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 Elizabethton Tennessee,
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. Elizabethton
Tennessee also has poultry equipment for sale, game chickens for sale in
Elizabethton Tennessee, 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 Elizabethton TN.
Thumbing through a baby chickens for sale in Elizabethton Tennessee
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
Elizabethton Tennessee * 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 Elizabethton
Tennessee * 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
Elizabethton Tennessee 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 Elizabethton,
Tennessee Baby chicks are very
cute and
hard to withstand,
however it's best to prepare for their
arrival before you obtain them. Prepare initially
by collecting not only the
right products, but
also the proper
knowledge to look after
them. Raising baby chicks is fairly
basic, you simply have to provide them with the following: A
clean and also cozy
habitat Plenty of food and also water Interest as well as
love Environment Your habitat can be a straightforward box, fish tank,
cat provider, or guinea
pig cage. Line it with old towels as well as
coverings (without any loosened
strings!) to begin, and after a
couple of weeks make use of straw over newspaper.
Keep in mind: Avoid using only
paper or various other slipper
surface areas-- or your chicks legs can grow
malformed. You also require
something to provide food and also
water in, such as a chicken feeder and water
recipe from the feed store, or a pickle container
cover for food and a pet bird water dispenser from an animal shop. Likewise, as the chicks grow older you could introduce a perch
right into the environment to get them
trained on setting down. Warmth To
maintain your chicks warm you should
supply them with a warmth source.
This could be as simple as a 100 watt
light bulb in a reflective clamp style light from a
hardware shop, or an infrared reptile warmth
light bulb additionally work effectively (my
referral). Chicks require this
warmth 24/7 till their downy fluff is
replaced with plumes (which could occupy to 2 months). The freshly
hatched out require a temperature
in between 90 and also 100 degrees,
and also every week this could
be minimized by
about 5 degrees approximately. The warmth source must be on merely one side of the cage
to enable chicks a variety of
temperatures. The chicks are your ideal
thermometer- if they are hiding in the
contrary edge of your heat
lamp, you have to
minimize the temperature. If
they are smothering each various other under the
warmth (not merely cuddling),
you need to put some heat.
House cleaning
Cleanliness is essential and also it maintains your chicks healthy and
balanced. Make sure to transform
the bedding
usually and
always supply clean
food as well as water Food and water.
Chicks expand very quickly
which needs a lot of tidy
food and water. Give
sufficient whatsoever times as well
as inspect
often to avoid parched and also
hungry chicks. Chick food is different than grown-up chicken food, as well as it comes
in both medicated and
also non-medicated varieties. Feed chick food for the
initial 2 months, after that
switch to a grower food (~ 17 %
healthy protein) for another 2 months,
and afterwards to a somewhat
reduced healthy protein feed or a layer feed
(if you have levels). Soil Some chicks prefer to get a running start on taking
dust bathrooms, while others won't occupy that activity up until they are
older. If you have the space in your chick
unit, introduce a tray of sand or
dirt for them to shower in.
Interest and also love There are a couple of benefits to spending quality time with your chicks. Firstly, they will probably bond with you and
not flee as grownups. Second, if you
analyze your chicks daily and
view their habits, you can
catch illness or various
other issues previously. Watch out for wheezing, hopping, or
various other unhealthy
indications. Make certain to
additionally check out
their poop, as diarrhea can lead
to matted plumes and blocked cloaca.
Finally, it is essential to watch out for social concerns, such as the
littlest chick obtaining picked
on. Empty nest syndrome So your
chicks are now fully feathery
and also its time for them to leave the
safety of your home
and move outside right into a cage. Look into our
section on chicken cages to get more information
concerning coops and also
appropriate coop environments.