So a friend of mine told me I needed to update my blog.
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “What should I write about?”
“Chickens.”
“Ok. What should I say about chickens?”
“Umm… I don’t know. I just love chickens.”
Ok then, here goes.
Chickens are really amazing animals. They’re not always the smartest, yet they know when it’s time to go in to roost each night. Some breeds are very pretty while others just aren’t that cute.
Chickens are not vegetarians. So when you see eggs in the store that say they are cage-free and vegetarian, know that the chickens who laid those eggs were not allowed to be real chickens. In their natural barnyard or field habitat, chickens eat bugs; thus, they are carnivorous. If you have a grasshopper problem bring in a flock of chickens and they will be in hog heaven. Er, uh, I guess that would be chicken heaven. You can also grow worms and things for your chickens to eat. Mobile chicken coops are the bomb!
Hens lay eggs with no help from the rooster. So unless one needs to multiply one’s chicken flock, no rooster is needed. Many cities have ordinances that prohibit roosters but not chickens, as does the city where I live. But you will still hear the occasional rooster. I know I do.
Roosters can be mean and bossy, but a good rooster is one who protects his ladies. These often-beautiful birds have been known to distribute the best worms evenly and fairly among the hens, knowing whose turn it is for the next tasty treat.
Did you know that real eggs – often called yard eggs, free range eggs, or pastured eggs – have better nutrient content than the ones mass produced at factory farms? And they are prettier and more flavorful. I purchased a carton of 18 eggs from a farmer friend one Saturday. I only paid $3 for the carton! Which is amazing, by the way, for that kind of eggs. She said they weighed the 12-count versus the 18-count, and they weighed the same because some of the eggs in the 18-count were so small. They were very cute! They were also multi-colored. There were greenish ones, and blueish ones, white, and brown ones all in the same carton. And they were tasty!
Chickens may not have the biggest brains in the animal kingdom, but they are an important part of our diets for both their eggs and their meat. We really should not be raising them by the 10’s of 1,000’s in huge barns and feeding them yucky food. We should be spreading them around the countryside and in the cities. Families should be able to have their own chickens to provide eggs and meat (if they choose). Chickens are very inexpensive pets! Their feed costs a whole lot less than dog food, and they keep the bug population low.
Chickens are cool.
