The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Chicken The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Chicken
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts

Friday, November 6, 2020

Pet Chicken Masters Homemade Agility Course But Final Jump Has Internet Cracking Up


More and more people are keeping chickens in their backyards these days, and it turns out they’re a lot of fun to have around.

Gone are the days when only farmers had chickens; now, you can find a small flock of hens in lots of suburban backyards across the United States. Most people keep them around for the eggs they provide, but still more have discovered that chickens have their own unique personalities that make them pretty cool pets.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Chicken Masters Homemade Agility Course But Final Jump Has Internet Cracking Up.


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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Nationwide Recall Issued For Dog Food Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination


 

On August 24, 2020 Sunshine Mills, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of Nature’s Menu® Super Premium Dog Food with a Blend of Real Chicken & Quail because of the potential to be contaminated with On August 24, 2020 Sunshine Mills, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of Nature’s Menu® Super Premium Dog Food with a Blend of Real Chicken & Quail because of the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

To read more on this story, click here: Nationwide Recall Issued For Dog Food Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination



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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Recipes For Dogs: Barbara Laino's Homemade Dog Food


In the April/May 2011 issue of The Bark, we interview Barbara Laino about the nutritional benefits of feeding your dog home-cooked meals in addition to, or in lieu of, commercial dog food (see “Home Cooking with Barbara Laino” April/May ’11). Here are two more recipes cooked up at Laino’s Midsummer Farm in Warwick, N.Y., that are sure to please your pup’s taste buds and keep her healthy:

Homemade Dinner Recipe for Dogs

This recipe feeds 2-3 large dogs for 7-10 days.

Grind the following ingredients in a meat grinder. Alternate ingredients so the grinder does the mixing for you. For instance, grind six necks, one carrot, a handful of garlic and pumpkin seeds, then six more necks and so on. Mix with a large spoon as you grind.

Meat:
• 40 lbs of chicken neck without skins
• 10 lbs of chicken hearts
• 5-10 lbs of organic chicken livers
• 2 cans of pink salmon (optional)

Vegetables:
Can be interchanged with other vegetables and fruits (no grapes or onions). Dogs and cats usually do not like citrus.
• 2-5 lbs carrots
• 1/2 a bunch of red cabbage
• 1 beet
• 2 apples
• 1/2 a bunch of spinach or other dark greens

Other ingredients:
• 1 cup of raw pumpkin seeds

Add a couple of the following items. Have these ready on hand as you are grinding and add a sprinkle here and there of each so you can thoroughly mix the batch of food.
• 9-12 raw whole eggs (optional)
• 2,000 mg of vitamin C powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of Thorvin kelp powder
• 1/4 cup of tumeric powder
• 1/2 to 1 cup of dried parsley
• 1/2 to 1 cup of dried oregano
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 1/4 cup of raw honey

After grinding and mixing all ingredients thoroughly, keep the food in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Midsummer Farm Homemade Fish-Based Dog Dinner

(The below recipe is for 1 medium dog for 3 days, about 10 1-cup-size meatballs) This recipe can be made in larger batches for efficiency sake. This raw food can easily be frozen in meatball shapes appropriate for the size animals you are feeding.

Serving Sizes of Raw Meatballs:
• For a large 50-100 pound dog – three to five 1-cup-size meatballs per day
• For a 20-40 pound dog - two or three 1-cup-size meatballs per day
• For a 1-10 pound dog – one to two 1/2-cup-size meatballs per day
*Remember – this is a concentrated and efficient food source and is power packed. You won’t have to feed as much bulk-wise as with a commercial food; most commercial foods have a lot of fillers.

Ingredients
• 2 pounds of Frozen Fish Fillets. I like to use an oily fish like Mackerel or Whiting.
• 1-2 cans of Alaskan Wild Pink Salmon
• 1/4 - 1/2 pound of Beef Liver
• 1-3 Eggs (optional)
• 2 cups of Chopped Veggies (can be any combination of carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cooked squash, green beans, cooked yams, apples, berries, kale, spinach). Do NOT use onions or grapes of any kind.
• 1/2 cup of Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 2 tbsp Dried Parsley
• 2 tbsp Dried Oregano
• 2 tbsp Tumeric Powder
• 2 tbsp Thorvin Kelp Powder
• Optional: 1 cup of cooked oatmeal, barley, or brown rice

Directions:
Alternate putting frozen (still frozen grind much easier), liver, vegetables, garlic, and seeds through a meat grinder. As you grind into a big bowl, add and mix in the canned salmon, eggs, honey, dried herbs, powdered kelp.

Keep in a well-sealed container in fridge. Scoop out appropriate amounts for your pet, or if you made a very large batch that is more than can be consumed in about 5 days, roll into meal-sized meatballs and freeze. Then you can just take out whatever number meatballs you need and defrost them a couple days before you need to feed them. Meatballs will last at least 3 months in the freezer.



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Sunday, August 16, 2020

Pet Birds and Air Travel


 

You may have seen a fellow traveler bring a small dog or cat into the airplane cabin or take a larger dog with them as checked baggage. But did you know that a few US airlines allow you to bring your pet bird with you on your flight, provided you meet certain conditions?

Species

Each airline specifies which birds are permitted as carry-on baggage or as checked baggage. Typically, your bird must be a "household" bird, a pet, in other words, not a wild bird, and it must be odorless and quiet.

Hawaiian Airlines, for example, says that your bird must be "harmless, inoffensive, odorless and not require attention during the flight." Most airlines that accept pet birds will not allow you to bring chickens or other poultry, only pet birds such as finches and parakeets.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Birds and Air Travel





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Friday, March 20, 2020

Oldest Bird Fossil Discovered, Nicknamed 'Wonderchicken'


The oldest fossil of a modern bird, dating from the age of dinosaurs, has been discovered, a new study reports.

The tiny fossil, nicknamed the "wonderchicken," includes a nearly complete skull hidden inside nondescript pieces of rock, and dates to more than 66 million years ago. 

That's less than 1 million years before the asteroid impact that killed off all the large dinosaurs.

"The moment I first saw what was beneath the rock was the most exciting moment of my scientific career," said study lead author Daniel Field of the University of Cambridge in the U.K. in a statement.

To read more on this story, click here: Oldest Bird Fossil Discovered, Nicknamed 'Wonderchicken'


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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys


A Vermont couple says that their peacock has been on the loose for six weeks, and has apparently started hanging out with a flock of wild turkeys.

The case of the fugitive bird went viral earlier this week, when the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department shared an email on its Facebook page that it had received from one of the peacock’s distraught owners.

“My peacock has run off with the turkeys,” the email read. “Do you have any suggestions on how to catch the little twerp?? I do not believe they can breed……concerned. I know where he is most days. Any information would be appreciated!”

Local news station WCAX 3 tracked down the owners, Rene and Brian Johnson of Springfield, and got the full story. The couple believes that the peacock ― who goes by Pea, Forest or Walter ― took up with the turkeys because he was lonely after his companion, a sibling peacock, died.

To read more on this story, click here: Pet Peacock Runs Away From Home And Takes Up With Wild Turkeys


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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

The CDC is Asking Pet Owners to Refrain from Dressing Up Their Chickens This Year Due to a Particular Strain of Salmonella


Louisiana resident Stephanie Morse treats chickens like family, and like any other family member, Morse’s chickens get costumes every Halloween.

"Their bare skin is exposed, I just like to put a sweater on them to keep them warm and comfortable, and some of them have more personality," Morse told CBS affiliate KNOE-TV.

But people like Morse are being told not to trick-or-treat with their chickens this Halloween. The CDC is asking pet owners to refrain from dressing up their chickens this year due to a particular strain of salmonella.

At least 92 people in 29 states have been infected with a strain of multidrug-resistant salmonella after coming into contact with raw chicken products. No deaths have been reported, but 21 of the sick patients have been hospitalized.

The CDC warned that people could be infected by handling live chickens. When dressing a chicken, whether in a Halloween costume or a sweater, it is easier for a person to come into contact with harmful bacteria that live on poultry, including salmonella.

The agency also warns, "Don't kiss your birds or snuggle them and then touch your face or mouth."

Despite this, Morse said that her chickens will continue to strut their stuff.



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Keeping Backyard Chickens and Other Poultry


Backyard chickens and other poultry can carry germs such as Salmonella. After you touch a bird, or anything in the area where birds live and roam, wash your hands so you don’t get sick!

Owning backyard chickens and other poultry can be a great experience. However, children and other groups of people have a greater chance of illness from handling live poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam. Even handling baby birds displayed at stores can cause a Salmonella infection.

There Are Many Ways You Can Get Salmonella from Live Poultry
Live poultry might have Salmonella germs in their droppings and on their bodies (feathers, feet, and beaks), even when they appear healthy and clean. The germs can get on cages, coops, feed and water dishes, hay, plants, and soil in the area where the birds live and roam. Germs also can get on the hands, shoes, and clothes of people who handle or care for the birds.

People become infected with Salmonella germs when they put their hands or equipment that has been in contact with live poultry in or around their mouth. Young children are more likely to get sick because their immune systems are still developing and they are more likely to put their fingers or pacifiers and other items into their mouths.

People who have contact with items, like coops or water dishes, in the area where poultry live can get sick without actually touching one of the birds. Germs on your hands can spread easily to other people or surfaces, which is why it’s important to wash hands immediately with soap and water after touching poultry or anything in the area where they live and roam.

To read more on this story, click here: Keeping Backyard Chickens and Other Poultry


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Monday, October 22, 2018

A Deep-Sea Swimming Creature Named ‘The Headless Chicken’ Filmed Swimming Off East Antarctica


A deep-sea swimming sea cucumber has been filmed in the Southern Ocean off East Antarctica for the first time.

Real name Enypniastes eximia, commonly known as the "headless chicken sea monster", the creature had previously only been filmed in the Gulf of Mexico.

Data from the underwater cameras will be fed back to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, the international body managing the Southern Ocean.



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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

How to Raise Baby Chicks


I am so delighted to share all the information I have learned on how to raise baby chicks.  Whether you are dreaming of fresh eggs, learning to be more self-reliant, looking for a great pet or wanting your own home-grown chickens for meat, just about anyone can raise chickens.

I love my chickens.  But growing up I was terrified of them. The drive for learning how to be self-reliant and the desire for fresh eggs helped me to overcome my fears. I live in the city and only am allowed a couple of chickens, so I brought home 4 chirping little baby chicks this past spring.  After learning how to raise baby chicks and watching them grow, I can say they are the most enjoyable pets I have ever raised. They are super easy to care for, can be very loving, inexpensive to feed plus you get super delicious fresh eggs from them too.

To read more on this story, click here: How to Raise Baby Chicks

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Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Chickens Are Becoming A Popular Option for An Emotional Support Or Therapy Animal


Chickens are more than something to eat. They are intelligent and social animals. The chatty bird has even won the hearts of many people who now keep them as a pet. Chickens are becoming a popular option for an emotional support or therapy animal.

Social animals make great therapy animals. Their need to connect and desire to be around family helps people suffering from anxiety, depression and loneliness. While dogs, cats and horses have been the traditional therapy animals, chickens are pecking their way in.

Chickens are entertaining and talkative animals. They have over 24 different types of vocalizations. Aside from their vocals, they have unique personalities. “The talker, the complainer, the bossy one and the placid and the dopey and the eagle eyed smarty pants,” states Psychology Today. There is a perfect chicken for everyone.

On top of the entertainment they provide, chickens are a perfect choice for people who are allergic to dogs and cats.

The feathered animal has been introduced to nursing homes and senior living communities with great success. Therapy chickens have helped people with mental illnesses, children with autism, and give the elderly a reason to live. Having an animal to care for gives them a reason to wake up every morning.

Studies done on facilities that have used therapy chickens have shown, “chickens at nursing homes can reduce resident-to-resident altercations, reduce antipsychotic drug use and increase the number of visits residents receive from friends and family,” according to Sheboygan Press

Therapy animals spark conversation about the patient’s past pets and brings back memories. This helps patients that are suffering from memory loss. The therapy animal also initiates conversations between the residents.

“They can make good therapy pets for people who live with a backyard because they cost much less than dogs. Care-taking is good for you, when it’s not overwhelming and a chicken can provide an “un-anxious example of how to live without worry,” reports Psychology Today.

While some chickens like to be handled and cuddled, they still need their outdoor time. Chickens need time outside to search for worms and bugs.

“Researchers at the University of Northumbria found that “poultry therapy” in nursing homes can reduce feelings of depression and loneliness in patients — and can be especially helpful in getting male patients to be more social.”

Chickens are affordable and entertaining therapy pets that are changing the lives of many people. These intelligent feathered animals are finally being seem as something more than food.





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Thursday, September 20, 2018

Florence's Flooding Kills 3.4 Million Poultry, 5,500 Hogs


(AP) -- About 3.4 million chickens and turkeys and 5,500 hogs have been killed in flooding from Florence as rising North Carolina rivers swamped dozens of farm buildings where the animals were being raised for market, according to state officials.


The N.C. Department of Agriculture issued the livestock mortality totals Tuesday, as major flooding is continuing after the slow-moving storm's drenching rains. Sixteen North Carolina rivers were at major flood stage Tuesday, with an additional three forecasted to peak by Thursday.

The Department of Environmental Quality said the earthen dam at one hog lagoon in Duplin County had breached, spilling its contents. Another 25 of the pits containing animal feces and urine have either suffered structural damage, had wastewater levels go over their tops from heavy rains or had been swamped by floodwaters. Large mounds of manure are also typically stored at poultry farms.

To read more on this story, click here: Florence's Flooding Kills 3.4 Million Poultry, 5,500 Hogs

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Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Meet the Silkie, the Glamorous Supermodel of Domesticated Fowl


You may have seen a chicken or two in your day, but we’re pretty sure these glorious winged creatures are about to blow your mind.

The Silkie is basically the glamorous supermodel of domesticated fowl.

These ornamental chickens are more than just a pretty face; they’re also total sweetie pies. And legend has it that their feathers feel just like silk.

The texture of their feathers resembles a luxurious fur pelt. They’ve also been known to grow a mowhawk-esque crest of feathers on their heads.



The ‘do, the glare... You’re looking at the future frontman of an anarchist-chicken punk-metal garage band. Don’t make eye contact:


Some of them sport elegant pompadours that would put Elvis to shame:

Are these chickens using Pantene, or are they just pure magic? It’s no wonder they inspired their own fan club: The American Silkie Bantam Club was established in 1923 to celebrate the majestic bird.

Chickens have become popular house (or yard) pets, and the Silkie chicken is basically the dream breed. They can survive in warm and cold climates, though they should be kept inside during the winter. They’re sweet, amiable, and so dang cute that they’ll make your friends squeal:



They come in tons of shades, like this stunningly pillow-esque brunette with a baby on board:



Or this snow-white beauty:


And yes, you can even acquire a ginger Silkie. (And they have souls, too:)

Although we don’t know the exact origin of the Silkie, Marco Polo apparently described a bird just like it during his 13th century exploration of China. These chickens caught the eye of the early explorer. It is said that the Silkie was brought to Europe about 200 years ago, where Dutch breeders apparently told prospective buyers that they were a crossbreed of rabbits and chickens. We can understand how they pulled that off. Today, the majority of Silkie chickens are sold for ornamental reasons, cause they’re basically the royalty of fowl.

The chickens have dark blueish-black skin and a majestic wattle:



Although sometimes, they kind of just look like Chewbacca.

They grow feathers all the way down to their toes! Their fluffy feathers make them unable to fly and can be a real pain to clean, but whoever said being beautiful was easy?

And they don’t look quite so proud when their ‘dos get rained on:

Oh, the indignity!

They emerge as mowhawked-little tykes, like hipster babies in Brooklyn:



Slowly but surely, they start to fill out, like this wee little chick:


Silkie chickens have a lifespan of about nine years, so it’s not a commitment to be taken on lightly. Sadly, in recent years, a growing number of chickens have been abandoned in animal shelters. But if you’re ready for the responsibility, you can raise your Silkie as a real pet. Think of it as a kitten who can also produce the eggs for your omelet!

Once they grow up, female Silkies make excellent mothers, and even have been known to adopt baby ducks, turkeys or chickens into their brood:

Go ahead and revel in the fluffy wonder that is the Silkie!



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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Yes, This is a Real Chicken


This was originally posted by Fitim Sejfijaj, a member of a Kosovo-based poultry-enthusiast group on Facebook called "Shpeztaria Dekorative," which translates to "Decorative Poultry," the video went viral this week after it was reposted on Twitter.

"Am I the only person wondering why this chicken is so big?" Twitter user @LifesBook_CEO asked the internet. He is definitely not alone. The video of the amazing-looking creature already has 40,000 retweets, 54,000 likes and thousands of comments, so TODAY Food had to get the real deal about this huge bird.

"It's an example of a real breed called the Brahma chicken," Emily Lhamon, a poultry health educator for Penn State Extension http://extension.psu.edu/animals/poultry, told TODAY.

"I'm short, and these birds come up tall on me," Lhamon said, noting that most males top out at 2½ to 3 feet, max. "They grow to be quite large, but not Great Dane-sized. They are more feathers than they are meat. They're fluffy and look heavier than they actually are."

Weight-wise, they range from about 11 to 18 pounds, in the most extreme cases, Jeannette Beranger, senior program manager for The Livestock Conservancy, told TODAY.

"They are great birds — a laid-back, wonderful breed," Beranger assured us.

In case you're wondering, Brahma chickens are not the result of modern-day GMOs or antibiotics. They've been around since about 1850, through old-fashioned breeding of large birds from Asia. "They bred the two biggest chickens back then to create what they wanted to stylistically," Lhamon explained.

Popular for eating back then, the breed has since fallen out of favor — not because it's not tender enough, but because the birds are expensive to raise because they eat a lot. But they also take longer to mature and get to market than newer breeds of chickens, Lhamon said.

"You could lose your shirt feeding a flock of Brahmas," Beranger agreed. Because of their size, they don't do well in warm climates, and they can be hard to care for. Their feathered feet don't mix well with muddy conditions, for example.

Brahma chickens are considered endangered, but people do eat their eggs (which are a normal size in case you're wondering) and some of the chickens become dinner too.

"As we always say, 'you have to eat them to save them,'" says Beranger. "They are chickens after all and need a job beyond being someone's pet or lawn ornament. For those that are not breeding quality, that job is to be food for the table."

Funnily enough, much like the reaction the birds got on social media this week, the Brahma chickens actually set off "hen fever" in the United States and England, after they were introduced in Europe in the mid-1800s.

"It came to be considered quite trendy to be breeding chickens. It was a gentleman's farmer-type activity to get your name associated with creating something new," Beranger said — not unlike the     hipster obsession with urban farming we're seeing today, we might add.

Curious to get a look at one yourself, in real life? Our experts suggested seeking out poultry shows such as the Ohio National Poultry Show in Columbus, which Lhamon likened to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show of chicken shows. Or you can likely find a show in your own area, nationwide.

"Throughout the country, you're always going find a Brahma chicken at a poultry show," Beranger said. "They're real show stoppers."

With their feathered feet and larger size, Brahma chickens like this one are "show stoppers" at show like the American Poultry Association's, Jeannette Beranger of The Livestock Conservancy says.

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Thursday, September 15, 2016

Centers for Disease Control: Why You Should Never Kiss Your Backyard Chickens


The backyard chicken trend that has taken hold of America has a lot going for it, occasional neighborly disputes notwithstanding. The eggs are fresh, it’s clear where they came from, and raising fowl is educational for children.

But it’s also causing an “emerging public health trend” in the form of increasing salmonella outbreaks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

It doesn’t help that, according to the available data, a not-insignificant share of poultry-keepers kiss their chickens and allow them into the living room. These head-scratching findings are among the “high-risk practices” occurring as what once were production animals “are increasingly being considered household pets,” a new CDC study said.

Salmonella infections can make people very ill and, in rare cases, cause death. They originate with bacteria that hang out in animal intestines, enter the world via their feces and are usually transmitted to people through contaminated water or food. But recent outbreaks in the United States have implicated contact with live poultry as a growing source, and healthy chickens are known to shed salmonella bacteria, so the CDC scoured various databases and studies to determine the role of all those crafty coops in the problem.

Here are some of the basic findings:

  • From 1990 to 2014, there were 53 “live poultry associated salmonella” outbreaks that sickened 2,630 people, hospitalized 387 and killed five.
  • About one outbreak occurred each year from 1990 to 2005.
  • That rose to about four outbreaks a year from 2005 to 2014.
  • About 6 in 10 patients said they’d been exposed to baby poultry, and 74 percent said that exposure happened at home.

And here are some of the more surprising figures. Of those exposed to baby poultry, these are the percentages of patients who reported:

  • Snuggling baby birds: 49
  • Kissing baby birds: 13

Nearly half — 46 percent — of patients said they allowed live poultry in the house. Of those, these are the percentages who kept fowl:

  • In the living room: 22
  • In the kitchen: 12
  • In the bedroom: 10
  • In the bathroom: 10

No word, unfortunately, on whether cuddling and kissing took place in the bedroom.

About half of those who took the “mi casa es su casa” approach to their chickens reported having owned their birds for a year or less, the study said, which suggests inexperience might have something to do with their unfamiliarity with “appropriate husbandry practices” (though a slightly greater percentage said they knew about the link between poultry and salmonella). The authors of the study also surmised that some people might bring chicks inside in the winter out of fear their fluff will not stand up to the cold.

But the authors were also categorical in their opposition to this practice: “Poultry should never be allowed inside the house,” they wrote.

They stopped far short of warning people off keeping backyard flocks. All in all, the study concluded, poultry owners, especially children, who most often get salmonella, need to regularly wash their hands and be aware that even robust-looking birds can shed salmonella. And health-care workers, veterinarians, pediatricians, hatcheries, feed stores and other key players in this field need to spread the words about the risk.


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Monday, December 14, 2015

Woman Knits Colorful Sweaters For Rescue Chickens


In Cornwall, England, Nicola Congdon and her mother, Ann, are really getting into knitting. After all, it’s the season for it.

But instead of knitting human-size sweaters, their projects are a bit smaller…

That’s because their sweaters aren’t made for humans at all! They’re for about 30 of the 60 hens that live on Nicola and Ann’s property.

These 30 chickens are rescued battery hens, meaning they spent much of their lives in tiny cages producing eggs.

These hens, raised in captivity indoors, have trouble acclimating to living outside. Many of them also lack the feathers they need to keep warm, which puts them at risk during the cold months.

So to help them stay cozy in the winter, Nicola and Ann decided to help them out by knitting chicken-size sweaters in all different colors. And they really help, just like how on the other side of the world, one kindly man creates sweaters for penguins in need.

See how these two women are helping chickens, as well as humans, and let them inspire you to help someone in need today!

The chickens that have come out of captivity are ill-prepared for the cold, and many of them lack feathers entirely.

“We are doing it for the ex-battery hens for when they come out of their poor conditions for them to put on in the cold weather,” Nicola explains.

She and Ann, her mother, have been knitting chicken sweaters for the past six months.

“It’s important to make people aware of the poor conditions the hens live in and the fact that they have no feathers when they are retired,” Nicola says, but she’s also pleased with the practical aspects of the sweaters: “They keep them warm and makes the chickens easy to identify.”

As for the chickens, they seem to like the sweaters, too. Nicola says that they have no issues getting the sweaters onto the chickens, and that the chickens don’t try to remove them.

She and Ann have an extensive collection of the tiny, sleeveless sweaters. As the world has taken notice of their creations, chicken owners all over the world have sent in requests — and are willing to pay for them.




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Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Mutilated Animal Carcasses Found Around Sacramento, California


It started when someone left a 120-pound cow head in a park.

At first, investigators in Sacramento wondered if that someone was a hunter, one who had accidentally left something behind. Then another cow head appeared nearby not long after, followed over the next few months by a series of gruesome packages containing dead goats, chickens, rats, fish, lambs and even a tortoise, according to the Sacramento Bee.

In most cases, the carcasses being left around California’s capital city are headless, but strangely blood free, aside from one instance in which a package contained bowls of what was described as “bloody oatmeal,” the Bee reported.

Since the first cow head was discovered in December, authorities have logged at least a dozen instances of mutilated animals being found around the city, often near train tracks, according to NBC affiliate KCRA.

The killings almost always involve livestock, and never cats and dogs, investigators say.


In March, the Humane Society offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the mutilations.

“These animals were mutilated and killed for no apparent reason and discarded as though they were trash,” the Humane Society’s Eric Sakach said at the time. “We are hopeful that this reward will bring forward anyone with information about these disturbing crimes.”

But more than six months after the killings began, authorities say they still don’t know who, or what, they’re dealing with.

Gina Knepp, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Department of Animal Control, told Reuters that some packages have included bloody dollar bills, oil and seeds that are known to be used in some Afro-Caribbean religions.

And yet, she admits, investigators are stumped.

“It’s bizarre,” Knepp said. “We don’t know if it’s religion; we don’t know if we have a sick individual in our community that simply likes to cut the heads off animals and dump them where people can see them.”

On Monday, the city released surveillance footage that appears to show a woman dropping off bags that included a beheaded goat carcass, as well as red hens, a rat and a catfish.

The woman, who struggled with the weight of the object, can be seen getting out of a white van and dropping off the packages before getting back into the vehicle less than a minute later and driving away.
  


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Monday, May 4, 2015

Keeping Chickens As Pets: A Growing Trend For City Dwellers


Maybe it’s a growing trend of getting back to basics, maybe it’s the economy. Whatever the reason, keeping chickens as pets is a growing trend even for city dwellers. There are even clubs for those who fancy poultry as pets, and competitive shows where owners can show off their beautiful Bantams. The clubs and shows are generally overseen by the American Poultry Association.

While regulations vary on chicken ownership from town to town, even many urban communities allow for a small number of hens. Many towns see roosters as too noisy (hello, annoying alarm clock) and/or aggressive to be kept in a residential setting.

Marci Riseman, mom of two, has kept chickens in her San Francisco backyard for three years.

“I consider our chickens to be somewhere between pets and farm animals,” she said. “It’s a strange relationship that I’ve never had before, and I find it leaves me with different expectations. We feed our cat and all we expect is love and a full litterbox; we feed our chickens and we expect them to produce eggs.”

Don’t expect to start a roadside egg-selling stand (which is probably also regulated in your town, by the way) with just a few hens.

“Right now we have three chickens, and are getting two eggs a day,” said Marci. “This means that someone is not laying. We can’t tell who the freeloader is, since they all spend time in the laying box; without a strategically-placed ChickenCam we’ll never know who isn’t pulling her weight egg-wise.”

“I love having these creatures in our yard,” said Marci. “They are beautiful those weird spindly feet are actually very graceful in motion … and the feathers, oh the feathers! and funny, and friendly, and they are a great live-action science experiment every day in our own back yard.”

Marci describes herself as “an urban homesteader at heart” who makes her own jam and sauerkraut and cooks or bakes most of what her family eats. She and her family also grow fruits and vegetables in a small garden.

“I would totally have a goat and an orchard and acres of blueberry bushes if we had the land and my husband wouldn’t divorce me over it,” jokes Marci. “Especially the goat. Just being with the chickens while I pull weeds or hang out with the kids or friends in the yard makes me happy. Chickens are a small way to bring nature closer in to our noisy, urban lives.”

I asked Marci if she and her family eat the chickens or just the eggs.

“We don’t eat the chickens. Partly because of the part-pet thing; the kids would be beyond horrified. And partly because it would be disgusting to slaughter our own animals, though I’m sure I could get over that part with practice. At first it did freak me out to eat something that came out of the rear end of something that lives in our backyard. It made me realize how disassociated we are from our food; I don’t mind eating something that comes out of the rear end of a chicken I can’t see? I got over it, though, and now I adore eating their eggs.”

If you’re considering keeping chickens, the first and most important step is to find out what your community’s regulations are. Your town’s public health department can help you with that. If chickens are allowed, you can use a tool like the “Which Chicken?” Breed Selector Tool at mypetchicken.com to help find breeds that are suitable for your climate and your interests.

For example, in my fantasy world in which I have chickens, I want a cold-hardy chicken that is docile and produces lots of fun-colored eggs. The chicken chooser tool recommends a chicken called an Easter Egger that lays four large bluish-green eggs a week.

A particularly helpful resource is backyardchickens.com, which includes lots of ideas about coops, owner reviews of a vast number of breeds, and a thriving online community in which to discuss and ask questions about laws, breeds, problem solving, and other issues. Their Learning Center section has great information for those just getting started, as well as long-time chicken owners.

The most amazing thing about chickens is that there’s a huge variety that are suited to backyard raising.






The following are just a few of the nifty birds out there:











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