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 Mustang Oklahoma,
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. Mustang
Oklahoma also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Mustang Oklahoma, 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 Mustang OK.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Mustang Oklahoma
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
Mustang Oklahoma * 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 Mustang
Oklahoma * 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
Mustang Oklahoma 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 Mustang,
Oklahoma Baby chicks are quite
charming and
hard to resist,
but it's best to plan for their
arrival prior to you obtain them. Prepare first
by gathering not only the
proper materials, but
additionally the correct
expertise to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is reasonably
straightforward, you simply need
to supply them with the following: A tidy and warm
environment A lot of food and also water Focus and
love Environment Your habitat can be an easy box, fish tank,
pet cat service provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels and also
blankets (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and also after a few weeks use straw over paper.
Keep in mind: Avoid utilizing only
paper or various other sandal
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
misshapen. You additionally need
something to provide food and
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
meal from the feed shop, or a pickle jar
cover for food and an animal bird water dispenser from a
pet dog store. Additionally, as the chicks get
older you could introduce a perch
right into the habitat to obtain them
trained on setting down. Heat To
maintain your chicks heat you should
supply them with a heat resource.
This could be as basic as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp design light from an equipment store, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb likewise function extremely well (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with feathers (which could take up to two months). The recently
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 and also 100 levels,
and also each week this can
be lowered by
about 5 levels or
so. The heat source need to be on merely one side of the cage
to permit chicks an array of
temperature levels. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
other edge of your warmth
light, you have to
lower the temperature. If
they are surrounding each various other under the
heat (not merely cuddling),
you have to include some heat.
Housekeeping
Cleanliness is vital and also it keeps your chicks healthy. Be sure to change
the bed linen
commonly as well as
consistently provide tidy
food as well as water Food as well as water.
Chicks expand very fast
which calls for lots of tidy
food and water. Provide
enough at all times as well
as check
often to
stop parched and also
starving chicks. Chick food is different compared
to grown-up chicken food, and it is available in both medicated and non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
very first 2 months, then
switch to a raiser food (~ 17 %
protein) for another 2 months,
then to a somewhat
lower healthy protein feed or a level feed
(if you have layers). Dirt Some chicks prefer to obtain a running start on taking
filth bathrooms, while others will not occupy that task up until they are
older. If you have the room in your chick
enclosure, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to bathe in.
Interest and love There are a
few benefits to hanging
out with your chicks. To start
with, they will most
likely bond with you as well as
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily as well as
view their habits, you can
catch health problem or other issues previously. Keep an
eye out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other harmful
indicators. Be sure to
likewise consider
their poop, as diarrhea can result in matted plumes and clogged up cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to keep an eye out for social problems, such as the
littlest chick obtaining picked
on. Vacant nest syndrome So your
chicks are currently fully feathery
and its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
as well as move outside right into a cage. Take a look at our
section on chicken cages for more information
regarding cages as well as
appropriate coop environments.