Commentary on the recent Salmonella outbreak in eggs

I would be remiss as one with laying hens if I didn’t post something about the recent Salmonella outbreak in two factory egg farms in Iowa.

When we decided to raise our own laying hens several years ago, one of our motivations was that we wanted to be more involved in producing some of the food we eat, know where it came from and how it was raised. Raising our own chickens has been some of the most enjoyable work I’ve ever done. There’s nothing quite like eating scrambled eggs that were laid only a few hours before hitting the frying pan.

One of our other motivations in raising laying hens was that I no longer wanted to support factory farming practices as they exist on farms like those involved in the Salmonella outbreak in Iowa. There is a lot of information on the internet about factory farming practices for beef, pork, chicken, eggs, etc. At its basic premise, animals raised to produce (or become) food today are done so in a very different manner than they were raised even 50 years ago.

In order to produce inexpensive food, farms moved animals from the barnyard and pasture into more concentrated pens. In these pens, more animals can be raised in less space. At the same time, the food these animals ate changed, too. Corn and grains replaced pasture grass as the animals primary (and in many cases, only) source of feed. Many of these animals are raised in buildings and never even step foot on grass.

Outbreaks of disease (such as what happened in Iowa) and other problems can happen to ANY producer, large or small, but when they happen on such a large scale, it impacts many, many people.

In one of the most extreme factory farming practices – egg-layers – when hens begin their laying cycle around 5 months of age, they are placed in battery cages which provides each bird with about as much space as an 8.5” X 11” piece of paper. Their beaks are often cut (so they can’t peck at other hens) which removes a hen’s ability to groom herself. A battery cage doesn’t provide enough room for a hen to stand up fully, spread its wings or walk around. Hens in this environment never touch grass or dirt and never scratch around for bugs or flop in the dirt for a dust bath (a healthy activity that naturally prevents mites and other parasites). These are conditions I don’t feel are acceptable for any creature. At around 18 months of age (when a laying hen’s peak egg production begins to drop), factory farm hens are culled – sent to slaughter. However, those laying hens could continue laying for their whole lives, which can be as long as seven or more years! But after 18 months of age, they don’t lay as frequently – maybe laying an egg a few times a week instead of nearly every day.

I believe God gives man stewardship over all creatures here on earth and I don’t consider factory farming “good stewardship”. Even if we choose to eat these animals, I believe they should be treated in a humane manner for the time they are in our care. Now… I don’t consider my chickens pets and I don’t give them names. I do; however, strive to provide them with an environment that allows them to do the things that chickens do – scratch in the dirt, flap their wings, run in the yard, dig for bugs, eat weeds and nap in the shade under a tree.

Given everything I’ve written here, I have no illusions that small-scale farming such as we do is the answer for the world. I do; however, believe that there is a “happy medium” somewhere that can provide fairly-priced food to the masses that are produced in a way that also provides good stewardship to these creatures. I hope that more people seek to learn about where their food comes from and how its produced… and choose to support food producers in their own community.

The awkward teenager phase...

The new pullets are growing so fast and have now reached what I call the "awkward teenager phase".  They still have some of their fuzzy feathers, but most of their adult feathers have grown in.  They will be a real pretty dark caramel color.  (the red hue in the picture is from the heat lamp in the brooder)

This picture shows how some of their feathers are in, but the necks are still fuzzy.  They're standing about 8 inches tall right now.  They sure seem curious about the camera!

This weekend they will move into the "big girl coop" and begin their introductions to the rest of the flock.  While they won't be able to mingle with the other laying hens or get outside yet, they will have a lot more space than the brooder provides.

Even now, they're already attempting to eat bugs (mostly spiders) that crawl on the walls of the brooder. 

Our New Additions

We picked up our next set of laying chicks from one of our favorite hatcheries, Abendroth Hatchery (we've gotten all of our layers from them). I picked them up on August 4th, just a few hours after they hatched.

They're doing very well and everyone is healthy. Their wing feathers are coming in and they've already doubled in size! They're the Gold Star breed and are said to be a very proficient laying hen with a good temperament.

They're in the brooder until they get the rest of their feathers and get a bit bigger, which will take a few more weeks. After that, they'll move to the "big girl coop" and begin their transition into the rest of the flock. They will remain separated from the rest of the hens until they are nearly the same size as the rest of the birds. I hope to have them out free-ranging just after Halloween, although they won't start laying eggs until the end of the year (at about 5 - 6 months old). Welcome little ladies!

First Post...

We have been raising chickens on our nano-farm since 2007. What's a nano-farm, you ask? The dictionary definition for "nano" is "a combining form with the meaning very small, minute".

Since we live on a small acreage, it didn't seem right to even refer to our place as a "farm", per se. But adding the term "nano" seemed appropriate when comparing our place to farms in our area.

We started our flock with the Production Red breed. In 2009, we expanded to include Barred Rocks. This summer we expanded further with Gold Stars and our first set of meat chickens that will be ready to butcher in about 3 weeks.