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Margaret Hochla
El Reno, Oklahoma
I have been married for 27 years to Victor and have 4 children. The two girls and two boys range in age from 25-10 years. We are pleased to still have one grandparent from each side of the family ... More about Margaret
Sareen Dunleavy-Keenan
Minneapolis, Minnesota
I live in Minneapolis, in 1.5 story craftsman bungalow with beautiful woodwork, but a tiny lot. Sharing this space is my husband Brendan, 'baby' (5/07) and 'new baby' who is expected to join the fold in August. More about Sareen
Gina Keenan-Klages
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
My name is Gina, and my husband's name is Patrick. We have three children, ranging in ages from 1 to 5 years. Our household also includes my mother, who is living with us from September to May. More about Gina
Donna McClurkan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Early January may seem an inauspicious time to begin an "eat local" project in Southwest Michigan. As if to underscore that point, nearly a foot of snow fell in Kalamazoo on January 3. More about Donna
Cher Stuewe-Portnoff
St Louis, Missouri
My first father-in-law taught me to garden in the mid-1960s. Over the next few years, with a family of five to feed, I read everything I could find about nutrition ... More about Cher
Vera Schabicki
Ashland, Mississippi
Four years ago my five children, one husband, two dogs, one cat and I moved to the rural South from a large northern California city. We went from .12 acres to a rambling 57 acres. More about Vera
- oh yeah
- Love
- successes and failures
- Hurrah for (kind of) local juice!
- Wow, it has gone fast!
- You must be brave
- Perhaps to give you some insight
- Finale: The Meaning of Life
- Meeting Joel Salatin ... and other posts from the cutting room floor
- The snack that does what?
< Gardening - Myth or Fact | Main | Well worth the wait >
Chicken School - The Last Day
Posted at 9:04 PM on June 15, 2008 by Donna McClurkan (6 Comments)
Chicken School officially ended today. At 11 weeks of age and averaging 9 pounds, our chickens are ready. And, as Carrie predicted weeks ago, I'm ready, too.
I have learned a little about myself, and a lot about chickens, since Carrie invited me to help on her farm. I've loved the routine of chicken care and the rhythm of early morning and late afternoon farm chores. Confessions of sadness about the end of Chicken School inevitably prompted this reminder from Carrie: our meat birds have a job to do...and that is to feed us.
At 7:00 a.m. we loaded our birds into crates in the back of Carrie's pick-up truck for their short journey to the processor. I thought about how our chickens ate quality feed, drank clean water, roamed at their leisure, lounged in the shade of brambles that will soon bear giant blackberries, and slept safely protected from predators.
This expression, borrowed from another local poultry farmer, seems true for me, too: My chickens have only one bad day.
Comments (6)
Congratulations on a successful chicken adventure. I must admit that I thought you might 'chicken' out when it came to this last phase of camp! What an adventure! Now I want to know what you plan to prepare for dinner and whether we, the readers, are invited? Anne
Posted by Anne Lipsey | June 16, 2008 1:51 PM
Dear Anne,
How about we plan a dinner around chicken paprikash. an old family specialty? But first, I have to get the birds out of Carrie's freezer, which I'm not up to doing yet. Turns out looking dinner in the eye is a bit harder than I thought it would be.
Donna
Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 16, 2008 6:05 PM
Donna:
Your intro blog talks about promoting a Foodie Book Club. I might be interested - can you share more info?
Phyllis
Posted by Phyllis | June 16, 2008 6:38 PM
Hi Phyllis - if you're in the Kalamazoo County area, check out www.kazoobooks.com and click on Special Events and Book Groups. Kazoo Books started the Foodie discussions earlier this year and events are held at a variety of locations around town. Thanks for your inquiry!
Donna
Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 16, 2008 8:12 PM
Hi Donna,
I am wondering if you tracked the various costs of buying, raising and processing these chickens? I am curious to see how your total cost (per undressed pound) compares to the free-range chickens at the local co-op.
Thanks!
Scott
Posted by Scott | June 18, 2008 9:35 PM
Hi Scott,
Thanks for asking. Yes, Carrie and I have been tracking all costs associated with raising our meat birds and I will posting this information in a blog very soon.
Donna
Posted by Donna McClurkan | June 19, 2008 3:52 AM