Eggs are one of my favorite foods. Fortunately, I am able to buy local eggs. I even get to meet the chickens. When these chickens were just newborns, they came from a small, local breeder. Sometimes, the egg farmers end up with one or more roosters. There are no guarantees in this local breeding industry. Often times, the roosters are raised by the egg farmer and if they become too much of a nuisance, they end up in the soup pot. These would be fully grown birds.
In order to produce enough meat and chicken to meet the demands of the fast food chains such as McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken, factory farming of animals was expanded and became a big industry. The supermarket chains also played a part in the creation of factory farms.
The purpose of the above video is to call our attention to the treatment of factory farm animals. After seeing how these chickens are mistreated, it becomes easier to understand how salmonella can occur in the food industry. More about salmonella and caged chickens here. You can learn more about factory farms here.
Join the Slow Food Movement and whenever possible, buy local.
This is what a chicken farm should look like.
Those were some fine looking fat hens and roosters. With this many varieties of chickens, the egg basket is probably filled with naturally colored Easter eggs.
This is our Open Thread. Feel free to Speak Up!
Most eggsellent post, Cats! Buying fresh and locally is an important aspect of sustainability.
When I moved my practice a few years back, within weeks of my arrival, I was working with other activists to keep Wlmt from moving in. Our campaign was successful, and so onward to
the next issue of import – the chicken meetings.
For over two years, the local zoning hearing board heard arguments related to an 11 acre farm and it’s “inhumane” practices like “letting chickens roam outside of their confined area” and “standing in mud puddles when it rained”. Trying to help, we screened t- shirts, sponsored by other local farms, which we proudly wore to meetings that read “Local Yokl: Stop the Crack Down on Family Farms!” w/ a drawing of a lovely gavel smacking down on an egg in the middle. The meetings got contentionous; one of my friends was actually about to be escorted out during testimony when an attorney reminded the quasi-judicial board that he had a right to be heard. The end result of the hearing: the farm could continue, with a limit on the number of fowl at any one time not to exceed 250. The irony for the “yokls” was that the chair of the zoning hearing board’s last name, when translated from the Pennsylvania German is literally “chicken”
Thanks for a great post Cats. The picture is beautiful. I derive a lot of pleasure from watching my chickens run about in the yard, though their dust baths create havoc in my landscaping at times.
A big thank-you to lass for being such a committed chicken warrior. I think every family should be allowed to keep chickens if they wish. Heck, some of those 3-5 acre lots in upscale subdivisions could support a steer.
Hinckle or Huhn.
That was good news for the egg farmer.
I always wondered why anyone would buy a house in a new development built next to a pig farm and then complain about the smell from the pig farm. The pig farm was there first and if these people don’t like the smell of the country, then they should stay in the city or suburbs.
The first one, sans the “c” … She retired from public school teaching; for many of us hearing her speak was bone-chilling – I’m reminded of being an errant 3rd grader talking in the recess line … yuck …
Great Post Cats!
Farm fresh eggs are so much better than the factory ones. No comparison.
Thanks to my friend Bob, I’ve been eating nothing but farm fresh eggs for several years. Lately he has to give me two dozen at a time because he’s gathering from the birds that were just chicks in the Spring. Most are pretty small eggs, although they occasionally squeeze out a full-size version, and there have been a lot of double yolks. None of the new hens produce green shells, though, which I miss.
Gummitch, I must agree. The natural Easter eggs are fun.
I have a friend that has a few ducks and they lay these really large eggs. One duck egg equals two chicken eggs.
Morning everyone.
I love fresh eggs. I kept chickens (bantums) when I was growing up, and I loved those little brown eggs! I could have chickens where I live now, and have considered it. I do worry about the coyotes and such though. Our neighbors had chickens, and at least two of them were killed in our yard, and I haven’t seen any chickens around for a while now.
At least we do have several local egg farms near us, so we do get nice fresh eggs.
Years ago, my ag business partner and I often visited a smallish privately run egg farm to buy eggs that were fresh daily. Delicious. The older lady that ran the “store” — wife of the owner — was cool and had a great sense of humor. One day we stopped and bought three flats which totaled, if memory serves, 7.5 dozen? (we also supplied friends and family every now and then). The lady said, “That’s a lot of eggs.”
I replied, “We’re going to start an egg farm.”
Partner picked it right up and said, “Yup, we’ve got the ground furrowed out and pre-irrigated. All we have to do is take these eggs out and plant ‘em.”
She paused for a brief moment, then quickly said, “You don’t need some fertilizer, do you? We’ve got tons of it out back.”
Laughter.
Those were the good old days.
Which came first the chicken or the egg farm?
I don’t have access to any local farms but have only bought free range eggs for years since I saw how badly they treat those hens. If I couldn’t afford them I would do without. No way I would contribute to that much cruelty.
I have no eggscuse for posing this.
Well, you all know already that I’m a weirdo. I don’t eat eggs. I would love to have an IHOP move in where the Burger King used to be, but I know that they treat their egg-laying hens quite poorly. So I won’t lobby to get one here. But if we do ever get one, I’m buying pancakes and bacon there first chance I get. (No eggs.)
Wayne, you are my brother, Jude, reincarnated!
No eggs, no tomatoes, no green vegetables (exception: lettuce).
Pasta is what passed for his meals.
Growing up – every Saturday night was homemade beans and tortillas.
He would not eat beans. Put peanut butter on his tortillas!
human rights first
Speak out against bigotry and hate
Hello, crickets.
Hi, Lass. It was good. Really enjoying my classes so far.
*chirp*
Hello Zooey! How was school today?
That is great, Zooey. Makes attending class easier when it is enjoyable. What are your class sizes like?
They range from about 40 to 200. They were packed tight on the first days, but now we have some elbow room, due to drop outs and lazy sleepers.
That’s a lot of minds to mold (and papers to review!) Glad to know there is some elbow room now for you all
One of my collegues has a course she has been spending many hours preparing for and so far only one student enrolled . . . the course may not run, and as an adjunct, she won’t get paid for the prep either . . .
And lovely weather we’re having here back East . . .
Is Doc Shabbit a member of the zoo?
Hello, zxbe.
Actually, Doc Shabbit used to comment here quite frequently, but it was more or less mutually agreed that he would stop doing that.
Was that under a different screenname? I don’t remember him.
He used to post here as “Bartlebee.”
I remember Bartlebee at TP but not here. I wasn’t always able to read here at night, if I was busy.
Seems like it’s been a couple years.
Was this the same guy who also posted as Waynebro at TP? Very smart and well-spoken, but could go off on something and just argue all night long, even though the original point was long since lost and he was just arguing semantics?
Yep, same guy.
Apparently TP has lost it’s moderators and is back in the toilet.
That idiot has got several tabs going. Each with a different name.
Imagine being such a loser.
At least Waynebro, who also went wild if he felt christians were being dissed, was a lot more articulate than that cd fellow.
Absolutely, Outstanding. cd is fairly innocuous, until he perceives even the smallest attack on Christianity — like saying Jim Jones was a Christian. Then he just goes off the rails.
Faiz better get his fix in place (if it even exists). That idiot almost took over TP three years ago, and he’s trying it again — and he knows TP isn’t paying enough attention.
I’m off for the evening. Goodnight, all!
Yeah, I’m a christian, and a southerner, so sometimes I need a bit of a thick skin to read TP’s comments, but there are things that should not be taken personally. Denying that all manner of sins have been committed in the name of my gentle god is just crazy.
G’nite Zooey. Sleep well.
That genuinely reeks. The corporate university has reduced the profesoriate to day laborers. 40 years ago >75% of the positions were tenure or tenure track. Now, <25%; the rest are perma-temps with no job security and few if any benefits.
And, one must add, pay that requires many of them to take a second or more jobs, go on food stamps, etc. This pattern will only get worse.
Gary, it’s everywhere. I worked in defense, my husband still does. Years ago, you worked for a company on a specific contract, and when the job was done they transfered you to another project that needed your skills. Now, your project ends..you’re out the door. Maybe your corporation has a spot for you elsewhere, but it’s up to you to find out about it and apply. I started my working life with IBM in the 70′s. Virulently anti-union, they tried to provide enough security and benefits so that the worker felt no need to organize. Now, we all need unions.