Search Results for: label/smallstock (other than chickens)

175 results

Meet My Chickens: the continuing story of Chickenzilla

Homegrown Neighbor
Animals, Chickens
9 Comments
Homegrown Neighbor here. My chicken Whitey, a.k.a. Chickenzilla, has been laying some wonderful eggs lately. Of course, she is a meat chicken, not a layer. I think of her as a “rescue” chicken. Most meat chickens are harvested between just 7 and 10 weeks of age. At over a year old now, Chickenzilla is likely one of the oldest broiler hens alive.  But she is a surprisingly good layer, with a big, bad-ass personality to match her im...

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Looking for the Union Label

Mr. Homegrown
Domesticus
3 Comments
, probably don’t toil in the best of conditions. But, taking out the moral ruler, we’ve got to draw a line somewhere and last week that was with the clothing we chose. It’s better to mark that line somewhere than not to mark it at all. Though we prefer this more soulful rendition, we feel the need to spread the earworm around and here’s another version of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union song (w...

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Chickens in Chicago

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
7 Comments
Another gem from City Farmer News. Somehow it’s a lot more fun to listen to someone else talking to city bureaucrats: “Video by Chad Kimball. Raising Chickens In The City – Chicago Police Say NO. “Is it legal to keep chickens in the city of Chicago? Listen to conflicting information I receive from the police, the city clerk, and the legal department.” For more info on the law in your area, City Farmer News suggests checkin...

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How Long Do Chickens Live?

Mrs. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
32 Comments
as always the most patient with photographers. Our neighbor, Sue, has twenty years experience with backyard hens, and once she told us that she figured their average lifespan ended up being about 5 years. I’ve read that chickens have a theoretical lifespan of 13 years, but of course, so many die young of mishap or disease. Sue’s estimate always sounded sensible to me. Jane died at 4 years and a few months old. How long have you had yo...

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Coffee Chaff Chickens

Mrs. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens, Composting
14 Comments
A hen checks out her fluffy new digs: coffee chaff bedding Image shamelessly stolen from Lyanda Haupt’s Tangled Nest blog Mrs. Homegrown here: Deep litter in the chicken coop is good for chicken health, general aesthetics and good neighbor relations. Chickens need to scratch, so giving them lots of stuff to scratch is kind. It also absorbs odor and protects stray eggs from breakage. Even better, their constant scratching combines their...

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Lego-Robot Chickens

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
3 Comments
In response to our Monday post on clicker training chickens, Root Simple pal and fellow Master Food Preserver Diane Trunk posted a video on our Facebook page. Diane explains, Here’s a link to a silly video of our trained chickens. My son trained them to come running in response to a beep. The beep signaled that a lego-robot box (you’ll see) was going to open, and the hens would get their favorite treat: string cheese. Alas, these...

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Root Simple Media Frenzy: Bees, Chickens and Road Kill

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Bees, Thoughtstylings
1 Comment
Rob McFarland of Honey Love on KPFK. I was on KPFK this week along with Rob McFarland from HoneyLove (a great organization that is helping legalize beekeeping in Los Angeles among many other projects). We were on to talk about why bees are dying off in the Central Valley and about keeping chickens in the city. You can listen to the interview here. I really enjoyed being on this show–we all sat around talking for an hour after the taping. I...

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An open letter to Trader Joes

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
15 Comments
nal wisdom says that you are to be congratulated for selling only cage free eggs in contrast to many other food retailers who continue to sell eggs produced by hens living in cramped “battery cages“. Battery caged chickens do not have the ability to stretch their legs, run around, or roost–activities that come naturally to all poultry. But what exactly does “cage free” mean? Unfortunately the USDA does not regulate t...

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Hens Busy Dust Bathing

Mrs. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens, Thoughtstylings
12 Comments
...gleefully rolling around in it, flicking loose dirt under their wings and driving it between their feathers. This is an innate behavior and an important part of chicken hygiene. Dusting suffocates skin parasites that prey on chickens, and it also seems to be pleasurable for the hens, judging by their blissful expressions. After dusting they puff up and shake off, and settle in to do fine cleaning by preening. When they’re done, they̵...

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Urban Chickens and Lead

Mr. Homegrown
Chickens, Lead
13 Comments
From the One More Thing To Worry About department, the New York Times has an article on lead levels in eggs laid by urban chickens “Worries About Lead for New York City’s Garden-Fresh Eggs.” According to the article, the lead levels found in New York City’s home grown eggs ranged from none to over a 100 parts per billion. Since the FDA does not have an acceptable lead level in eggs it’s difficult to interpret the results...

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