UCP Episode 015: The Politics of Chickens

 

 

Endless Battery Cages in Egg Factory Farm by Farm Sanctuary

Endless Battery Cages in Egg Factory Farm by Farm Sanctuary

Lately, chickens are the centerpiece of a growing political battle in America.  Little did Henny Penny know, that one state’s effort to pass a state law to provide her with a slightly larger battery cage at the factory egg farm would cause a national, political stir.  Continue reading

UCP Episode 014: Chicken Lice & Mites – How to End the Creepy-Crawlies on Your Hens and In Your Coop

Red Mite by Arenamontanus

Red Mite by Arenamontanus

Lice and mites are creepy-crawlies that can torment your birds and cause them serious suffering, physical ailment and in extreme cases, lead to the death of your chickens.  There are many things to know about chicken lice and mites such as: how to detect these creepy-crawlies; how to treat for these pests; and how to prevent infestation in the first place. Continue reading

UCP Episode 013: The Ins and Outs of Washing Eggs

 

Fresh Eggs by Jake Wasdin

Fresh Eggs With Bloom Still On by Jake Wasdin

Soak your eggs in water with one cap of bleach…wash your eggs with warm water…wash your eggs with cold water…wash your eggs with non-toxic dish soap…wash your eggs with baking soda… don’t wash your eggs…etc.  There is a lot of conflicting advice on the internet on whether you should wash your freshly laid, backyard eggs and if you are going to wash them – what the correct method is.  Continue reading

UCP Episode 012: 4H – It Will Teach Your Kid More Than Just Showing Chickens

4H Poultry Clinic in Boise Idaho - June 2013

4H Poultry Clinic in Boise Idaho – June 2013

 

What do Johnny Cash, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Orville Redenbacher all have in common?  4H – they were all members of 4H in their youth.   Continue reading

UCP Episode 011: Medicated Chick Feed or Not – What Is Best For Your Baby Birds?

Laura Haggarty & Family of Pathfinders Farm

Laura Haggarty & Family of Pathfinders Farm

Many people take up chicken keeping for the particular purpose of having more control

Laura Haggarty, Pathfinders Farm's Buckeye Chickens

Laura Haggarty, Pathfinders Farm’s Buckeye Chickens

over this food source of eggs (and sometimes meat) in a direct response to the world of large agribusiness.  These individuals want hormone and antibiotic free meats and try to raise their birds as naturally as possible.  This raises the question, can you raise healthy, natural birds and eggs if you start the hens with medicated chick feed?  Laura Haggarty of Pathfinders Farm joins the Urban Chicken Podcast today to discuss this very issue.

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UCP Episode 010: Erica Says You Absolutely Shouldn’t Get Chickens — Is She Right?

Faverolle Cockerell by steve p2008

Faverolle Cockerell by steve p2008

Perhaps today’s show topic seems counter intuitive to the Urban Chicken Podcast’s mission of encouraging and supporting people in their pursuit of backyard chickens.    Erica, author of NW Edible Life, recently wrote a compelling article making the case why you absolutely should not get backyard chickens.

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UCP Episode 009: The Nesting Place: America’s First Chicken Hotel — Interview with Owner Bill Bezuk

The Nesting Place, Chicken Hotel - Bill Bezuk

The Nesting Place, Chicken Hotel – Bill Bezuk

 So you need to go out of town for a weekend or maybe you’re doing a month-long tour of Europe – what are you going to do with your feathered family members while you’re gone?  Bill Bezuk, owner/operator of The Nesting Place is answering that question forless squawk, more bawk residents in Eugene, Oregon.  The Nesting Place is America’s premier chicken hotel.  Yep – that’s right, a chicken hotel.  While you’re away on your vacation, your hens can enjoy some pampered treatment at The Nesting Place. Continue reading

UCP Episode 008: Egg-Eating – How to Prevent and Stop this Very Bad Chicken Habit

 

 

Broken Egg - by kristyhall

Broken Egg – by kristyhall

An egg can be a delicious, delightful treat – but this is a secret that all chicken owners want to keep from their flock.  Once a chicken gets a taste of the gooey center of one of these little orbs they will keep on helping themselves to more eggs.  Egg-eaters will teach other chickens the secret of the surprise contents inside an egg.  Before you know it you will have a full flock of naughty egg-pecking, egg-eaters. Continue reading

UCP Episode 007: Mastering “The Art of the Chicken Coop” – with Author/Carpenter Chris Gleason

rustic chicken coop by faire 1two

rustic chicken coop by faire 1two

So, you want to build a coop that is a little more substantial than the rustic example above, but you’ve never really built anything noteworthy in your life.  Never fear – today’s episode is totally dedicated for those who are willing in spirit, but weak in skills.  Chris Gleason, author and carpenter extraordinaire, is on this week’s episode to discuss his book, “The Art of the Chicken Coop,” and to tell you how you can master the art of coop building, even on your first attempt.

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UCP Episode 006: Chickens, Gardens & Everything Else Grandma Knew and You Don’t – But Can Learn at the Institute of Urban Homesteading

Chickens in the Garden by steve p2008

Chickens in the Garden by steve p2008

In this modern world, we are in poor supply of the sensibilities and skills of our forefathers. Let’s face it – Grandma and Grandpa had a lot of ‘know-how’ and we are slipping into a nation of ‘know-nothings’.  Not everyone is resigned to accept this disconnection with their heritage.  In the past few years, there has been a surge in the number of urban classes and schools teaching city-dwellers how to rediscover traditional skills in the homesteading arts.  Class-by-class, learned skill by learned skill,  urbanites everywhere are becoming a little more self-sufficient and a lot more self-determining as they learn what their grandparents knew – how to create their own healthy, nutritious food sources and tend their own green spaces capably. Continue reading

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