Big Red

Big Mottled

Well, never late for a chicken story or joke, but the chicken craze is on, and people are keeping hens or two (usually no roosters to keep the noise down), as a move to fresh eggs.  The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a descendant of a wild bird called the red jungle fowl.  While thought of as passive and retreating by some, chickens are quite the characters- and if given the chance will eat vertebrates.  They also will keep a yard free from ticks and lawn bugs!  The behaviors you will see if you ever delve into a few chickens for fresh eggs, is actually enjoyable, in that children and adults alike seem to like watching them move along, boss each other around, and do their mating dances.   Yes, they do dance!  The varieties of chickens developed by humans boggle the mind, and here you see a Rhode Island Red rooster, and a mix rooster with a sponge comb- rather then the normal comb- check out the difference.  Fresh eggs by the way are higher in all the good stuff that we want, yet not as loaded with the cholesterol that we once thought and read as BAD.  In fact, salmonella in fresh eggs is almost unheard of, and well, you get away from all the antibiotics as well.  Obviously not for everyone or every neighborhood, chicken keeping is a fun addition to a back yard, and the rewards are many.  So next time your wondering how to go a bit green, think about what your next pecking order might be!  And remember to say that NG “spurred” you on.  People may flock to your yard.