Before the Backyard – a concise history of the chicken part 4

Last time we learnt how the chicken played what could quite well have been a pivotal role in the Roman Empire. If you think on it, how many times did the Pulliarus, the keeper of the sacred chickens cast down some food, open the cage of the sacred chickens and then take the auspices. Divining …

Before the Backyard – a concise history of the chicken part 3

Over the last couple of posts we’ve being developing a picture of the ‘chicken’ in its earliest forms. We’ve looked at what its ancestors ‘in the wild’ were and where geographically it is likely to have originated from. We’ve considered how it became associated with humankind and why, and yet so far we haven’t really …

Before the Backyard – a concise history of the chicken part 2

Last time we took an overview of the early evolution of the chicken as we know it today however this time we will take a step backwards. Chickens weren’t always chickens, at least not the way we think of and see chickens today or even a couple of centuries ago. The humble chicken today is …

Before the Backyard – a concise history of the chicken part 1

The origins and early evolution of the domestic chicken  Ever since I first got involved with chickens I’ve been fascinated by them, not just the chicken we see today, but also how we got to the chicken we see today. I knew from my own relatively short history on planet earth that chicken breeds and the concept of ‘chicken’ to the …

Chicken bones may be the legacy of our time

An interesting read from the Smithsonian via Chicken bones may be the legacy of our time

Poultry keepers urged to be vigilant of Newcastle Disease

DEFRA Press Release 25/7/18 Cases of Newcastle Disease reported in smallholder flocks and commercial poultry sites in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg Poultry keepers across the United Kingdom have been urged to be vigilant of Newcastle Disease following reported cases in flocks across Europe. Recent cases in Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg have led to Animal and Plant Health …

Vixen drops by to check I’ve locked up – Trail Camera

Curiosity killed the cat according to the saying, however curiosity is but an appetite for knowledge, and this led me to purchase a trail camera..... at least that's my excuse. I know that foxes visit the chicken pens, in fact if you follow this blog you will have read about various trials and tribulations I've …

Stock Types

Like most livestock or pure breeds of animal, they are frequent sold according to a level of criteria they meet, and in this respect chickens are no different.   Show Quality Stock By definition, an example of a breed that is deemed as being of show or exhibition quality is a bird that exhibits all …

As Spring Approaches….

“‘Now that the growing season has started are there any ornamental plants I can grow that my chickens can benefit from?” There are a number of garden ornamentals that make great grain and seed providers for your flock come the autumn, but put on a stunning display during the main of the growing season. Sunflowers …

What goes in must come out – the blindness of backyard poultry keepers?

Following a recent exchange on Twitter this still seems very current, with the ignorance (and in some respects, arrogance) of so-called experienced poultry keepers not quite getting the concept of livestock, and what you put in, will invariably come out.

ChickenStreet

Smack your chick up?

I’m quite vocal at times about the contrast between commercial poultry rearing and small scale or backyard keeping. I can be quite damning about some the legislation because I’m a great believer that in a large majority of cases one size doesn’t fit all. In fact the concept of one size fitting all seems to stem from the issue that pragmatism and scalability get side-lined. This is either because they are too expensive or are only relevant to ‘the little people’ who, by definition, are irrelevant in the grand scheme of the poultry world!

It follows on then that given my documented opinions I am sometimes challenged by people as to whether my attitude stems from a belief that small scale poultry keepers know better than the big boys and the authorities, or whether I’m just an outspoken idiot. I guess when I put these commentaries…

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