Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chickens stand for a simpler life—a source of yummy natural food, sure, but actually
having some in the garage changes you. For me they opened the door to organic garden-
ing, sheepdog trials, pack goats, and canning in my August kitchen. I will never go back
to that life before
pullet
was part of my vocabulary, and I don't understand how anyone
living within the right zoning codes can. They're as easy to tend as a stray cat, and the
time needed to take care of them daily amounts to what most people waste waiting in
line for coffee. They're funny and have their own individually quirky personalities that
can't help but grow on you. After a few springs of hatchery orders, I'm a convert turned
preacher.
PART OF THE SOLUTION
The factory-farm norm behind supermarket eggs is a sad story. Confined chickens live
out their lives at best in indoor barns that double as feedlots—or at worst in tiny wire
cages. They live in a hell of stress and misery, and the end product is a shadow of
the once-great egg. Factory chickens produce thin-shelled, yellow-yolked, slimy protein
glop compared to the robust and hearty flavor of a farm-fresh egg.
When you keep your own chickens, you are choosing to walk away from the factory
farms with their inhumane cages and amputated beaks. You're taking back a little free-
dom—both yours and the chickens'—and it is delicious. In more ways than one.
Home-raised hens produce beautiful eggs in every color of the sepia-tone rainbow
.
