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No Rooster Required

Posted at 6:12 PM on April 27, 2008 by Donna McClurkan (10 Comments)

Chickens fascinate me. My first experience with them was on Lori's farm last December. Prior to that visit, I'd never touched a chicken, observed their behavior, or listened to them "talk" to each other - all activities I love to do now. Shortly thereafter, I started getting eggs from a small farm close to my daughter's school.

One January morning when I went to collect my dozen from the porch (and deposit $ in the little cup inside the cooler via the honor system), the male half of the farming partnership, CJ, happened to be out in the yard. He invited me into the fenced area where the chickens were out doing chicken things - talking, pecking at the ground and gathering around us (curiosity, friendliness, something else?). CJ and I were crouching as close to chicken level as humanly possible, as I observed "you don't have roosters here. Don't you need roosters to get eggs from the hens?"

His reply: "No. Hens release eggs periodically, just like you do ... whether your husband is around or not!"

Now that CJ has cleared up this misconception (sorry, couldn't resist the pun), I feel a little awkward sharing my story with a national audience. So, help me out ... is this news to anyone else out there?

Comments (10)

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Here are some more facts you may not know about commercial egg production:



- Hens' wild cousins, Southeast Asian Jungle Fowl, lay about 20 eggs a year in the spring, then give their bodies a rest. Modern hens, through intensive genetic engineering, lay 200 to 300 eggs a year. This takes a tremendous toll on their bodies. It requires considerable energy and materials to produce that many eggs.



- Nearly all modern laying hens come from hatcheries in which the male chicks are killed immediately after being born. Common methods of killing include gassing, suffocation, and grinding them up alive. The males are killed because they don't lay eggs and haven't been bred to grow super-fast and produce lots of flesh like "broiler chickens." The hatcheries themselves are typically intensely crowded, filthy factory farm operations.



- Once hens' egg production drops below profitable levels, they're killed. Birds are not covered by the meager protections of the Humane Slaughter Act. They typically are not stunned enough to be insentient to pain when their throats are slit and they may not be fully bled out when they're dunked in near-boiling scalding tanks to loosen their feathers.



- Virtually all baked goods, from cornbread to cupcakes to scones, can be made without eggs and taste not only good but delicious. Check out www.noeggs.com for more information.

Posted by Gary | April 28, 2008 12:31 AM

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Hi Donna,
Thanks for making me grin this morning. I think most chicken farmers do keep roosters, mainly to help protect the hens from predators. That is why we have always kept a rooster with our hens. Roosters can be dangerous, though. They can really hurt you with their sharp claws. I have had to wack several aggressive roosters with sticks in self-defense.
We like to think that the world's luckiest rooster, Frank, lives on our farm. He gets to preside over a new harem of two dozen sexy young hens every year. He is also quite possibly the world's oldest rooster. He's at least five years old, maybe older. I had no idea chickens (or roosters) could live so long! He's a really sweet rooster, too. He is mellow and never tries to attack people. But the ladies love him, and there's something special about hearing that "cock-a-doodle-doo" in the mornings.
Happy local eating,
Autumn

Posted by Autumn Long | April 28, 2008 9:52 AM

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Autumn, there MUST be a story behind the rooster being named Frank! You painted a great picture of him strutting around being a ladies man - love your comment. Thanks for sharing.
Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | April 28, 2008 7:01 PM

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Gary - thanks for sharing your comments. Yes, I am familiar with the industrial ag practices you outlined, and it's one of the many reasons I appreciate getting my eggs from farmers that take very good care of their hens. Thanks also for the reference to the website (noeggs.com). Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | April 28, 2008 7:14 PM

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In defence of the rooster. Such a cherry fellow he greets each new day with what must be a proclamation of joy. He seems to be generaly pleased with with life. When you're around adult hens and there is no rooster they exhibit behavior which would lead you to beleave they would prefer to (enjoy) the companionship of their male counter parts. Our daughter observed " in China they don't want the girls and in chickens they don't want the boys" In the natural order it seems to me we need both.

Posted by Mike Lawrence | April 30, 2008 1:41 PM

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Mike, my good friend, for 2 days I've tried to think of a response to your thought-provoking comment and I can't. It stands on its own, perfectly stated. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the natural order of things - in chicken and human terms. Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | May 2, 2008 10:17 PM

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Hi Donna,
Yes, there's a good story behind Frank's name, and its origins (not to mention the rooster himself) actually predate my time here on the farm. The rooster's namesake is the old fellow who originally gave him to my husband's family several years ago. This local farmer came to buy our year-old laying hens after the arrival of a new batch of pullets in October. (We sell our eggs, so we buy pullets each fall to ensure that egg production stays at a premium; we usually sell the old hens, although sometimes we butcher and can a few of them.) He asked if we wanted a rooster, and we said, "Sure." He returned the next day with two roosters and said he would be back next year to buy more hens. We kept both of the roosters for a while, but as roosters do not get along with each other, we gave one of them away to another rooster-less chicken farmer. The next year, when it came time to sell our hens, the old man never showed up. We found out that he had died, and so we named our rooster Frank in his memory.

Posted by Autumn Long | May 3, 2008 2:26 PM

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OK Autumn, now you've made ME grin! Love this story. It reminded me of something I haven't thought about in many years: A man I dated had a Cockatiel named Elaine (the bird's namesake was an old flame). He never did share the reason, though I suspect it was not the honor that you bestowed on your rooster! You have a wealth of experience on which to draw for this year of eating locally, and I'm wondering if you could explain how one would "can" a hen (after butchering). Thanks very much.

Posted by Donna McClurkan | May 3, 2008 2:54 PM

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Donna, thanks for the nice comments, and for sharing the story about Elaine the cockatiel. Perhaps the bird's namesake was rather, err, squawky? It reminds me of the pigs we raised two years ago: We didn't want to become attached to them, so we named them Dick and Don (after Cheney and Rumsfeld). Believe me, they were delicious!
Okay, you asked for it: How do you can a chicken? Well, we can our old laying hens because A) they are scrawny compared to "meat chickens" (roasters or broilers bred for eating rather than for maximum egg production), and B) by the time we are ready to replace them with new pullets, they are a full year old and quite tough. Canning is the only way to make the meat tender enough to eat.
After butchering the chickens, we separate the pieces at the joints. Then we pack them into hot, sterilized quart jars. One chicken will fit in each jar, since they are so small. We cover the meat with boiling water or stock, and we cook them in the open jars for 75 minutes. Then we seal the jars and process them in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 90 more minutes. This makes the meat very tender despite the chickens being so old and scrawny. But it is a lot of work for a little bit of meat. This summer we are planning to raise some roasting chickens and freeze them. Much simpler!
Happy local eating,
Autumn

Posted by Autumn Long | May 5, 2008 12:43 PM

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Autumn, LOL! Somehow I knew politics would enter Locavore Nation blogs, though chicken naming didn't seem a likely place. Appreciate your comment and the explanation about how to "can" a chicken. It does sound like a lot of work. We have access to some yummy local beer here in Kalamazoo and will be experimenting (cooking with it, not feeding it to them) to see if it helps make tough birds edible. Seems like an easier route than what you have described. Will let you know how that pans out. Thanks for a really fun :) and interesting exchange ... Donna

Posted by Donna McClurkan | May 5, 2008 12:58 PM