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French village has proposed giving two chickens to each household in order to cut down on organic waste. Officials in the village of Pince in north-western France say the chickens should each consume 150kg (330lb) of rubbish per year. It is hoped that as well as reducing waste, the chickens will help families save money by providing eggs. Those who express an interest will receive their chickens in September, officials say. "To begin with it was a joke, but then we realised it was a very good idea," mayor of Pince Lydie Pasteau told France 3 TV. "It will also...

An explosion on Monday rocked the suburban Atlanta home of a man known for his fight to keep chickens on his property, and emergency officials say a body was found inside. Marshals had been on the scene for about two hours trying to evict Andrew Wordes, who's known as the "Chicken Man," when the explosion happened around 12:45 p.m., said Antonio Johnson of the Fulton County marshal's office. Minutes before the explosion, Wordes told them to leave the property that was in foreclosure. Other than the body found inside the house, which officials did not immediately identify, no one was...

VACAVILLE— Animal rescuers in Vacaville are getting closer to adopting out thousands of chickens that were rescued last month from an abandoned egg ranch. The hens were left for dead by Andy Keung Cheung, the owner of A&L Poultry, according to Stanislaus County Animal Services. Officials say most of the 50,000 hens were either dead or had to be euthanized because they were in such bad shape. Animal Place in Vacaville is one of three rescue groups currently rehabilitating the hens that were deemed healthy enough for potential adoption. Animal Place, Farm Sanctuary in Orland and Harvest Home in the...

According to MehrNews, the mouthpiece of the Islamic regime in Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that the Knesset’s decision to declare al-Quds (Jerusalem) the capital of Israel not only will not save the Zionist regime but also will speed up the regime’s annihilation. Ahmadinejad made the remarks during a meeting with the head of Turkey – Iran parliamentary friendship group, Murat Yildirim, in Tehran on Tuesday. He said that the Judaization of al-Quds (Jerusalem) is in line with the domineering powers’ colonialist policies to save the Zionist regime and dominate the region. Elsewhere in his remarks, Ahmadinejad said that...

Iranian navy soldiers take part in a military exercise in the Strait of Homruz on Wednesday Tensions between the United States and Iran have dangerously ratcheted up as naval officials with America's Fifth Fleet warned any attempt by Iran to close a strategically vital oil route through the Strait of Hormuz would "not be tolerated". The news heightens a sense of growing crisis in the Persian Gulf after two days of threats by senior Iranian figures that they might shut down the important trade route in response to any future international sanctions against the country's oil exports. "Anyone who threatens...

Two chickens have tested positive for West Nile Virus, according the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. The samples were taken from coops located in Thermal and southwest of Mecca, said a CMVCD spokesperson. The news comes one day after the agency announced a Cathedral City resident became the first human case of West Nile reported in the area since 2008. District staff will intensify mosquito surveillance, spraying larvicide, and making the public aware in these areas in an effort to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes.

We just recently purchased 6 Buff Orpington hens that are getting ready to turn 8 months old and were already laying. Yesterday I noticed one of the girls has a black diarrhea. Not sure if it's a "stress" or if it's food or illness causing it. We currently give them layer crumble and have recently given them stale bread ( OMG They're like my labs with food , when it comes to stale bread lol ) and some cabbage leaves. Just was wondering if anyone has had experience with black diarrhea in your hens and could offer some tips.

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee says the alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States may be an act of war against the U.S. Sen. Carl Levin says he wants to study the implications of using the term before deciding it applies. But the Michigan Democrat said the alleged scheme might be an act of war, and was certainly a serious threat to the U.S. Levin told reporters that either way, there should be a serious response by the U.S. He declined to say what that response might be.

The Iranian plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador and blow up the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington is a clear act of war says former Rep. Pete Hoekstra and Newsmax chief Washington correspondent Ronald Kessler - with Kessler adding the plot should be answered with a U.S. attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.

Chickens are no longer backyard outlaws in Sacramento. With a unanimous vote tonight, the City Council passed an ordinance that will allow city residents to keep up to three egg-laying hens in their back yards starting Nov. 1. ...Dr. Glennah Trochet, the county's public health officer, said she has spoken with state health officials and poultry experts at UC Davis and neither recommended striking down a backyard chicken ordinance because of concerns over disease, including the bird flu.

Some folks think that you dig potatoes our of gravy, and that chicken is something you buy at the grocery store, ready to cook....

Since Hurricane Katrina, Ruby Melton's 9th Ward enclave has welcomed a new species of neighbor: clucking, crowing, prancing chickens that dart across streets and nest in the trees. Animal control officers place the stray chickens with a farmer they call the Chicken Man, LeBlanc said, noting that capturing the creatures is "extremely hard" and often requires the effort of several officers. The job hasn't proved as vexing for a band of swift, persevering kids who have invested countless hours stalking and nabbing the feathered bandits, said Ed Buckner, director of the Porch, a cultural organization in the 7th Ward. When...

PHOENIX, - Officials in Phoenix said they lack options for dealing with a flock of about five chickens recently spotted roaming a neighborhood. Lynelle Nowlin, 63, said he has lobbied Phoenix and Maricopa County officials to get rid of the chickens, which he described as a nuisance, but they said they have no power to deal with the free-ranging fowl, The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday. "The chickens are proliferating," Nowlin said. "This is not the way our neighborhoods are supposed to be." Gary New, area supervisor for the Phoenix Neighborhood Preservation Division, said the division's inspectors can only take action...

Some Georgia lawmakers couldn’t backpedal fast enough Thursday on a “birther” bill supported earlier this week by a majority of House members. First to block out his name with a heavy black marker on House Bill 401 was John Meadows, chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee. A steady stream of legislators followed all day. By 5 p.m., at least 23 of the original 93 backers were gone from a proposal requiring presidential and vice presidential candidates prove they were born in the United States. Among them was the bill's lone Democratic supporter, Glenn Baker of Jonesboro. Seventy sponsors is...

February is done and I have tallied numbers for my backyard coop egg production for the month. I recorded my 2010 egg production on a different thread here... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2618506/posts JAN 2011 128 Eggs 4.129/Day A.E.: 62.37 G 7983 G. Total 281.592 Oz. 17.6 lbs. Feb 2011 133 eggs 4.75/Day A.E.: 62.21 G 8274 G. Total 291.857 Oz. 18.24 lbs. NOTES: * A.E.= Average Egg (Weight in Grams) * 1 Oz.= 28.3495 Grams

http://www.wimp.com/livingland/

Elizabeth Lampert’s daughter, Siena, wanted a horse. “But that would have been expensive,” says Lampert, the owner of a public-relations agency just outside San Francisco. Instead she went to a local hay-and-feed store and bought the 10-year-old a pair of chickens. “Then Siena thought they were getting lonely, so we got three more.” Lampert pays her daughter $2 a day to feed them, herd them back into their coop every night, and collect their eggs, generally two or three a day. “The eggs are amazing,” Lampert says. “They taste rich and creamy. The yolk—it’s very orange. Siena used to ask...

Now that October is closing out, I have tallied my numbers and thought it might be interesting to discuss egg production year to date in our Chicken McMansion. June 2010: 2 eggs; 84 grams total; 2.963 oz.; .185 lbs July 2010: 86 eggs; 4415 grams total; 155.735 oz.; 9.733 lbs August 2010: 154 eggs; 8117 grams total; 286.319 oz; 17.895 lbs September 2010: 134 eggs; 7512 grams total; 264.978 oz.; 16.561 lbs October 2010: 140 eggs; 8923 grams total; 314.749 oz.; 19.67 lbs. To date, our coop has produced a total of 516 eggs weighing 64.044 pounds. (One ounce is...

What could contaminate the feed that caused the salmonella egg outbreak? How about feeding the chickens back their own manure and litter? If you think that that is far fetched, read here and here. The word "by-product" starts to take on a different meaning. Not only do chickens get fed chicken litter, but chicken litter is also fed to cows.

THE HAGUE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Dutch troops ended Sunday it' s four years mission in Afghanistan and handed over the responsibility in the Afghan province of Uruzgan to the U.S. and Australia, makes the Netherlands the first NATO member to leave Afghanistan. According to the Dutch Defense Ministry, the Dutch troops had 24 casualties and 140 injuries during the last four years. "But we have brought the people of Uruzgan major improvements." "It hurts because it marks the end of the Dutch leading role in Afghanistan, I want to say goodbye to the people here we have intensive...

Nevada election officials say voters dressed in chicken costumes won't be allowed inside polling places this year. The chicken suits were added to the list of banned items Friday after weeks of Democratic ridicule directed at Republican Senate candidate Sue Lowden. Lowden has suggested bartering with doctors for medical care, like when “our grandparents would bring a chicken to the doctor.” Democrats have set up a website, Chickens for Checkups...

If you haven't heard the name Sue Lowden, brace yourself. She is a Republican who might well become a U.S. senator from Nevada, and judging by her idea for containing health-care costs -- critics call it "chickens for check-ups" -- she threatens to make Sarah Palin sound like some kind of pointy-headed policy wonk. Yes, I said chickens. There is a larger point to be made about the kind of thinking, or non-thinking, that Lowden exemplifies. But first, it's my duty to recap her perilous foray into health-care policy, which sounds like a good premise for a Monty Python sketch....

Whether it's a desire to eat locally or a concern about where and how food is raised, a growing number of people are adding a little cluck to their backyard. While urban chicken farming, like food gardening and beekeeping, is nothing new, its popularity has grown in recent years. "Sales of baby chicks are up about 50 percent from a year ago," says John Bellandi, owner of Alamo Hay & Grain. Online searches are going gangbusters. According to Yahoo, searches for "chicken coops" are up 100 percent, while searches for "chicken coop plans" are up 225 percent (these numbers represent...

LOS ANGELES — The chickens have come home to roost for Los Angeles city dwellers who keep roosters. The City Council on Tuesday passed an ordinance that — with few exceptions — allows only one rooster per property. It was spurred by complaints over noise and hygiene and concerns over illegal cockfighting. Janice Hahn, who authored the bill, says it will give residents of her district some peace and quiet.

Early Polynesians Sailed Thousands of Miles for Trade Dave Hansford for National Geographic News September 27, 2007 Early Polynesians sailed thousands of miles for exploration and trade, suggests a new study of early stone woodworking tools. The analysis confirms traditional tales of vast ocean voyages and hints that a trading network existed between Hawaii and Tahiti as early as a thousand years ago. The work also bolsters research suggesting that the Polynesians were skillful sailors who rapidly expanded across the Pacific and journeyed as far as South America by the 1400s A.D. Kenneth Collerson and Marshall Weisler of the University...

Chicken Bones Suggest Polynesians Found Americas Before ColumbusBy Heather Whipps, Special to LiveScience Which came first–the chicken or the European? Popular history, and a familiar rhyme about Christopher Columbus, holds that Europeans made contact with the Americas in 1492, with some arguing that the explorer and his crew were the first outsiders to reach the New World. But chicken bones recently unearthed on the coast of Chile—dating prior to Columbus’ “discovery” of America and resembling the DNA of a fowl species native to Polynesia—may challenge that notion, researchers say. “Chickens could not have gotten to South America on their own—they...

Kids hoping to grab a Happy Meal from McDonald's might end up with PETA's Unhappy Meal instead. The animal rights organization lifted its moratorium on the McCruelty Campaign this year and since June has distributed Chicken McCruelty Unhappy Meals to McDonald's customers outside about a dozen restaurants around the country. "McDonald's markets its food to children by packaging it in brightly colored boxes with toys," Lindsay Rajt, a spokeswoman for PETA, tells Slashfood. "But most kids really love animals, and if they knew that McDonald's suppliers were breaking the wings and legs of gentle animals like chickens, I think that...

Dear Martha: I'd like to raise chickens. Which breed of chicken is best for egg production, and do you have any tips? A: It's not so much about the breed of chicken as it is about how you're going to keep them. You absolutely must have a well-fenced yard, so raccoons and other animals don't get the chickens; the fence should extend 12 to 14 inches into the ground. The coop will need electricity to run a light and keep their water from freezing in winter; you can also get a heated water dispenser. I let my chickens out every...

HOMER, IL – It may seem like an easy way to save a little money on your grocery budget: Buy a few chickens and start collecting farm-fresh eggs. An increasing number of families in our area are doing just that, and some are also selling their surplus eggs to neighboring families. Garry Herzog, owner of Prairieland Feeds in Savoy, said there's been a steady increase in demand for "laying feed" for chickens over the past two to three years. He said his store also gets many requests for how-to information from chicken-raising rookies. And if Yahoo! is any indication, the...

POLSON — Therapy dogs can be a comfort for seniors and those recovering from illnesses and injuries. So how about therapy chickens? Jana Clairmont of Polson, Mont., calls her therapy birds — a white rooster and Cornish game hen — "Fowl Play."

If you hear the sound of clucking next door, you might just be hearing your neighbor's new pet. Pet chickens are on the rise and they're making their home in city dwellers' backyards. More people are finding it attractive to keep chickens as pets, not only because they're cute, but because people want to produce their own eggs and retain a slice of rural life. "People are turning to things that remind them of simpler times," Ron Kean, a poultry specialist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, told the Los Angeles Times . "If you're smart, you can save money...

Waffle Bike is a fully weaponized waffle making device complete with call to prayer public address system. It’s also the name of a short film—documenting the bike’s maiden voyage in search of chickens, naturally, to lay the eggs for the batter. In Waffle Bike, a perfectly clipped narrator chirps out Waffle Bike’s features, which include a Honda Harmony en2500 generator, a 9-inch Norweigan waffle maker, a small refrigerator up front, a tape deck (which plays through three 8-inch, 25-watt, all-weather trumpet horn speakers made in China), and two 12-gauge homemade shotguns. The film is charming and disturbing and funny—and the...

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - Some 3,000 chickens were culled after bird flu was detected at a poultry farm in the country's Southeastern Cox's Bazar district town on Sunday night. "On Sunday officials from the center informed us that bird flu virus was found in the samples," District Livestock Officer Dr Zaker Ullah was quoted by The Daily Star, a local newspaper, as saying. He also said they collected samples from the poultry farm on Saturday and sent them for testing to the Regional Livestock Research Centre in Feni. Poultry birds at other farms in the area are being examined to...

A sport utility vehicle loaded with 1,200 baby chicks in cardboard boxes pulls up to the Clearview Feed and Seed store, where customers come to pick up their peeping, cheeping poultry orders on a recent spring day. Poultry dealers, chicken feed businesses and self-proclaimed "chicken enthusiasts" nationwide report city slickers and suburbanites are showing greater interest in raising small flocks of chickens far from the farm. Store workers whisk boxes from the vehicle — where the heat is cranked up to keep the chicks warm — and gently sort the downy birds born at a hatchery into smaller containers. Temporary...

I need some advice on chicken breeds. Where I live in Central Texas, in the summer it’s not uncommon for us to have a 6 week run of high temperatures going over 100’. So here’s what I’m looking for in my dual-purpose hens:- I want girls that are temperature hardy that can handle the heat. (I know that I’m going to have to help any chicken survive a severe, prolonged heat-wave, [fresh water, misters, shade, etc.] but I don’t want to suffer 50% losses just because I was stupid enough to get birds which were never bred to handle it...

Dogs do in chickens at center of Worthington controversy Tuesday, Dean Narciso 3:21 PM By Dean Narciso THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Lael Weyenberg stands outside the chicken coop in her backyard in Worthington. Chris Russell | Dispatch Lael Weyenberg stands outside the chicken coop in her backyard in Worthington. Hillary, Veronica and Cindi are dead. The backyard chickens -- the subjects of a neighborhood pecking match that spilled over into a packed Worthington City Council debate last month -- fell prey to two loose dogs on Sunday, police said. Lael Weyenberg and her husband, Andrew Rozmiarek, returned from a friend's house...

Oxfam Officer: Israel Killed Some 35.000 Palestinian Chickens in Gaza By Davut SAHIN (JTW) Israeli Gaza attacks not only killed the people but also the animals of Gaza. Elena Qleibo, who works in the Gaza Strip as a Food Security and Livelihood Officer for Oxfam, reported yesterday that some 35,000 chickens were also killed during the bombardment and the price of eggs in Gaza went up. "Before the war, a kilo of eggs used to sell for 2.40 Euros (£2.20), now in some places people pay up to 5 euros (£4.60)" she added. Elena Qleibo further said "there were non-exploded...

Nepal government is taking all the possible steps to save other regions of Nepal from falling prey to deadly bird flu. Mechinagar has been declared emergency region where birds were found affected with deadly H5N1 virus. Districts close to the affected areas, including Morang and Chitawan have been issued notices regarding risk of spread of bird flu. Prabhakar Pathak, chief of the department of livestock services in Kathmandu informed that about 13,000 poultry would be culled in five days to control the virus within a 3 km radius of the town, and the government would pay up to $5 for...

If you picked up a carton of eggs at the store this week, they probably set you back about $1 or $1.50. The organic, cage-free kind costs more like $3. But some urban and suburbanites are skipping the store entirely when it comes to things like eggs and honey and turning instead to their own backyards. Whether from tighter food budgets or local-eating ideals, more and more people are petitioning their cities to allow small animal husbandry.

Pleasant Hills, CA (AHN) - While thousands of dogs and cats are being given up by pet owners across the U.S. as times become harder, chickens are gaining popularity as household pets in some U.S. cities. The rising popularity of the feathered creature is due to the chicken's ability to provide eggs, pest control, fertilizer and eventually meat. To address zoning regulations, homeowners are working to amend local laws in areas like Fort Collins, CO, Bloomington, IN and Brainerd, MN. One of the pioneers of raising chicken as household pets, Rod Lublow of California, even created the Website BackYardChickens.com to...

While thousands of dogs and cats are being given up by pet owners across the U.S. as times become harder, chickens are gaining popularity as household pets... The rising popularity of the feathered creature is due to the chicken's ability to provide eggs, pest control, fertilizer and eventually meat. To address zoning regulations, homeowners are working to amend local laws ... Some cities like New York, Los Angeles, Portland and Seattle already allow chicken to be raised by urban residents

Jeremiah Wright is the the 'Reverend' best known for making headlines as president elect Barack Obama's controversial former pastor. Well, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright is making headlines again yet again. It would seem that Rev. Jeremiah Wright is a hypocrite. A Texas woman has come forward claiming to have had an illicit affair with the cleryman.

11-05) 08:17 PST SACRAMENTO -- A measure that would ban farmers from raising egg-laying hens, veal calves and pregnant pigs in small cages and crates by 2015 appeared to be headed for victory this morning. Supporters of Proposition 2 said the initiative would guarantee farm animals a better life, giving them the space they need to stand up, turn around, lie down and extend their wings, as well as prevent diseases caused by overcrowding. Opponents argue that the measure would put California's egg industry out of business, as well as put consumers at risk for disease from imported eggs produced...

Barack Obama may have quelled a self-described political "firestorm" by quitting Rev. Jeremiah Wright's controversial "black liberation" church, but the bombastic pastor is preparing to set off a bomb in the homestretch of the Democratic candidate's campaign.

Two men gather newly hatched chickens for vaccination and introduction to food and water at one of the chicken farms in the Mahmudiyah Qadha Aug 1, 2008. Photo by Pfc. Christopher McKenna. FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH — Six chicken farms in the Mahmudiyah Qada received 5,000 chickens each to help further the poultry industry Aug 1, 2008. “This is the second cycle of farms which have been given chickens,� said Paul Heidloff, the Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team lead agribusiness advisor. “Twenty-four farms are set to receive chickens throughout the cycle, with six receiving chickens every two weeks.�This cycle of chicken...

The study questions recent claims that chickens were first introduced into South America by Polynesians, before the arrival of Spanish chickens in the 15th century following Christopher Columbus. ...the University of Adelaide's Australian Centre for Ancient DNA (ACAD) Director Professor Alan Cooper says there has been considerable debate about the existence and degree of contact between Polynesians and South Americans, with the presence of the sweet potato throughout the Pacific often used as evidence of early trading contacts... A recent study claimed to have found the first direct evidence of a genetic link between ancient Polynesian and apparently pre-Columbian chickens...

A New York Times article reveals that late night comics are having a hard time making jokes about Sen. Barack Obama. From the article: What’s so funny about Barack Obama? Apparently not very much, at least not yet. On Monday, The New Yorker magazine tried dipping its toe into broad satire involving Senator Obama with a cover image depicting the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and his wife, Michelle, as fist-bumping, flag-burning, bin Laden-loving terrorists in the Oval Office. The response from both Democrats and Republicans was explosive. Comedy has been no easier for the phalanx of late-night television hosts who...

Propositions that are on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot* Bond MeasureProposition 1 SB 1856 (Chapter 697, 2002). Costa. Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century.** **Note: The Safe, Reliable High-Speed Passenger Train Bond Act for the 21st Century was originally scheduled to appear on the November 2, 2004, General Election ballot. Subsequently, Senate Bill 1169, Chapter 71, Statutes of 2004, provided that it appear on the November 7, 2006, General Election ballot. However, most recently, Assembly Bill 713, Chapter 44, Statutes of 2006, provides for the submission of this Act on the November...

Please COPY but don't LINK, as linking uses my bandwidth. Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright said of the 9/11 attacks that "America's chickens have come home to roost."

   International Respect for Chickens Day, May 4, celebrates the devotion of hens to their chicks and deplores the suffering of motherless chickens on factory farms. In this photo, Ruby fosters Ivy, a chick rescued from a factory farm in North Carolina to live in a safe and loving home. (PRNewsFoto/United Poultry Concerns)MACHIPONGO, VA UNITED STATES May is International Respect for Chickens Month MACHIPONGO, Va., April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- InternationalRespect for Chickens Day, May 4, celebrates the dignity, beauty and life ofchickens and protests against the bleakness of their lives in farmingoperations. Launched by United Poultry Concerns in 2005,...