Just like many other social phenomena that are good for the environment, the exploding trend of people growing their own chickens in the backyard has its naysayers. Naysayers come in a wide variety of stripes. For example, the widespread understanding that global warming is real and that we’re causing it has its naysayers, many of whom stand to lose a lot of money when their oil and coal has to internalize the cost of the pollution they’ve been making us pay for since their inception. Or those that say that electric cars are not realistic…sure there are naysayers…wait, is there a trend here that the oil industry is against everything good? Hmm…
But I digress. Suffice it to say, there are naysayers who don’t want us to live well, to live with a lower carbon footprint by producing our own food. Kimberly Willis and Rob Ludlow, co-authors of Raising Chickens for Dummies, can be counted among those that are dispelling these myths and empowering the people.
The scratching chickens that are found in and around many rural households provides cheap food at practically no cost - now its also happening in city and town houses in Europe and more recently the USA.
Bringing production to the household has no economy of scale but inputs including labour and part of the feed are essentially free. The reduction in transport and packaging cost have financial and environmental benefits.
Eggs from the Eglu
The Eglu is based on a plastic, waterproof box, where the hens shelter and lay their eggs. The box is attached to an enclosed run which can be placed on a lawn allowing the chickens to scratch for insects and grass. The run has a door to allow the hens a free range in the garden when its safe.
Researchers in Brunei are studying the migration route and nesting habitat of Olive Ridley Turtles by monitoring the satellite transmitter of a recently-released female turtle.
The ability to track this turtle will help locate breeding and nesting grounds, so that conservationists can manage and protect these sensitive sites. By checking daily transmissions, researchers can determine the turtle’s route.
Attaching the transmitter to the turtle’s shell was done with a special glue and then covered with fiberglass, a common method used by researchers to track long-range migration habits of sea turtles.
The extraordinary nesting behavior of the Olive Ridley Turtle
Female Olive Ridley Turtles are responsible for one of the most unusual occurrences found in nature. In a phenomenon known as arribada (”arrival by sea”), it begins when groups of females congregate in the water near nesting sites.
Last Tuesday, amazed keepers discovered a clutch of unhatched eggs in his “bachelor” pen in the Galapagos Islands.
No wonder they were amazed - a team of scientists have been doggedly coaxing the sullen creature to mate since 1993, when they introduced two female tortoises of a different subspecies into his pen. Until now, George, the last known Pinta Island tortoise had shown little interest in his companions. But at age 90, George, now said to be in his sexual prime, was finally spurred into action.
For over 20 years, dedicated rangers have been caring for the protected zone off Jakarta’s north coast. They spend three weeks of each month without Internet access or electricity on the uninhabited islet of Penjaliran Timur - where they monitor critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle nests.
Penjaliran Timur is part of Penjaliran’s restricted zone - and home to the critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), whose favorite nesting grounds include the beaches of Peteloran Timur and Peteloran Barat (also uninhabited and in the restricted zone).
Using a wooden paddle boat, an important part of the rangers’ daily routine is to travel the relatively short distance from Penjaliran Timur to the nesting areas in order to collect newly laid Hawksbill Turtle eggs. The precious eggs are brought back to Penjaliran Timur, where the rangers carefully bury them in the sand near the guard post, to keep them safe from poachers.
But despite daily heroic efforts, the rangers are not always successful at rescuing the Hawksbill Turtle eggs: Although they can spot the poachers through binoculars from Penjaliran Timur, by the time they reach the nesting grounds via wooden paddle boat, the poachers are long gone - using speedboats.
The last known living Geochelone abigdoni tortoise will hopefully be a dad this time around. He has been living with two female tortoises of a similar species - and now there are five eggs.
200-pound George, between 90 and 100 years old,was discovered in 1972. Last year, one of his female companions laid eggs, but they turned out to be infertile. The female tortoises are of the [...]
Paso Pacífico, a non-profit organization focusing on the Pacific slope of Central America, is helping endangered Hawksbill Turtles in Nicaragua with a compensation-based conservation program based on incentive payments for local people.
The financial rewards to locals in exchange for protecting endangered sea turtle nests are making a difference: Rangers have reported that egg poaching is on the decline. And Paso Pacífico plans are to make this program sustainable.
As one of the most critically endangered marine sea turtles, little is known about the current population of Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata ). With 100 percent of their eggs being harvested by local people and sold to poachers, few turtles had the opportunity to reach adulthood - putting this species is at significant risk.
As a child, eggs were special one day of the year: Easter. Back then an egg was a treasure. But since my parents stopped hiding eggs for me, eggs haven’t held much meaning. White and, well, egg-shaped, they help me when I need to make a quick meal or mix up some cookie dough. But that’s about it. For me anyway. For some an egg means everything.
For the first time in over a century, a Common Murre egg has been found south of the Canadian border on the east coast, bringing hope to the hearts of those working to restore the bird to the sub-Canadian region.
How do you like your eggs? The answer to that question used to be sunny side up, scrambled, or over easy. Now, it’s cage-free and organic, thank you very much. Since I moved to London recently, I’ve noticed a greater level of public awareness regarding egg production and chicken welfare as compared to the United States. Most supermarkets and chain restaurants, and even some giant multinational corporations, sell or use exclusively free-range eggs and prominently advertise doing so.
It’s certainly a big change from the United States, where cage-free eggs are generally available but are not as widespread in popularity as in the United Kingdom. It appears to be a slowly growing movement back at home, and it’s great news that some states have begun to pass laws improving living conditions for chickens. Unfortunately, we’ve still got a long way to go before reaching the level of public demand and corporate response for the right kind of eggs that can be found here in the UK.
Here are a few of the differences I’ve noticed with regard to egg production and marketing in the UK and the States.
Have you ever come across a craft project and just couldn’t wait to go home and try it? For me it was this simple and really cool project from the queen of craft: Martha Stewart. Perfect for Easter egg dying or just because.
Using silk ties that are destined for Good Will, a bit of scrap fabric, and boiling water, you can dye eggs. Yup, dye them with the ties! It is sort of like magic, or chemical reactions even.
Just like many other social phenomena that are good for the environment, the exploding trend of people growing their own chickens in the backyard has its naysayers. Naysayers come in a wide variety of stripes. For example, the widespread understanding that global warming is real and that we’re causing it has its naysayers, many of whom stand to lose a lot of money when their oil and coal has to internalize the cost of the pollution they’ve been making us pay for since their inception. Or those that say that electric cars are not realistic…sure there are naysayers…wait, is there a trend here that the oil industry is against everything good? Hmm…
