Natural History of the Chicken will be on Rocky Mountain PBS Wednesday, December 31 9 p.m. (Analog)
Most people best know the chicken from their dinner plates - whether as thigh, wing or drumstick. Consumers barely pause a moment to consider the bird's many virtues. Filmmaker Mark Lewis ("Cane Toads: An Unnatural History" and "Rat") expands the frontiers of popular awareness and delightfully reveals that this small, common and seemingly simple animal is as complex and grand as any of Earth's creatures.
On Thursday, Dec. 20, a small group of chicken supporters held a public informational meeting called "Eggs on the Table: Longmont and Urban Hens" at the Longmont Public Library. We had a decent turnout, including one member of city council (Mary Blue) in attendance. All city council members were invited.
In addition to the presentation and some question and answer, we had the backyard chicken petition available for signatures. If you are a Longmont resident who has been unable to sign the paper petition and are in favor of allowing up to 6 backyard hens (no roosters) in Longmont, you can sign the online petition. Please be sure to include your address in the comments.
Here are a few pictures from the presentation:
Alison talks about sustainability. An explanation of why backyard hens are sustainable. An explanation of why Longmont needs an ordinance allowing backyard hens. Chris discusses different breeds of chickens and chicken coops. Dr. Mikki Hand talks about the myths and concerns versus the facts regarding backyard hens. Alison shows the difference in egg yolks (size and color) between: top picture - a cage-free organic egg from Organic Valley (purchased from the grocery store) on the left and an almost urban egg from Ollin Farm (a local organic farm) on the right and bottom picture: Ollin Farm eggs on the left and Organic Valley eggs on the right. Some of the chicken pictures the kids in attendance of the presentation colored. Lastly, Lilla, age 7, (of Lyons) talks about her chickens while her father looks on. UPDATE: At this time, city council is set to discuss more about the ordinance at the Jan. 20th study session, which the public may attend. Also, there will be an open forum at city council on Jan. 6th during which residents may sign up to speak on any topic for a 5-minute period. You just need to sign up to speak. If you'd like to read more about the presentation, please see the Times-Call article about it: Chicken fans praise backyard birds as useful, fun. If you'd like to get involved in the chicken crusade, please join the Yahoo Group and/or consider sending an email in support of the ordinance to city council. Thank you.
If you are interested in signing the petition, please watch the blog for updates re: when/where we will have it available for signatures in the weeks ahead and/or leave a comment with your email address and one of us will get in touch with you. Thank you.
Just a reminder that our library public education meeting is still on for tonight.
EggsontheTable: Longmont and Urban Hens, a public educational meeting, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. TODAY, Thursday, Dec. 18 at the Longmont Public Library. Accompanied by experts in their fields, we'll clear up some misconceptions and educate about the many benefits to owning backyard hens. Whether you are pro-chicken or still onthe fence, we hope you will join us. Children are welcome to attend with their parents.
We will have a local physician, an organic farmer and a few urban hen owners from neighboring communities speak. We will also answer questions and view some images and video clips demonstrating the various homes and faces behind urban hens. The meeting is for anyone who wishes to learn more about urban hens and to better understand how they can be good neighbors.
As a kid we had chickens and we had fresh eggs. As far as I can remember, I always liked eating eggs, whether they be scrambled, poached, soft boiled, hard boiled, they were (and are) a tasty food. My grandmother also raised chickens from which she made the best scrambled eggs in the world. They were always a bright yellow and tasted oh so creamy.
Over the years I became accustomed to grocery store eggs. They seemed perfectly good, although my omelets and scrambled dishes never tasted quite as good as I remembered. For many years I attributed this to the superior cooking skills of my mom and my grandmother. And, then I came across local farm fresh eggs just a few miles from our home.
The eggs on the left have been marked with a "V" and are Cage Free Large Brown Eggs from Organic Valley. Prior to coming across Ollin Farms our family either bought eggs from Organic Valley or from Nest Fresh. The eggs on the right are from Ollin Farms and marked with an "O". As egg companies go, Nest Fresh is pretty close to ideal. They are Certified Humane and fed a vegetarian and organic diet; however, from this comparison it is clear their eggs continue to miss something in the diet of real farm eggs (and Backyard Eggs).
The first time I cracked open an egg from Ollin Farms, I was in awe of its rich golden (in fact deep orange) hue. I scrambled a few up for the best omelet in ages. I was hooked and so was my toddler son! Not only are Ollin's eggs very tasty, but I have also visited their hens, which have a large outside enclosure. I know that for a fact that their chickens are happy with space to run, forage, eat a grub or two and some grass, in addition to their carefully selected chicken feed.
Over the last few months I’ve mentioned the difference in color to many people. Unfortunately, everyone except my grandmother, who has almost 90 years of hen raising experience, looks at me in disbelief when I mention the rich yellow orange color of Ollin's eggs, so I decided to document the difference.
Pictured above you see on the left a Cage Free Organic Egg provided by Organic Valley. On the right you see an almost urban egg farm egg from Ollin. You’ll note that the yolk from the Ollin egg is not only deeper in color, it is also much larger.
In this last photo the Ollin eggs are on the right and the Organic Valley on the left. You’ll again note the difference in color and the increased size of the yolks in the Ollin Eggs. The Organic Valley eggs are much more uniform in size and they just don’t measure up to old fashioned free roaming eggs raised on a small scale!
With access to locally raised eggs, such as those from Ollin, you might wonder why I or anyone else might want to raise his or her own backyard hens. For one, raising several hens can be pleasurable work as the hens, like many pets, often become part of the family! Furthermore, here in Longmont we have very alkaline and clay soil. Folks who like to keep hens also often like to garden. Personally, I would be thrilled to have access to a regular supply of free Chick a Poo fertilizer to compost and add to my soil!
Lastly, although there are several local purveyors of farm fresh eggs, supply cannot keep up with demand. Over the summer months I have access to at least 3 different options for egg buying, but only on certain days and they all sell out within a few hours of opening. In the winter months Ollin is the only place I know of to get eggs, but Mark himself has said he could probably run a business on eggs alone and still not keep up with demand!
In conclusion, there are those of us who appreciate nutritious and good tasting food and the welfare of animals, while also desiring to increase our self-sufficiency and shorten the distance of our food from farm to table. With this in mind, we ask you to attend Eggs on the Table this Thursday at the Longmont Public Library. And (or) seek us out to sign the petition showing your support to the Longmont City Council.
We'll be at the Winter Farmers' Market & Holiday Gift Show, in front of Barn A at the Boulder County Fairgrounds on Saturday, Dec. 13, collecting signatures for our backyard hen petition.
Don't be chicken. ;) Stop by and show your support for urban hens.
Eggs on the Table: Longmont and Urban Hens, a public educational meeting, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18 at the Longmont Public Library. Accompanied by experts in their fields, we'll clear up some misconceptions and educate about the many benefits to owning backyard hens. Whether you are pro-chicken or still on the fence, we hope you will join us. Children are welcome to attend with their parents.
Some of the speakers we are hoping to have in attendance* include: - Dr. Mikki Hand, family physician - Mark, farmer and chicken owner at Ollin Farms - a representative from 4-H - a child who owns backyard hens - an expert on sustainable living - a representative from Animal Control
*Subject to change
We will also have our petition to Longmont City Council available for signatures.
Any urban dweller interested in living green has good reason to keep chickens. They reduce garbage by eating your leftovers mixed in with their feed, and they will pick off those irritating caterpillars destroying the vegetable garden. Their poop is an excellent composting aid, and they will even trim your grass and weed for you, if you let them. Added benefits: farm-fresh eggs right from the backyard and the amusement of impressing friends with an interesting new pet -- and for many it is a pet, not a future entree.
"Bottom line, chickens are a lot of fun," said Dave Belanger, publisher of Backyard Poultry magazine, who has seen subscriptions more than triple since he launched in 2006.
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