Will We Keep Keeping Chickens?

February 22, 2017

...d of . . . chicken poo. Cage free and free range supermarket eggs are from chickens crammed in huge sheds. These chickens never see the light of day and live in appalling conditions. You might be able to get eggs from chickens that live outdoors at a local farmer’s market, but beware of unscrupulous vendors. A number of companies, such as Vital Farms and Red Hill Farms, have responded to consumer concerns and are marketing eggs raised on pasture....

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Chickens and Compost; A Match Made in Heaven

Homegrown Neighbor

June 20, 2009

Animals, Chickens, Composting

15 Comments

...s! They love eating fruit – pomegranates, figs, peaches, even oranges. The chickens make contributions to the compost with their poop, of course, but the real fun is when you turn it. Chickens are very curious- I’d say they are much more curious than my cats, who have disappointingly little interest in compost. I have to be careful where I plunge the pitchfork into the compost pile because the bird brained Peckerella (pictured) likes to be right i...

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Meet My Chickens: the continuing story of Chickenzilla

Homegrown Neighbor

May 17, 2009

Animals, Chickens

9 Comments

...y lazy broiler hen– a corporate agribusiness chicken. Eventually the other chickens showed her how good bugs and greens are and she started scratching around in the dirt and eating worms. Now she eats all her greens like a good girl. She has more kale and less corn in her diet these days. And she is very active. Despite her heft she can outrun all the other chickens when I throw a choice grub or beetle into their enclosure. She can even jump/fly t...

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Poultry Outlaws: Chicken Laws Around the U.S.

Mr. Homegrown

February 13, 2008

Animals, Chickens

29 Comments

...ndred (100) feet to any street or lot line. Raleigh: No limit on number of chickens kept. San Francisco: You may keep any combination of four small animals on your property (dogs, chickens, etc.) without permit Seattle: Three domestic fowl may be kept on any lot. Even if you follow the laws above to the letter, you can still have problems with the neighbors. See the excellent Hen Waller blog for their Portland poultry saga (and some snappy vélocou...

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The Chicken and the Egg

Mr. Homegrown

September 25, 2007

Animals, Chickens

3 Comments

...ir eggs, which we now believe are substandard.” Now we haven’t counted our chickens before they’ve hatched. Pasture raising chickens, even in a small backyard entails more risk (mainly from predators such as hawks and loose dogs) than confining them to a cage. It’s definitely easier and more economical for commercial producers to confine chickens. But consider the consequences of the economic and quality race to the bottom of factory farming’s eco...

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