http://www.truthdig.com/interview/pa...lan_interview/



Quote,

Does the same thing go for free-range chickens and eggs?



It's very interesting. Free-range chickens-I did go visit a large organic
chicken producer here in California, and if you look at their label, there's
a farmstead with a little silo and a farm house and a farmyard and chickens
running around, but if you go to the farm, the chickens are grown in these
huge barracks as long as a football field. They're indoors, there are 20,000
of them in a house, and running along this barrack is what looks like a
little front lawn-mowed, maybe 15 or 20 feet deep.



"Whole Foods is very cleverly designed, but it's based on illusions. If you
go to the farm depicted on those labels, you find that in fact, things look
a little bit different."

--Michael Pollan



There's a little door at either side of the barrack where, theoretically,
chickens could step outside and take the air. But they don't. One reason is
that the doors are closed until the chickens are about five weeks old.



The farmers-if you can use that word, the managers-are concerned that the
chickens might catch their death of cold or pick up a germ, so they don't
open the doors until the chickens are five weeks old. They smother them at
seven weeks; so it's not exactly a lifestyle. It's more like a two-week
vacation option. And the chickens don't avail themselves of this option
because they've never been outside before. They're terrified of going
outside. First of all, it's not big enough for the whole flock. Second of
all, the food and water is inside; they're not used to it; they weren't
brought up this way. They're like the cat in the Manhattan apartment; when
you open the door they just stand there in terror wondering about the other
dimension of reality outside that door.



Free range is a conceit. It's to make us feel better about these chickens.
It's not doing anything for the chickens, as far as I can tell.



Yes, that organic chicken is still a better product, I think. It's getting
better feed, it's got a few more inches of legroom than a conventional
chicken, but it's not all it's cracked up to be.

End quote.



The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
general.

Dee Dee

"Dee Randall" > wrote

> "Whole Foods is very cleverly designed, but it's based on illusions. If
> you go to the farm depicted on those labels, you find that in fact, things
> look a little bit different."

I would guess so! Seems a funny thing to say, to me. I
suppose there are naive people out there who think the stores
buy eggs from Auntie Em or something. Can't imagine why the
writer thought people selling thousands and thousands of chickens
have a big giant happy farm where chickens scratch for bugs.

I don't know, the whole article struck me as strange.

nancy

They do taste a little different if they really are "free range", but to me,
that's defined as a chicken that's been wandering around the yard from the
time it felt like doing so, until it was slaughtered. Sadly, I can't do that
in this neighborhood, although I haven't asked the zoning guy how much
pocket lining he'd need to look the other way.

Dee Randall wrote:
> http://www.truthdig.com/interview/pa...lan_interview/

>
>
> The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
> whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
> general.
>
> Dee Dee
>
>

He's talking about the business. He's just come out with a book so his
interviews are everywhere. I swear I heard this thing about the chickens about
14 times in the past few weeks between NPR, MPR and the internet.

When are we just going to accept that cruelty is the added zing that makes
everything, from slave harvested cane sugar to milk fed veal, taste delicious!

(I'm kidding, it's a joke, tongue firmly planted in cheek, sarcasm!)

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

"The Bubbo" > wrote in message
...

> When are we just going to accept that cruelty is the added zing that makes
> everything, from slave harvested cane sugar to milk fed veal, taste
> delicious!

As we speak, I have a rabbit in my basement, with wires attached to its
little genitals. I will find out who's eating my lettuce, or there will be
hell to pay. Ve haf vays of making zem talk.

Doug Kanter wrote:
> They do taste a little different if they really are "free range", but
> to me, that's defined as a chicken that's been wandering around the
> yard from the time it felt like doing so, until it was slaughtered.
> Sadly, I can't do that in this neighborhood, although I haven't asked
> the zoning guy how much pocket lining he'd need to look the other
> way.

Until recently (say, the last 5 years), there was a house down the street
I'd drive past on my way to work. There were chickens running all around in
the front yard and a really spectacular rooster with a tail the shades of a
rainbow! They also had dairy cows; you could hear them lowing in the
morning and the rooster crowing when the sun came up. Ur-ur-ur-ur-urrrrh!
Those were truly free-range chickens. Bet those folks got some nice fresh
eggs in the morning!

Sadly, they sold out to developers. Now there are rows of little
starter-homes (only $120,000!!) that all look alike, with no yards to speak
of, and a middle school. This used to be the 'country'; now it's turning
into just another suburb.

Jill

Doug Kanter wrote:
> "The Bubbo" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> When are we just going to accept that cruelty is the added zing that makes
>> everything, from slave harvested cane sugar to milk fed veal, taste
>> delicious!
>
> As we speak, I have a rabbit in my basement, with wires attached to its
> little genitals. I will find out who's eating my lettuce, or there will be
> hell to pay. Ve haf vays of making zem talk.
>
>

Weird! I have the same set up, but I'm just doing it for own amusement

--
..:Heather:.
www.velvet-c.com
Step off, beyotches, I'm the roflpimp!

Doug Kanter wrote:
>
> They do taste a little different if they really are "free range",

But do they taste better or worse?
Veal is raised in cramped quarters,
and it is prized for that.

The chicken industry should promote
the conventional method of chicken
farming as the "veal process". Then,
we could all feel better about it.

(Except for those NPR-liberals who don't
even eat meat, so their opinions on what
other people eat shouldn't count.)

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:11:53 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> wrote:
>The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
>whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
>general.

I believe he was speaking of the company. Pollan is an interesting
guy. His "Botany of Desire" is a really good read, and his articleon
feedlots in the NY Times magazine a while back was fascinating. D
just ordered his latest book for me.

Thanks for posting the link.
--
modom

"modom" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:11:53 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> > wrote:
>>The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
>>whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
>>general.
>
> I believe he was speaking of the company. Pollan is an interesting
> guy. His "Botany of Desire" is a really good read, and his articleon
> feedlots in the NY Times magazine a while back was fascinating. D
> just ordered his latest book for me.
>
> Thanks for posting the link.
> --
> modom

Thanks for the added information. DH passed it over to me; he will like to
know this, and I, too, will be interested to see what he is talking about.
It's my first time hearing of him.
Dee Dee

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:11:37 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> wrote:

>"modom" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:11:53 -0400, "Dee Randall"
>> > wrote:
>>>The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
>>>whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
>>>general.
>>
>> I believe he was speaking of the company. Pollan is an interesting
>> guy. His "Botany of Desire" is a really good read, and his articleon
>> feedlots in the NY Times magazine a while back was fascinating. D
>> just ordered his latest book for me.
>>
>Thanks for the added information. DH passed it over to me; he will like to
>know this, and I, too, will be interested to see what he is talking about.
>It's my first time hearing of him.
>Dee Dee
>
Did you check the Eat Well Guide he mentions in the interview?
http://www.eatwellguide.org/ I just used it to find a place within
striking distance of my house that sells hanger steaks (onglet) from
grass-fed cattle. It might be an interesting weekend drive some day
soon.
--
modom

"modom" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 17:11:37 -0400, "Dee Randall"
> > wrote:
>
>>"modom" > wrote in message
. ..
>>> On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 09:11:53 -0400, "Dee Randall"
>>> > wrote:
>>>>The remark about "Whole Foods" was in a box to the side. I couldn't tell
>>>>whether he was speaking of Whole Foods, the business, or Whole Foods in
>>>>general.
>>>
>>> I believe he was speaking of the company. Pollan is an interesting
>>> guy. His "Botany of Desire" is a really good read, and his articleon
>>> feedlots in the NY Times magazine a while back was fascinating. D
>>> just ordered his latest book for me.
>>>
>>Thanks for the added information. DH passed it over to me; he will like
>>to
>>know this, and I, too, will be interested to see what he is talking about.
>>It's my first time hearing of him.
>>Dee Dee
>>
> Did you check the Eat Well Guide he mentions in the interview?
> http://www.eatwellguide.org/ I just used it to find a place within
> striking distance of my house that sells hanger steaks (onglet) from
> grass-fed cattle. It might be an interesting weekend drive some day
> soon.
> --
> modom

If not for you, I wouldn't have found that and checked it out. I found an
egg place and a meat place all within 30 miles on my way to the nearest town
where I do my weekly-10 day shopping. It looks like they are nicely out in
the country. I have printed out Streets & Trips directions for a couple of
nice little side trips.

You shall be rewarded! As a matter of fact, so will I -- thanks again.
Dee Dee

"Dee Randall" > wrote

> "modom" > wrote

>> Did you check the Eat Well Guide he mentions in the interview?
>> http://www.eatwellguide.org/ I just used it to find a place within
>> striking distance of my house that sells hanger steaks (onglet) from
>> grass-fed cattle. It might be an interesting weekend drive some day
>> soon.

> If not for you, I wouldn't have found that and checked it out. I found an
> egg place and a meat place all within 30 miles on my way to the nearest
> town where I do my weekly-10 day shopping. It looks like they are nicely
> out in the country. I have printed out Streets & Trips directions for a
> couple of nice little side trips.
>
> You shall be rewarded! As a matter of fact, so will I -- thanks again.

Same here, thanks Mike! See a couple of pork sources I could
check out.

nancy

On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:24:12 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>
>"Dee Randall" > wrote
>
>> "modom" > wrote
>
>>> Did you check the Eat Well Guide he mentions in the interview?
>>> http://www.eatwellguide.org/ I just used it to find a place within
>>> striking distance of my house that sells hanger steaks (onglet) from
>>> grass-fed cattle. It might be an interesting weekend drive some day
>>> soon.
>
>> If not for you, I wouldn't have found that and checked it out. I found an
>> egg place and a meat place all within 30 miles on my way to the nearest
>> town where I do my weekly-10 day shopping. It looks like they are nicely
>> out in the country. I have printed out Streets & Trips directions for a
>> couple of nice little side trips.
>>
>> You shall be rewarded! As a matter of fact, so will I -- thanks again.
>
>Same here, thanks Mike! See a couple of pork sources I could
>check out.
>
Dee and Nancy, I just Googled Pollan's reference from the interview;
weren't nuthin' special I did. But I'm here to tell you that pastured
pork is a real treat. It tastes like a pig ought to taste.
--
modom

"modom" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 21:24:12 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>"Dee Randall" > wrote
>>
>>> "modom" > wrote
>>
>>>> Did you check the Eat Well Guide he mentions in the interview?
>>>> http://www.eatwellguide.org/ I just used it to find a place within
>>>> striking distance of my house that sells hanger steaks (onglet) from
>>>> grass-fed cattle. It might be an interesting weekend drive some day
>>>> soon.
>>
>>> If not for you, I wouldn't have found that and checked it out. I found
>>> an
>>> egg place and a meat place all within 30 miles on my way to the nearest
>>> town where I do my weekly-10 day shopping. It looks like they are
>>> nicely
>>> out in the country. I have printed out Streets & Trips directions for a
>>> couple of nice little side trips.
>>>
>>> You shall be rewarded! As a matter of fact, so will I -- thanks again.
>>
>>Same here, thanks Mike! See a couple of pork sources I could
>>check out.
>>
> Dee and Nancy, I just Googled Pollan's reference from the interview;
> weren't nuthin' special I did. But I'm here to tell you that pastured
> pork is a real treat. It tastes like a pig ought to taste.
> --
> modom

I checked at the library and found that "Botany of Desire" is available;
and a copy of the 1991 Second Natu A Gardener's Education 1991 edition
is available, although "Second Nature" I notice is available as a
paperback - Sep 2003.

I had checked out Square Foot Gardening, an old edition, at the library, as
our own copy had been given away; but happily when I went to Costco last, I
found the new edition of SFG in paperback; and comparing, I like it better
than the older version. Not so daunting -- great color pictures for Dee's
comprehension -- tee hee.
Thanks again,
Dee Dee

In article >,
"Dee Randall" > wrote:

> so they don't
> open the doors until the chickens are five weeks old. They smother them at
> seven weeks; so it's not exactly a lifestyle. It's more like a two-week
> vacation option. And the chickens don't avail themselves of this option
> because they've never been outside before. They're terrified of going
> outside. First of all, it's not big enough for the whole flock. Second of
> all, the food and water is inside; they're not used to it; they weren't
> brought up this way. They're like the cat in the Manhattan apartment; when
> you open the door they just stand there in terror wondering about the other
> dimension of reality outside that door.

The peron who wrote this is an idiot who has probably never actually
taken care of chickens. S/he is right that for something to be called
"free range" it only has to be outside for an hour a day, usually in a
cage and that it is a farce and sad. However...

In nature, the mother hen wouldn't allow her chicks out much from
under her before five to six weeks anyway. All farmers keep their
chicks in a brooder or in a brooder house with a hen for that time.
They don't have feathers and would die of exposure if you let them run
around, not to mention being pecked to death or smothered by the larger
chickens, being eaten by rats/raccoons/eagles/hawks/owls/coyotes/etc,
getting wet and chilled and freezing.

This is part of why we have our chickens at home. They are in the
coop at night, where they are protected from predators, and in their
chicken yard during the day where they can scratch and eat grass and
weeds and bugs. They are fenced in, the fencing is planted about two
feet in the dirt to discourage animals from digging under it, there is
netting above them, and there are bushes and trees that they can hide
under when a hawk flies by. It took them about two or three days to get
used to going in and out of the coop, but now they wait by the door when
they hear us coming to open it in the morning, and when it starts to get
dark they start marching back into it. If these big farm birds are too
afraid to go out, it's because they only tried it one day.

As for the food and water being indoors, except for in the heat of
summer, our birds have their layer ration in a hanging feeder in the
coop along with their water in a hanging waterer. We only put water
outside when it is really hot, because otherwise they just go in and out
to get water when they need it, slurp the dew from the plants, etc. In
the summer, they drink so much more, so we put one outside as well, so
they don't have to go too far to get water, it is near them in the coop
if they are close to that, and it is outside if they are farther from
the coop. However, most of their food is the stuff they find and eat
outside, so who cares if their layer/broiler feed is inside? We also
give them mashed eggshell and kitchen scraps to eat as treats and for
calcium and grit. Just don't ever feed a chicken avocado or uncooked
potato is what we've heard, and if you want them for eggs, no
onions/peppers/brassicas, since they will flavor the eggs.

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

"Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Dee Randall" > wrote:
>
>> so they don't
>> open the doors until the chickens are five weeks old. They smother them
>> at
>> seven weeks; so it's not exactly a lifestyle. It's more like a two-week
>> vacation option. And the chickens don't avail themselves of this option
>> because they've never been outside before. They're terrified of going
>> outside. First of all, it's not big enough for the whole flock. Second of
>> all, the food and water is inside; they're not used to it; they weren't
>> brought up this way. They're like the cat in the Manhattan apartment;
>> when
>> you open the door they just stand there in terror wondering about the
>> other
>> dimension of reality outside that door.
>
> The peron who wrote this is an idiot who has probably never actually
> taken care of chickens. S/he is right that for something to be called
> "free range" it only has to be outside for an hour a day, usually in a
> cage and that it is a farce and sad. However...
>
> In nature, the mother hen wouldn't allow her chicks out much from
> under her before five to six weeks anyway. All farmers keep their
> chicks in a brooder or in a brooder house with a hen for that time.
> They don't have feathers and would die of exposure if you let them run
> around, not to mention being pecked to death or smothered by the larger
> chickens, being eaten by rats/raccoons/eagles/hawks/owls/coyotes/etc,
> getting wet and chilled and freezing.
>
> This is part of why we have our chickens at home. They are in the
> coop at night, where they are protected from predators, and in their
> chicken yard during the day where they can scratch and eat grass and
> weeds and bugs. They are fenced in, the fencing is planted about two
> feet in the dirt to discourage animals from digging under it, there is
> netting above them, and there are bushes and trees that they can hide
> under when a hawk flies by. It took them about two or three days to get
> used to going in and out of the coop, but now they wait by the door when
> they hear us coming to open it in the morning, and when it starts to get
> dark they start marching back into it. If these big farm birds are too
> afraid to go out, it's because they only tried it one day.
>
> As for the food and water being indoors, except for in the heat of
> summer, our birds have their layer ration in a hanging feeder in the
> coop along with their water in a hanging waterer. We only put water
> outside when it is really hot, because otherwise they just go in and out
> to get water when they need it, slurp the dew from the plants, etc. In
> the summer, they drink so much more, so we put one outside as well, so
> they don't have to go too far to get water, it is near them in the coop
> if they are close to that, and it is outside if they are farther from
> the coop. However, most of their food is the stuff they find and eat
> outside, so who cares if their layer/broiler feed is inside? We also
> give them mashed eggshell and kitchen scraps to eat as treats and for
> calcium and grit. Just don't ever feed a chicken avocado or uncooked
> potato is what we've heard, and if you want them for eggs, no
> onions/peppers/brassicas, since they will flavor the eggs.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee

I like the sounds they make when they're poking around the yard. Next best
thing to sailboat hardware tapping against the masts gently on a calm night.
And, that's all I have to say about chickens at the moment.

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> But do they taste better or worse?

The reason veal is better in cramped quarters is because the muscles
don't get exercised much and they stay tender. If you slaughter them
young, before they are weaned, they will still be tender and quite tasty.

As for the chickens, you bet they taste better. They eat more
greens, bugs, and their is a real richness to the flavor. We got
chickens because the people we used to trade with for fresh chicken and
duck eggs stopped raising them. We had to go back to store eggs, and
they were miserable. Pale, watery yolks, not the firm, high, golden
yolks, they tasted pale and watery too.

Duck eggs make the best omelets, too, just need one egg for a person.
We plan on getting ducks, geese and turkeys in a year or two. First we
are getting honey bees. The poultry was my dream, the bees are Rich's.
We are adding them one type at a time, each year, so we can get used to
the care of each type of creature, rather than get overwhelmed and
neglect them or harm them somehow.

The boys want rabbits, and if they are still interested in two years,
when they can show for 4-H and be more responsible for their care, we
are going to get two breeding pairs for meat and fiber, satin angoras
and the more traditional fluffy angoras.

Anyone who is interested in really helping the small farmer survive
in America, or kids who do 4-H animal husbandry, or family farmers who
raise their own family's food, please e-mail me. The USDA is working
very closely with agribusiness to edge out all small time farming, and
make it too expensive and difficult to do.

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

> The peron who wrote this is an idiot who has probably never actually
> taken care of chickens. S/he is right that for something to be called
> "free range" it only has to be outside for an hour a day, usually in a
> cage and that it is a farce and sad. However...
>
> In nature, the mother hen wouldn't allow her chicks out much from
> under her before five to six weeks anyway. All farmers keep their
> chicks in a brooder or in a brooder house with a hen for that time.
> They don't have feathers and would die of exposure if you let them run
> around, not to mention being pecked to death or smothered by the larger
> chickens, being eaten by rats/raccoons/eagles/hawks/owls/coyotes/etc,
> getting wet and chilled and freezing.
>
> This is part of why we have our chickens at home. They are in the
> coop at night, where they are protected from predators, and in their
> chicken yard during the day where they can scratch and eat grass and
> weeds and bugs. They are fenced in, the fencing is planted about two
> feet in the dirt to discourage animals from digging under it, there is
> netting above them, and there are bushes and trees that they can hide
> under when a hawk flies by. It took them about two or three days to get
> used to going in and out of the coop, but now they wait by the door when
> they hear us coming to open it in the morning, and when it starts to get
> dark they start marching back into it. If these big farm birds are too
> afraid to go out, it's because they only tried it one day.
>
> As for the food and water being indoors, except for in the heat of
> summer, our birds have their layer ration in a hanging feeder in the
> coop along with their water in a hanging waterer. We only put water
> outside when it is really hot, because otherwise they just go in and out
> to get water when they need it, slurp the dew from the plants, etc. In
> the summer, they drink so much more, so we put one outside as well, so
> they don't have to go too far to get water, it is near them in the coop
> if they are close to that, and it is outside if they are farther from
> the coop. However, most of their food is the stuff they find and eat
> outside, so who cares if their layer/broiler feed is inside? We also
> give them mashed eggshell and kitchen scraps to eat as treats and for
> calcium and grit. Just don't ever feed a chicken avocado or uncooked
> potato is what we've heard, and if you want them for eggs, no
> onions/peppers/brassicas, since they will flavor the eggs.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee

Probably you won't have the answer, or perhaps no one does, but I'm curious
about feeding eggshell to chickens, only because isn't that where the
problem lies with the spongiform diseases; i.e., feeding animal products to
animal?
Thanks,
Dee Dee

In article >,
"Dee Randall" > wrote:

> Probably you won't have the answer, or perhaps no one does, but I'm curious
> about feeding eggshell to chickens, only because isn't that where the
> problem lies with the spongiform diseases; i.e., feeding animal products to
> animal?

Chickens shouldn't have their own meat given to them, and they
shouldn't be given raw eggs, for two different reasons. Raw chicken
meat, because they can get disease, but really only if the bird they are
eating is diseased, but mostly because they will get a taste for it, and
chickens can become cannibal. That's why you need to stop them pecking
(not the normal pecking order sorting out stuff, but actually getting
blood), because once they taste the flesh and blood, they will peck a
bird to death and go on to another one. I don't know about cooked, but
I see no reason to give it to them. You can give them leftover meat you
cook, but I figure they eat all those bugs, so it's not an issue.

The eggs, they can eat just fine, in fact, we'll give them a hard
boiled egg or two, crushed up with the shell, for extra protein and
calcium. Again, you don't want it to be too recognizeable as egg to
them, because they'll start pecking open their own eggs and eating them,
and you won't get any egg. We crush the eggs/eggshells really well, so
they don't see them as eggs.

Regards,
Ranee

Remove do not & spam to e-mail me.

"She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13

http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/
http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/

Ranee Mueller wrote:

> We plan on getting ducks, geese and turkeys in a year or two.


What - no guinea fowl!?

--
Best
Greg

"Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
...
> In article >,
> "Dee Randall" > wrote:
>
>> Probably you won't have the answer, or perhaps no one does, but I'm
>> curious
>> about feeding eggshell to chickens, only because isn't that where the
>> problem lies with the spongiform diseases; i.e., feeding animal products
>> to
>> animal?
>
> Chickens shouldn't have their own meat given to them, and they
> shouldn't be given raw eggs, for two different reasons. Raw chicken
> meat, because they can get disease, but really only if the bird they are
> eating is diseased, but mostly because they will get a taste for it, and
> chickens can become cannibal. That's why you need to stop them pecking
> (not the normal pecking order sorting out stuff, but actually getting
> blood), because once they taste the flesh and blood, they will peck a
> bird to death and go on to another one. I don't know about cooked, but
> I see no reason to give it to them. You can give them leftover meat you
> cook, but I figure they eat all those bugs, so it's not an issue.
>
> The eggs, they can eat just fine, in fact, we'll give them a hard
> boiled egg or two, crushed up with the shell, for extra protein and
> calcium. Again, you don't want it to be too recognizeable as egg to
> them, because they'll start pecking open their own eggs and eating them,
> and you won't get any egg. We crush the eggs/eggshells really well, so
> they don't see them as eggs.
>
> Regards,
> Ranee

Gee, Ranee, I didn't expect such an expert answer. I really enjoyed reading
your information. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
My appreciation,
Dee Dee

Dee Randall wrote:

> "Ranee Mueller" > wrote in message
> ...
> > In article >,
> > "Dee Randall" > wrote:
> >
> >> Probably you won't have the answer, or perhaps no one does, but I'm
> >> curious
> >> about feeding eggshell to chickens, only because isn't that where the
> >> problem lies with the spongiform diseases; i.e., feeding animal products
> >> to
> >> animal?
> >
> > Chickens shouldn't have their own meat given to them, and they
> > shouldn't be given raw eggs, for two different reasons. Raw chicken
> > meat, because they can get disease, but really only if the bird they are
> > eating is diseased, but mostly because they will get a taste for it, and
> > chickens can become cannibal. That's why you need to stop them pecking
> > (not the normal pecking order sorting out stuff, but actually getting
> > blood), because once they taste the flesh and blood, they will peck a
> > bird to death and go on to another one. I don't know about cooked, but
> > I see no reason to give it to them. You can give them leftover meat you
> > cook, but I figure they eat all those bugs, so it's not an issue.
> >
> > The eggs, they can eat just fine, in fact, we'll give them a hard
> > boiled egg or two, crushed up with the shell, for extra protein and
> > calcium. Again, you don't want it to be too recognizeable as egg to
> > them, because they'll start pecking open their own eggs and eating them,
> > and you won't get any egg. We crush the eggs/eggshells really well, so
> > they don't see them as eggs.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Ranee
>
> Gee, Ranee, I didn't expect such an expert answer. I really enjoyed reading
> your information. Thank you for taking the time to write this.
> My appreciation,


Yes, very enjoyable and informative. And from reading it I realized
that chickens are even wierder than I thought...

--
Best
Greg