or turkey breast
4 green onions, chopped up
1 1/2 tablespoons curry paste
1 egg,
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 cucumber
olive oil cooking spray
400g packet naan bread
80g mixed salad leaves
200g yoghurt

Method
Mix curry paste, onion, egg and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Shape mixture into patties. Place on a plate, cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Using a vegetable peeler, slice cucumber into ribbons.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly spray patties with oil and cook for 5 minutes each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover and place in oven to keep warm.
Meanwhile, place naan bread on baking tray. Bake for 5 minutes each side or until heated through.
Cut naan bread in half crosswise. Place half the bread on plates. Top with salad leaves, chicken patties, cucumber ribbons and a dollop of natural yoghurt. Top with remaining naan bread halves.

Cooking Time 15 minutes

Tales of an ugly chicken

The popular teen magazine Sweet 16 runs Centralia girl’s essay about raising chickens. The two-page spread in the June/July issue of Sweet 16 features Jody Brysons award winning hobby of raising chickens.

Tales of an ugly chicken

Jody is an 18-year-old who submitted the essay to the magazine in hopes of winning a scholarship. Instead, an editor called and said they wanted to reprint her story in Sweet 16’s "True Stories" section. The essay tells of Jody’s decision to quit raising chickens after worrying it wasn’t a "cool" enough hobby for high school. But when she bought some black "naked neck" chickens as a joke, her passion was re-ignited. One of those funny-looking birds turned out to be a state champion, giving Jody first place in the youth division champion-of-all-breeds contest at the 2006 Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

Killed For Stealing Chicken

Two villagers in Africa were killed on the weekend for allegedly stealing seven chickens. The men were beaten to death by their fellow villagers for stealing the chickens belonging to another villager. Police are investigating the incident.

Chicken leg proves Columbus was not the first

A chicken leg unearthed in Chile has provided overwhelming evidence that Polynesians reached the Americas at least a century before Columbus. The chicken, which lived sometime between 1304 and 1424, is genetically identical to those discovered at sites on several Pacific islands.

The leg was among 50 chicken bones recovered by Daniel Quiroz, an archaeologist digging in El Arenal, Chile, while researching sites occupied by South America's Mapuche people.

Lock Up Your Chickens

In a strange bit of thievery burglars in England have snatched dozens of chickens. Two allotment holders in Dunton Bassett locked up their prize guinea fowl and chickens on Thursday only to discover Friday morning that 80 had been stolen overnight.

Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident and urged people to make sure their chickens sheds, cages and hutches are well secured.

A spokesman from the Poultry Club of Great Britain said: “Every so often somebody just breaks in and takes birds – it doesn’t have to be rare ones. It’s an awful thing breeders are up against.”

Lots of Chickens Cross The Road.

A flatbed trailer load of chickens rolled once over easy on Tuesday in New York State. Some chickens were killed in the crash, but many others escaped and wandered around the Hwy for several hours. State police and firefighters closed the road while poultry plant employees scrambled (no pun intended) to round up the chickens and collect the scattered crates.

"I was coming around the turn. Next thing I knew, the truck started to roll over," said driver Ronald Valree. State Trooper Al Shamah said the truck most likely flipped because it was going too fast.

Chicken is delicious but this is ridiculous

A man in the U.S. is accused of killing another man over a bucket of chicken a year ago. Robert L. Russell age 21 was indicted Wednesday on murder charges, prosecutors said. Russell, allegedly offered to buy the chicken from John Thomas Perry, 47, for $15. The suspect then allegedly gunned Perry down after he asked him "Do you think I'm sweet on you?". He faces up to life in prison if convicted on the murder.

The chicks are about 16 days old now

The chicks are about 16 days old now and growing fast.

25,000 Chickens Die In Suspicious Barn Fire

About 25,000 chickens perished in a suspicious barn fire yesterday near the hamlet of Bismarck Ontario.

Niagara region police say the fire resulted in about $300,000 damage to the poultry barn. Apparently the barn caught fire when a stolen van parked beside it was set on fire. The van was stolen from Grimsby. It took the Fire department several hours to extinguishing the blaze.

Chickens Are Actually Dinosaurs

While studying a set of fossil Tyrannosaur remains discovered in Montana. Scientists have found that antibodies from a common protein molecule known as collagen seemed to stick to them, and collagen is found in chickens. When the fossil bone samples are compared to living animals, they closely resembled that of the Emu, one of the largest living birds today.

Some scientists think this could mean that T-Rex, and other dinosaurs, were really “early birds,” in other words that chickens in your backyard is actually a dinosaurs.

A New Dog On The Farm

We got a new dog for the farm this week. We found her at the local animal shelter. She is an Australian Shepperd (a blue merle). She is about 5 years old. We call her Barley.

Day 2 - A bigger cage

I moved the chickens to a bigger cage today. The first night I like to keep them in something small so they will not over stress themselves. Keeping them in something small the first day also helps them find their food and water.

The chicks are here

I picked up 10 new chicks today.

20 million chickens taken off the market in U.S.

About 20 million chickens being raised for human consumption in several states have been taken off the market. The Chickens ate feed made with melamine-tainted pet food and have been placed on a marketing hold to keep them from entering the food supply, Agriculture Department officials said Friday night.

The agency called for the "voluntary hold" late Friday, pending completion of a government risk analysis to determine whether the animals would be safe for people to eat. The move, which involves major market brands, marked a significant escalation of the pet food scandal, which started with tainted ingredients from China.

Good Health - Unhealthy Fats

Avoid saturated and TRANS fats found in foods like pastries, whipped toppings and pre-packaged foods. Eggs are low in saturated fats and have zero trans fat.

To make your egg meals even healthier, cook them without any extra added fat (poach them or boil them, or fry in non-stick skillet). Try using low fat or skim milk in scrambled eggs. Serve your eggs with tomatoes or other fruits and vegetables.

An Egg A Day Is OK!

Research shows the cholesterol in eggs does not have a negative effect on blood cholesterol levels in healthy people. Lots of studies have shown there is no link between eggs and heart disease. So keep a chicken farmer happy and eat an egg today.

Sheep are Strange

This morning I went out to feed the donkey and the sheep. Normally the sheep run from me and are very stand-offish even though I've had them for two years. They often don't recognize me, that's how stupid sheep are.

This morning they came trotting over to me as soon as I opened the gate. They pushed past me and ran out on the lawn. They just wandered around the lawn eating grass as if there was none in their field (but of course there is lots!) Mind you the grass on the lawn is much nicer than what is in their pen so maybe they just wanted a treat.

After I finished my chores I took some food and showed it to them and they followed me into their pen. Weird.

Baby Chicks Ordered

I ordered 10 baby chicks -- non sexed Barred plymouth Rocks. I will get roosters and laying hens mixed but that's okay as I can eat the roosters. Barred Plymouth Rokcs are brown egg layers. They were almost extinct but have made a comeback beocause of their good meat qualities and good brown egg production.

Both males and females are grey barred in colour with the female a bit darker. Females weigh about 4 lbs at 19 weeks and 5 or 6 lbs at the end of lay. Malse are about 1 or 2 llbs heavier than females.

My wife calls them Zebra Chickens. The chicks will arrive about May 9th. so I have to get their first home ready with heat lamps, etc.

Just got my new Freys Hatchery catalog

I just picked up my 2007 Freys Hatchery catalog at the Co-Op today. I always get kind of excited when it arrives. I will be placing a small order tomorrow. I think I will get about 6 new hens this year. Freys is located in St. Jacobs Ontario. They have a website at Freys

Part 3 of, Egg Eating Chickins

Culling.

The most simple method of dealing with a egg eating hen is to cull her. In other words put her in the stew pot. I personally do not like to do this as I am a bit of a soft touch and my chickens are more like pets, but it can become necessary with a really bad bird.

Egg Eating part 2

Part 2

Another method of prevention is role away nest boxes. This is simply any kind of nest box that automatically removes the egg after the chicken has laid it. This sounds complicated but in reality it is simply a nest box with a slanted floor so the egg rolls away to a place where the chickens cant get at it. You can purchase commercially manufactured boxes or with a little thought you can build your own.

It is also possible to discourage egg eating by putting fake eggs in the nest boxes. This serves 2 functions. 1, it teaches the birds the spot you would like them to lay. 2, It teaches them that eggs are not edible. For fake eggs you can use anything that looks egg like, but you should try to use something light in weight. You want something light so it will not break the real eggs in the nest. I have found ping pong balls work not to bad for this.

To Be Continued.

Chickens Eating Eggs Part 1

Sometimes chickens will develop the nasty habit of eating eggs. This is a hard habit to break them of once it starts but it must be dealt with or the behaviour will spread to other birds in the flock.

The first step in dealing with this problem is prevention. You must make sure you feed your chickens lots of good food. This works in two ways. 1. Well fed chickens are less likely to eat their own eggs as they simply are not hungry. 2. Well fed chickens lay eggs with stronger shells. This makes accidental breakage in the nest less frequent. Accidental breakage is often how the habit starts. Harder eggs also makes it harder for the chicken to break the egg with its beak.

More Tomorrow

First Robin Of The Year

I took this picture back about a week ago. It was the first Robin that I have seen this year. It is always a nice sign of Spring when the Robins come back. I feel kind of bad for the poor thing now as it has been snowing for three days now and they will be finding it hard to find food.

Still Snowing

The snow came down all night.

Nasty Weather Today

Winter is back for a day or 2. Snow, Rain, Sleet. It is a mess.

Mammoth Jack Donkey

 My Grandson bravely pats Burr, our Mammoth Jack Donkey

Keets In the Wild Don't Survive Easily

 A bird in the hand... Baby Keets only a few days old. One of our Guinea hens laid her eggs outside and sat on them til they hatched. Luckily we found her walking them up the driveway a day or so later. We were able to fight her off and gather up more than 30 keets! Keets die very easily, they get wet and don't survive being outside. So we gathered them up and brought them into the jacuzzi (no water of course!) complete with heat lamps.

Just another day on the farm

Not much to talk about today. Most of the snow is gone.It was a short winter. I have put the sleds away for the year. Soon time to get out the patio furniture.

Farm & Barynyard Co-operation

 Barnyard farm co operation - chickens, guinea fowl, rabbits... BFF?

Christmas & Thanksgiving Turkeys

 Our last two turkeys, who we named Thanksgiving and Christmas, get a drink in the front garden. Everything runs free on our farm. We lost 13 turkeys in the woods, they wandered off, presumably realizing what was in store (pun intended!) for them?

A Bird in the Hand

 A bird in the hand.... our grandson with 4 day old chicken

Two Donkeys Ito & Burr on Farm

 Our donkeys (Mammoth Jacks) Ito and Burr, a few days after we rescued them. They are skin and bones here, but soon gained weight and developed a healthy glowing coat.

Chickens in the Barn

 Even the few chickens we have left share the guinea barn with the guineas and Mr. Duck in the winter

Guineas and Ducks on the Farm

 Mr. Duck shares a barn with the Guineas in the winter

Checking on the Christmas Trees

 Time to check the Christmas Trees now that snow is melting. That means time to boot up the skiddoo and go for a burn in the woods to get to the planted areas. We have 3000 Christmas Trees growing now. Visit Toad Tree Farm to see more animals, birds, and Christmas Trees.

Sheep in the Winter on the Farm

 We have two female sheep (ewes). A farmer who raises sheep for meat sold them to me for pets. I bought them to keep the donkey company (his brother donkey died suddenly) and to keep some of the grass in the field cut. I hoped the sheep would graze on a wide swatch of grass and keep it trimmed but that didn't happen. You can see the thick wool coat they grow for winter. I trim the wool in the spring and then let it grow so that in winter they are warm. The sheep spend most of the winter outside although they have a shelter they can go into if they want. They like to sleep in the snow so they rarely use the shelter I built. I used to keep the sheep with our donkey but he doesn't like them very much and can be quite mean, especially to the white sheep (Princess), so I keep them separated. Princess and her companion, Ewe-Lyses S. Grant, are about 3 years old.

Feeding Sheep on the Farm

 Feeding Sheep on the Farm

Wild Turkey Takes a Dust Bath

 Wild Turkey getting ready to take a dust bath. Birds like dust baths, it probably helps control pests and relieve some of the itching. They find a spot they like, then keep coming back to that same spot. We don't get too many wild turkeys on the farm as they like Sumacs for berries for food and we don't have a lot of Sumac on our farm.

Guineau Fowl

 At one point we had almost 40 Guinea Fowl. Now we are down to eight. Predators like foxes and coyotes, even a timber wolf one year, have picked them off. Some died of old age. Others, the females, died sitting on their eggs outside. They don't like to roots where other birds can see them so the barn is not their first choice

What's Up With Waffles?

Our donkey and sheep hate waffles. Donkey loves carbs -- bread, tea biscuits, crackers, Gerber's Baby Cookies... but put a waffle in front of him and he sniffs it then turns away.