The Ladies

The sad reality of battery farming has really struck something in me more recently when I see the entertainment and personalities coming out of our ‘ladies of the garden’. In New Zealand 90 per cent of the one billion eggs consumed here are coming from chickens confined to a space of an A4 piece of paper. So if your looking to make a change why not turn your backyard into a freeroaming space for some feathery friends.

Chicken keeping in an urban setting can be a risky business. Possibilities of a torn up garden or an escapee being shredded by the local cat are a few. Despite this, the benefits definately outweigh any dangers or costs involved. There is nothing better than the fresh egg’s you find each morning knowing they’ve come from a happy chook. And ours are HUGE.

Google seems to be my ultimate source on all things chicken keeping however the odd chat to a friend and your bound to find some pals with prior chicken keeping knowledge. Some interesting things I’ve picked up during my investigating is their cannibalistic nature, their amazing flight capacity and the nutritional differences between battery and freeranger’s. These once omega 3 rich wanderers were originally a highly nutritional portion of protein. Low in fat, high in omega 3 and complex proteins. But due to the new methods of chicken farming, these chooks with lack of fresh air, space and foraging can’t develop any of the muscles to store any thing of use so just store alot more fat.

I'm excited to whistle up some recipe's with their gigantic produce, but am having to practise my patience as the 'girls' are still adjusting to their new home and only popping a few eggs out everynow and again.

Some pictures of the new ladies of the garden, Jethro, Cleopatra, Stu-dini, Seth and Chardonnay.