Saturday, April 9, 2011

Chickens

Free Range Chickens streaming in an unbroken line 100 yards long.

 
 The birds flocked to the corner of the range because they were curious.
Notice the large dog protecting them from predators.

This morning I and the boys went back to the Amish farm we frequent to pick up a second rain barrel. I was struck by the scene above. It's a beautiful flock of heritage chickens grazing on an open range. There must have been 300 birds or more. It struck a cord of sadness in me, because this is a very rare scene. The first of my life. I think we've all seen industrial size chicken houses with no windows and their giant fans, but when was the last time you saw hundreds of chickens living outside and truly free to roam? It was a wonderful and beautiful thing that I hope more and more farmers will gravitate toward!  

11 comments:

  1. The Amish seem to have the right idea about a few things. Very nice birds and a good doggie!

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  2. Oh that poor dog. I bet he spends all day thinking no one would notice if one went missing ;)

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  3. What a beautiful sight! ...Oh how I wish I could have some chickens here. My "Almost an Acre" farm would be complete :o(

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  4. Katrina -Thanks for posting. They are beautiful birds. Maybe they're "Freedom Rangers", a french cross bred specifically for grass feeding.

    Jane -That's very funny! They must keep him well fed.

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  5. Gingerbreadhouse7 -It truly was.

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  6. What a wonderful site! Where is the farm...details please :)

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  7. Hi Robin, It's between Newville and Newberg on route 644. The farm is called Garden Paths. They raise their livestock all natural and free range. And boy are they in high demand, even supplying some D.C. restaurants. Yet they are also very accessible and supportive of little guys like us, who are trying to self-produce much of what our family eats. You'll appreciate this last detail, when I saw them with the boys last month they had family down from New York to celebrate Christmas together. Why March? Because they can't travel by buggy in December!

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  8. Looks like your Amish neighbor has picked up on the mobile chicken house concept. I used to build houses with Amish carpenters, really enjoyed them.

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  9. Hi gardenvariety-hoosier,
    Absolutely! The mobile coop is revolutionary. We use a much smaller version in our backyard. I move it to a fresh patch of grass once a day. The birds love scratching the new grass, and the manure is great for the lawn.

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  10. So much better than the acres of factory farms on the DelMarVa peninsula!

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  11. Yes, so much better. Thanks for posting.

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