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Backyard Chickens – Then and Now

Mr. Quackers — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 22:00:32 +0000

In her book, Iva Wells writes about her regular experience with mail order chickens through the decades.

On a recent visit to our family farm, I encountered an autobiography written by Iva Wells, a neighbor and family friend. She is a woman has lived in northern Minnesota and North Dakota of her life and has chosen to recollect some of her farming lifestyle memories throughout her years. Of her many trials and triumphs living the agrarian ideal, Iva writes about purchasing, receiving, and raising chickens. Here is an excerpt from her book Family Life on a Reservation Farm: The Autobiography of Iva Wells.

Chickens and Eggs

To supplement the income from the cattle, most farm women had a flock of chickens to raise and tend. Every spring, one could walk into most rural post offices and hear the peeping of baby chicks, which had arrived through the mail. The chicks were usually in groups of 25 within each of 4 compartments in a cardboard box with small holes for ventilation. The chicks were a common spring sound in the post office as they waited to be picked up by the farmer. They had probably been on the road from the hatchery for two days. They would be in good condition with very few fatalities because they lived those first few days from the yolk of the egg, from which they were hatched.

Jim built a very nice “brooder house” for my baby chicks which would be their until fall. This brooder house was kept warm by an oil stove with a metal skirt called a “hover” around it. I always ordered 400 chickens every March. As soon as I would get them home, I would take them into the warm brooder house and one at a time, I would dip their beaks in warm water and then let them run to a feeder where they would immediately begin to pick and eat food.

The chicks would gather and lay under the hover to keep warm. The temperature had to be kept at a warm, even heat to prevent the chicks from crowding together in a pile and suffocating the ones on the bottom. Since it was only March, we could and often did have some vicious snowstorms that had me worrying all night about those little baby chicks! I would wonder if the stove was heating properly or if the strong winds had blown out the flame!

Some March storms were worse than others. One year, I had many sleepless nights and I would get up, dress, and walk in knee-deep snow every 2 hours to check on the chicks!

A backyard chicken flock from some time ago

It is interesting to see the decades old tradition of mail-order chicks from a historical perspective. The logistics and concerns of receiving chicks remains largely the same – chicks are hatched and shipped the through the postal service, their two-day journey is supported by the nutritious yolk, and warmth is the key for young poultry. However, much of the technology has changed in the process – mail order catalogs are being replaced with eCommerce poultry websites, planes now fly many young birds to their destinations, and electric heat systems now take the place of coops heated by an oil stove.

The practice of raising chickens and other poultry has been a source of income, food, and fulfillment for countless generations. As Americans look for ways to be more environmentally friendly, economically self-sufficient, and nutritionally more in-touch, examples such as these prove that we often need not look any further than the agrarian practices of the past to find guidance for the future.

Laffayette, Colorado Next in Line to Legalize Backyard Poultry

Mr. Quackers — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:11:40 +0000

Over the past few years we have occasionally featured stories of the countless cities across the United States which have underwent to process to legalize the practice of raising chickens and other fowl in urban backyards.

It is no secret that the popularity of backyard chickens is surging, as families and hobbyist reap the environmental and economic benefits of domesticated poultry.

One of the latest in this long line of communities seeking to officially condone this practice is Lafayette, Colorado. Lafayette, a very green conscious and socially minded city near Boulder and Denver, brought the debate before the city Planning Commission this week. Most likely, the Planning Commission will bring a recommendation before the City Council next month and a proposed amendment allowing backyard chickens will be enacted.

The package of rules and regulations proposed which the Lafayette Planning Commission are relatively common. The group derived the regulations from the ordinances they saw as most appropriate in the nearby cities of Longmont, Fort Collins, and Boulder.

Limit of 3 hens per household
No roosters
Birds must be sealed in a backyard chicken coop at night
Birds must have an enclosed 100 sq. foot chicken run
No slaughtering is allowed in backyards

One rule that many chicken owners may find a bit restrictive is the limit of 3 hens per household. An average size family which regularly consumes eggs, would most likely still need to purchase eggs with only 3 laying hens. This is especially true during the winter months, when hens do not lay as much, according to Melissa Held of nearby Longmont.

However, regulators feel the need to restrict the number of hens to deter backyard chicken owners from obtain too many eggs, and potentially selling them – a practice which could be a potential violation of regulations.

The popularity of urban poultry is continuing to rise, and currently does not show signs of slowing down.

Joe the Trucker and his Pet Duck Frank

Mr. Quackers — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:25:13 +0000

Here is a cool story about Joe the Truck and Frank, his pet duck. Joe offers the very insightful tidbit, “As stupid as it sounds, maybe if everyone had a duck in their life, people wouldn’t be so mad at eachother.”

In the Movie Valentine’s Day the Real Stars are the Ducklings

Mr. Quackers — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:03:51 +0000

The Valentine’s Day movie is packed full of celebrities which cater to all demographics and tastes. From Patrick Dempsey and Jessica Alba, to Julia Roberts and Jamie Foxx. However, the real stars of the movie are the little ducklings which make perhaps the most picturesque shot in the movie.

While Valentine's Day was packed full of big Hollywood stars, the ducklings were the ones to steal the show.

As the movie draws to a close and the topsy turvy convolutions of characters and subplots are being resolved, we see the lovable floralist (played by Ashton Kutcher) tossing the unsold flower petals into a stream from a bridge. He is reflecting on the transpirations of the day, when he sees 4 little ducklings swim through the petals on the water. While the ducklings’ moment in the Hollywood spotlight is brief, they definitely steal the show with their cuteness.

Where did the producers of this film obtain the ducklings they sought after to convey the film’s emotions? They purchased their birds from eFowl.com – the web’s leader in ducks and chickens for sale. The breeds of the birds which swam by were 2 Pekins and 2 Rouens. These are both domesticated breeds, and what domestic ducklings would be doing in an LA creek on their own in the middle of the night is perhaps a detail left best unquestioned. From the size of the birds, they look to be about 3-4 weeks old when the filming took place.

eFowl.com frequently supplies animal training companies with animal actors for everything from major Hollywood movies to local commercials.

UPDATE: Backyard Ducks are Saved!

Mr. Quackers — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:11:25 +0000

Ducks are thrilled that they are now allowed in Huntington, NY

A few weeks ago we explained a legal battle where Huntington, NY duck owners Nina Tam and her daughter Ava Post were battling local regulations to allow them to keep their small, domestic flock of birds. Like many duck owners across the country, they utilize their egg laying ducks to provide them with a safe and healthy alternative to chicken eggs. Nina Tam has a food allergy to chicken eggs, and duck eggs have offered the perfect nutritional solution.

We are happy to report that this brave duo succeeded in going through the appropriate legislative channels to have their local regulations changed such that up to 8 ducks can now be owned in the town of Huntington, NY. Through the use of social media such as a Facebook page and an online petition, Nina Tam and Ava Post were able to garner enough support to form a cohesive argument as to why their flock is not a nuisance, and should be allowed to remain.

This victory follows a rising trend of legalizing backyard poultry.

We at FowlBlog.com would like to congratulate Nina and Ava for opening the door for so many to enjoy this environmental and engaging hobby.

The Duck Amendment will be announced at a Town Hall Board meeting at 7pm on January 12th at 100 Main St. Huntington, NY.