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.