A little late to the dance.

[MoniDew]

(Apparently, I haven't gotten enough of this topic yet...)

I'm the one who is obviously late to the dance, on the subject of Urban poultry. I hadn't really heard of or considered raising livestock in the city until I started watching Patti, and began reading the posts at this site. And even after a very active conversation on this board in another post, I continue to pursue this topic! (Perhaps I am in need of a blog, for which to engage in public contemplation.) But I promised that I was listening, and I am actively, at least ATTEMPTING, to learn.

I started another thread on the same subject simply to say that I have found a site discussing the urban hen-keeping movement. Perhaps there are those among you here who might be interested, so I thought I would leave the link. Here it is:

Longmont (Colorado) Urban Hens (http://longmont-urbanhens.blogspot.com/)

[gardengirl72]

The City Chicken will do so much for helping Urban and suburban area's become more sustainable.

Many families eat chicken and eggs every day. They eat bugs and build soil for gardens. The problem for most governments are worries of noise and pollution.

Personally if you don't keep a rooster and move you animals around your property regularly you will be treated to the most amazing gifts of nature, with very little inputs from you.

Governments are against for several reasons:

Smell and vermin
Gambling and Cock Fighting
Noise
Filthy conditions that breed Flu germs

All of these things are valid, but only become a problem if their owners don't take care of them. Frankly I find the laws are bull, because you can own a 200lb dog, live in a apartment, where the animal barks all day and leaves barely compostable crap.

Thanks for getting me started Monica. I can rant on this issue for a while.

[JudyH]

I so agree with Patti's comments!

I am also looking at some laying hens... I want to start them from chicks (mail order probably from McMurray). I have been trying to read everything I can get my hands on.

There's several reasons I want to get hens. The first reason of course is for food (eggs) for my family. I read somewhere that you really don't know how old the eggs that you purchase at the grocery store are! Then, you don't know if they are the poor chickens that are in a 1 ft x 1 ft cage and forced to lay eggs until they poop out and are sent off to Campbell's Soup. You don't know what they are fed either... I want to know where my eggs (food) is coming from...

Another huge reason for me wanting hens is for POO.... yep, good ol' chicken poo. Awesome for the garden (via the compost pile first). I like Patti's method of using the chicken tractor over the raised bed too -- put the chickens in and let them scratch, eat bugs and POO on the soil.

And very importantly, the chickens are composters too -- weeds pulled from the garden, spent plants from the garden, the ends of beans that I snap, the middle of romaine lettuce that I don't eat... the ends of bread that no one wants to eat.... etc, etc.

I am still shooting for chickens this next spring :D

[Sinfonian]

Judy, I actually read that the AA label on eggs is really the age of the egg. So only the freshest eggs are at the store, or they'd be B rated. I believe those go to restaurants. That said, eggs don't get THAT bad with age, though I'm certain fresh from the chicken, or AAAAAAA (just kidding) is the best tasting of all. As someone who's never had a fresh from the chicken egg, I look forward to someday trying one.

Of course your comments are valid and I agree with all of them. Blame Alton Brown or someone similar for my annoying post. Sorry.

[Backyard Permaculture]

Judy, I actually read that the AA label on eggs is really the age of the egg. So only the freshest eggs are at the store, or they'd be B rated. I believe those go to restaurants. That said, eggs don't get THAT bad with age, though I'm certain fresh from the chicken, or AAAAAAA (just kidding) is the best tasting of all. As someone who's never had a fresh from the chicken egg, I look forward to someday trying one.

Of course your comments are valid and I agree with all of them. Blame Alton Brown or someone similar for my annoying post. Sorry.


Chicken Eggs sold in the supermarket are tipically about a month old. They have been in warehouses, shipped to distributers warehouses, shipped to supermarket warehouses and so on.

At best they are over a week old in most cases.

None are as fresh as those you get from your own birds.

Ron

[nandmsmom]

For me, it isn't even about the freshness, chicken eggs can keep for ages. For me, its about the taste and security of having my own chickens. An egg from a free-ranging chicken is SOOOO much better, it is like a whole different food. The yolks are a deep yellow and make you want to cry that you ever wasted your time with those plastic supermarket eggs.

I don't have chickens yet, but will come spring. Now, I get my eggs from friends with chickens. I'm so excited to have the increasing security of knowing where my food comes from and how it got there.