Kitchen Garden Journal

The Great Chicken Fiasco

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Published on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 11:52

Written by Jarrett

You've heard the phrase "a few eggs short of a dozen"? I think that's what the guy who tried to deliver us a truckload of chickens thought of me when I rejected those 250 birds a few weeks ago. Long story short: We're a little short on eggs for the Spring CSA this week but there's a good reason why.

Normally, our egg laying flock would have been bought as baby chicks; one day olds are actually mailed overnight to us from hatcheries and we raise them from day 2. We have them starting in October, so that by March they become adults and begin laying for our shareholders.

But this year was different for us, as you know, combining our two previous farms into one bigger one. Raising a new flock of hens over the winter was not realistic for us as we needed to hash out the details of our new business before diving in to investments like new flocks of chickens. So we waited, and made arrangements to buy adults in the spring, which are more expensive but freed us from having to raise them from chicks this year. 

When the birds showed up a few weeks ago, an older man drove into the farm with 250 teenage (for chickens) aged hens from Pennsylvania in the back of his truck, ready to start laying.

We had spent the previous two weeks building a brand new mobile coop for the birds and directed him to its location out in our field. (Here's Andrew working on the frame of the new coop.)

When we all got out there and readied to unload the birds to the new coop, I noticed for the first time that their beaks were cut. As novice buyers of adult chickens, the thought that they would come debeaked did not occur to Caroline or myself when we placed the order. Debeaking, by the way, is an alarmingly common practice, generally used for factory raised hens. It is used as a measure to prevent the birds from pecking at each other, which can turn into really severe conditions under some circumstances. Here's the Wikipedia article on the practice. It is generally considered inhumane, as it involves cutting and heat-searing the beak at an early age to prevent regrowth.

I said, "I didn't realize they would be debeaked. I'm not sure we can take these birds."

The old man, who surely seemed out of some time warp to us (and I'm sure us to him as well), thought I was joking at first, but then realized I was serious.

"Of course their beaks are clipped. What'd you expect?"

"I guess I didn't consider it. But it doesn't really seem right, I don't think I should take these."

He proceeded to inform me that debeaking was in fact much better because there would be a reduced rate of hen plucking, and even more serious forms of the condition such as cannibalism. I will admit I have raised chickens that are at times alarmingly mean to each other, mostly pecking at other's tails and pulling out their feathers until their little chicken butts are raggedy or even bare. Its not pretty, and not unavoidable either, but is an occasional reality of raising chickens. There was also the fact that we already had a downpayment of $1,600 on these birds that we were far from sure to get back, and that rejecting these would compromise our ability to fulfill egg shares that we had already sold. These things all weighed on my mind.

What was I to do? This old man surely had loads more experience than I (this is only my fifth year raising chickens), but it still didn't feel right. As I weighed the pros and cons, I quickly came to the conclusion that there was a right answer here. We are not raising these hens for ourselves, we are raising them for YOU, our farmshare members. What would our members have us do? I made a call at that time, that we could not take them, because our members expected us to try harder than that. While chickens can sometimes be mean to each other, it seems most likely that they do so in unfavorable conditions. To use mutilation to address the issue is to miss the point.

Rather we should always strive to have really excellent conditions for our animals, and to only support unmutilated sources of them. It was a difficult decision, to send them back at the prospect of not having enough eggs, and the possible loss of our downpayment, but I felt confident it was the right choice.

We ended up finding a new source of 200 non-debeaked (call them beaked?) 17-week olds a couple weeks later. They are now safe and sound in the new coop, are very healthy looking and are quickly learning to forage around and use their new home. (Here are the new little ladies getting settled on their first day.)

So what does this all mean in practical terms? Well, we were expecting chickens earlier, and the new ones have not yet started to lay. Our old flock, which I usually sell to people for backyard pets, are tired and not laying as well these days. Since our new laying flock is delayed, we will likely not be able to keep up with demand for the next few weeks, and eggs in the Spring Treat shares will be a little short. I think this week we'll only come up with enough for 10 eggs per sharemember, instead of a full dozen. The new flock should begin to lay by mid May, at which time we should be fully capable of meeting our egg shares.

I hope that I made the right choice, and I hope that you all will agree with me. Please let me know if you have any other thoughts you'd like to share.

Thanks everyone and see you soon!

-Jarrett

This Week's Spring Treat

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Published on Saturday, April 21, 2012, 08:54

Written by Tim Wilcox

Asparagus (Warner Farm)

Spinach

Mixed Greens

Scallions

Radishes

Chives

Jerusalem Artichokes

Shallots or Onions

Eggs

Yogurt (Sidehill Farm)

Pork Shares from Simple Gifts Farm

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Published on Friday, April 20, 2012, 03:32

Written by Tim Wilcox

The Kitchen Garden is teaming up with Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst to bring Pork Shares to our CSA members in Boston and Cambridge.

Simple Gifts Farm manages their pigs as part of their ecological soil fertility program. The pigs are fed all-organic grain, and are rotationally grazed. The combination of pasture, organic grain, and outdoor living with plenty of exercise results in a very high-quality meat. The animals are butchered humanely at a USDA-inspected operation. The recipes for their sausage and hot dogs add another layer of delicious to the package.

The Pork Shares consist of a single, 20-lb. box of pork for your freezer, to be delivered along with our Spring Treat share on May 9th. Even if you're not enrolled in the Spring Treat share you can sign up for the Pork Share and pick up in Boston or Cambridge on May 9. (If you live in the Valley go ahead and sign up directly with Simple Gifts Farm for pick-up at their farm in Amherst.)

There are three different combinations of cuts available:

The Sausage Box is 20 lbs for $160 (Mix and Match): -Chorizo, Breakfast Sausage, Hot Italian, and Sweet Italian Sausage.

The Grilling Box is 20 lbs for $180: (approximately 5 lbs of each):
Hot Dogs (All Pork, All Natural), Hot Italian or Sweet Italian Sausage Links, Loin Chops, and Pork Steaks

The Rib Box is 20 lbs for $180 (approximately 10 lbs of each): Regular Ribs (Spareribs), and Country Style Ribs.

You can sign up for the pork share directly, and pay online at
http://www.simplegiftsfarmcsa.com/CSASignUp.cfm. Make sure that you sign up for the "Boston Pork Shares through Kitchen Garden" if you're picking up in Boston or Cambridge. Any questions about the share should be directed to Jeremy at Simple Gifts Farm ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). 

This Week's Spring Share

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Published on Monday, April 09, 2012, 02:34

Written by Tim Wilcox

Bok Choy

Spinach

Mixed Greens

Radishes or Hakurei Turnips

Purple Potatoes

Onions

Garlic

Herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Tarragon, Sage or Parsley)

Cabbage

Dill Pickles (Real Pickles in Greenfield)