It caught my eye because it was beautiful (and free). And because I was momentarily bored standing in the checkout line as I scanned the pulp headlines about how Demi is self destructing over Ashton’s newest hookup. And because I’m always and relentlessly looking for beautiful things to inspire me.
The object of my attention? A glossy, expertly-designed publication by a major U.S. chicken producer. On the cover, a gorgeous shot of glazed chicken with veggies on a tortilla. Then, essays and tips by chefs, also expertly photographed to look cool and bam! and jaunty. Sophisticated typography, competent editing, excellent content, nice palette, yummy yummy looking food pix. Even some articles on wine pairing. Cool, I’m inspired.
And finally, toward the end of the pub, an article about the producer. Photos of a lovely pond, a closeup of leaves of something, a shot of corn kernels, of some other crop, and then… again, the chicken on the plate.
Holy cow. Where’s the picture of the live chickens? Where are the chickens, scratching around in the pasture? Where are the chickens, just hanging out by the water cooler, clucking and talking and drinking water? And…
Where are the people who tend to the chickens? None. Nada. Zip. Aren’t the chickens beautiful? (Mine are.) Aren’t the people who tend the chickens beautiful? (I am and my husband is, and I know lots of beautiful chicken ranchers.)
Why am I writing this for the “Adventures with Jim” beef blog? Because as much as the beautiful chickens and beautiful people are not present in the chicken publication, the beautiful cattle and beautiful people are present in Jim’s operation.
How do I know this? I know because in the course of trying to blog intelligently for Jim, I have lots and lots of conversations with him. Many are fragmented as cell reception cuts out and in, most are funny, some are seemingly unremarkable, but all share a common thread.
Like this: A tree fell on a fence and the cows got onto the road and the CHP was on scene and Jim drove there ASAP to straighten out the mess and got fined for not wearing his seat belt (he was sorta in a hurry) for $150. Or this: Jim’s cell phone somehow wound up in a tree and who cares; he would like to shoot it repeatedly, anyway, and get on with his work.
Or this: Cow 60 had a baby, and somehow the baby wound up on the other side of the fence but Cow 60 was able to nurse the baby through the fence—an elegant testimonial to her mothering skills. Or this: Cow 7 was bitten by a timber rattler and, over and above the vet’s intervention, Jim saved her life during this recent heatwave by drenching her with water and pushing water down her throat and now she’s doing fine. And this: It’s about to rain so all the baled hay has got to be snatched up onto the flatbed truck and stored in the barn so it won’t burst into flames or go bad, and that means the crew has to scramble like crazy.
And so many more small but telling anecdotes involving human presence, human intervention in the cycle of nature, and the raw and raggedy beauty of the day to day struggle just to grow the grass well, treat the cows well, and produce some honest food for our tables.
And I’m thinking… we have lots of beautiful shots of grass on our website. We have shots of Jim’s weathered hands, of Jim hanging out with the cattle, of Jim feeding the cattle, of customers enjoying the beef, and lots and lots of shots of the cows. What we don’t have is pix of perfect food on perfect plates. Hmm. Maybe someday we will. But for now, I think we’re good.
Your comments? Are we beautiful enough? Maybe I should stop cropping out the holes in Jim’s trademark torn-up shirts, the sweat-soaked hats, and the dirt-streaked trousers. But that’s another story…
What do you think? After all, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.
cheers, Ruth
We have many Rare Chicken Breeds for sale in Mount Hope Alabama,
including Sussex Chickens, Welsummer Chickens, Turken Chickens and more.
Be sure to check out the Bargain Specials, as you can combine different
egg layers in smaller amounts and buy as an assortment. Mount Hope
Alabama also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Mount Hope Alabama, bantams for sale, ducks for sale, geese for sale,
turkeys for sale, guinea for sale, peafowl for sale, pheasant for sale,
chukar partridge for sale, bobwhite for sale, many different breeds of
baby chicks for sale in Mount Hope AL.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Mount Hope Alabama
catalog is a yearly traditions in many houses. My kids and I eagerly await
the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalog. We love looking at all the cool and
different chicken breeds available. Catalogs are free so head on over to
their site and request one if you are interested.
Typically hatcheries online offer both standard breeds
and bantams. Bantams are fun hardy little chickens, they lay tiny eggs
that kids especially love collecting. Bantams typically weigh less than 2
pounds when full grown. Just like ordering anything online there are pros
and cons to ordering baby chicks online. Pros of buying baby chicks in
Mount Hope Alabama * Big Selection - If you are wanting a large
variety of different chicken breeds and egg colors, you will find the best
selection at an online hatchery. * Both Bantams and full sized chickens
available * You get to choose what sex you want. If you want a mixture of
both male and female then choosing a "straight run" will save you money
and you will get a mixture of male and female chicks. You can also choose
all males or all females too. * Weekly specials. Hatcheries have sales on
chicks, you are likely to get a good deal if you are flexible with the
breeds you are wanting. Cons of buying baby chicks in Mount Hope
Alabama * Order early to get the best selection. Certain breeds sell
out fast, sometimes as early as 6 months in advance of shipping! If you
are wanting a certain breed it's best to order your chicks in the fall
before their orders sell out.
Quantity - you must order a certain number of chicks. Typically hatcheries
will require you buy a minimum of 25 chicks at a time. The number is
necessary for the chicks survival during shipping. All 25 chicks are put
in one small box without heat. They are crowded in the box and produce
enough body heat to arrive in good shape. * The wait - If you choose to
buy chicks from a feed store you will have them the same day but if you
choose to go with a hatchery you have to wait until they are ready to ship
and then wait for the chicks to arrive. Ordering baby chicks online in
Mount Hope Alabama is easy and has always been a very pleasant
experience of me. It can be a little frustrating waiting for the chicks
but it's so worth the wait. When the post office calls and you hear all
those little "cheeps" or "chirps" in the background you'll know the wait
was worth it! How to Care for your new baby chickens in Mount Hope,
Alabama Baby chicks are extremely
adorable and also
difficult to stand up to,
yet it's finest to plan for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by compiling not just the
proper materials, yet
likewise the appropriate
understanding to care for
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
simple, you simply need
to give them with the following: A tidy as well as cozy
habitat A lot of food as well
as water Attention as well as
love Habitat Your habitat can be a
simple box, aquarium,
feline provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
blankets (with no loose
strings!) to start, as well as after a few weeks use straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing just
newspaper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally need
something to serve up food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder as well as water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
lid for food and also a pet dog bird water dispenser from a family pet store. Likewise, as the chicks age you can present a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
educated on perching. Heat To
keep your chicks heat you have to
supply them with a heat resource.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb also function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
heat 24/7 up until their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which can occupy to two months). The freshly
hatched require a temperature
between 90 as well as 100 levels,
and also weekly this can
be minimized by
around 5 levels approximately. The heat resource should get on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your best
thermostat- if they are hiding in the
opposite corner of your warmth
light, you need to
lower the temperature level. If
they are surrounding each other under the
warmth (not simply snuggling),
you have to add some heat.
Home cleaning
Tidiness is essential and it keeps your chicks healthy. Make certain to transform
the bed linen
usually and
consistently provide clean
food and also water Food and also water.
Chicks expand quite quickly
which calls for plenty of clean
food and water. Give
enough whatsoever times and also check
typically to
stop parched and
hungry chicks. Chick food is various than grown-up chicken food, as well as it can be found in both medicated and non-medicated selections. Feed chick food for the
initial two months, then
change to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for an additional 2 months,
and after that to a slightly
lower healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks want
to obtain a head start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others won't use up that task up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Attention and love There are a
few benefits to spending time with your chicks. To start
with, they will probably bond with you as well as
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
examine your chicks daily and
enjoy their habits, you could
capture illness or other troubles previously. Keep an
eye out for hissing, limping, or
other undesirable
indicators. Be sure to
also check out
their poop, as diarrhea could bring about matted plumes and stopped up cloaca.
Lastly, it is very
important to look out
for social problems, such as the
littlest chick getting picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are now completely feathery
as well as its time for them to leave the
safety and security of your residence
and also relocate outside into a cage. Have a look at our
section on chicken coops to get more information
concerning cages and also
correct coop habitats.