Ode to the Chicken

When you sit down for dinner tonight and you look at what is on your plate what it is?

Depending on the day and how much you enjoy your beef you probably have chicken on your plate. Chicken is one of the most successful domesticated animals in the world with over 20 billion chickens living on farms across the world. They became so successful because of there incredible usefulness in many aspects from the eggs and meat they provide to the entertainment and pest control they provide on the property.

It is widely believed that modern domesticated chickens Gallus domesticus are descended the Red Jungle Fowl Gallus gallus. Some of the first documented evidence of domesticated chickens occurs in China around 5400 BC at multiple sites. They also appear in the Indus Valley of India around 2000 BC and it is from there that the chicken spreads to Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.  Chickens historically we not the a ultimate suppliers of protein that they are today.  Some cultures used them quite extensively in cock fighting and others venerated the chicken in a religious context using them to adorn church's like the early Christians in Europe

Today the modern chicken supplies much of our protein in the form of eggs and meat and around 74% of all chicken meat and 68% of eggs are raised on industrial farm. There are many breeds of chickens around the world so many in fact that we are not really sure how many there actually are. They come in many sizes but are generally divided into the categories of large and bantam breeds. Bantam breeds are usually 1/4 to 1/5 the size of the large breeds and can be either miniature versions of large breeds or separate breeds in there own right.

For the purposes of production a chicken farmer will typically look at two things when deciding what breed to purchase. If they desire meat then they will look at breeds that are good for meat production like the Cornish, Orpington and Shamo breeds. Perhaps they are more interested in exceptional egg layers like Leghorns chickens. It all really depends on what type of production you want to have and what scale you want to do it on. A lot of the commercial chickens found in industrial chicken operations are hybrids specially bred to put on meat or be egg layers. Like many hybrids though these chickens are incapable of breeding true and the overemphasis of certain traits causes health problems in the chickens.While hybridization and the industrial scale production are good for the bottom line of the chicken producer it does have certain effects of the health of the chickens and there surrounding environment that has many environmentalist worried.

There has been a upswing in recent years of people starting there own micro flocks of 10-12 birds that they keep for eggs, fertilizer and entertainment. Along with a sustainable managed garden and food preservation a flock of chickens could be the beginning of a self sufficient lifestyle that many people a striving to reach today.

A good reference to have for any would be chicken farmer is Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens. This all inclusive book gives details on breeds, care, feeding and facilities needed to properly raise chickens.

I have consulted it quite extensively in deciding what breed would work for our little operation and I'm sure it will be very useful in the months to come as I and a few friends raise our first flock of chickens.

Until next time my fellow environmentalists

Josh