Eggceptional

According to an article in the April/May 2011 issue of Organic Gardening, many eggs labeled as "organic" do not jive with the typical mental image of happy hens pecking at bugs and grass. The organic label is only a guarantee that the feed was organic and no antibiotics were administered. It does not guarantee the hens were given a good life.


Source: http://www.ethicsoup.com/2010/11/horrific-death-chicken-farms-plan-to-pulverize-live-chickens-in-grinder.html

The article defines the terms you may see on an egg carton:


Cage-free: Chickens are not kept in cages. They may or may not go outside.

Fortified or vitamin enriched: The chicken feed as been supplemented with vitamins or flax. These eggs are supposed to have more Omega-3s.

Free-range: Chickens are given access to the outdoors--However, this could mean one small door for thousands of chickens. Access is also limited. There is not a guarantee that there is grass out doors.

Organic: The feed is organic and there are no antibiotics or synthetic hormones given.

Pasture-raised: Chickens are raised with extensive access to outdoors, and a part of their diet is from grass and bugs.

The answer: "Buy fresh. Buy local."


Source: http://amyonfood.blogspot.com/2010/04/eating-local-small-farms-csa.html

Chicken Feed 101

mmmm, kitchen scraps

Yes, chickens like to eat, even more than their 7 months pregnant owner (though I do believe they hold the weight in their slender legs better than I). From a previous post we talked about the few things chickens should not eat, other than that, kitchen scraps are king!

When I visit my old stompin grounds in Athens we like to eat at The Grit. The Grit keeps all their kitchen scraps from their lovely vegetarian creations; they will give them to customers interested in composting. This is a good free way to add nutrition to your hens diets. They will thank you with a smile (do chickens smile?) or better yet, an egg with a nice orange yolk.

a fairly full gullet

From my understanding, chickens, unlike ruminants (sheep and cows) need to have some supplemental feed. People claim they raise their chickens on 100% grass without any grain, but they must have more potent grass than I do. The fescue in the backyard has gone to seed and the girls eat that, but they are still hungry after foraging. How do I know? If I am outside they are following me around asking for food. They do not seem happy and content. Also, you can feel their gullet (chest area by the neck). If it has a bulge they are well fed. If it seems to not bulge, the bird is hungry.

Chicks eat a special formula that is often called chick starter feed (or some version of that). They eat chick feed for about 16 weeks. I start a laying feed after than, and keep my hens on that for years. Some people only feed chick feed for 6 weeks, then move to a grower/maintenance feed, and then start a layer feed when the birds are 5 months or so.

In cold weather especially, the hens like some scratch, which is just corn pieces. They eat it like it is candy. It can make them gain too much weight so go easy in the warmer months.

Oyster shells can also be added to the feed. Chickens don't have teeth so they need gritty things to help their food to be ground up. If the chickens are outside they should have enough grit. However, oyster shells also add calcium for strong egg shells. They are pretty inexpensive as well. 

Chicken Pie

...Because we happened to have old pie

...And it happens to be their birthday 

They look like hungry hungry hippos.

The girls enjoyed their party, but they did not love the pie. It got their beaks dirty; they did not like that. I don't think they loved the sugar either. Their favorite foods are pasta, oatmeal, cheese--pretty much anything we eat they like. I do not get a chance to make much compost because my chickens get the kitchen scraps before anything can become of them!

There are a few things chickens should not eat (and from my experience they will not eat).

• avocados (birds in general cannot eat them because of a chemical called Persin)
• raw potato
• dried beans
• caffeine
• chocolate
• tomato leaves (as well as most nightshades)
• raw meat
• McDonald's french fries (you shouldn't eat them either:)

This is not a definitive list. If I find out more I will let you know.