Latest Breaking News

NickB79

(20,391 posts)

89. Fuck it, I'm growing my own this year

Fri Mar 7, 2014, 08:16 PM

Mar 2014

We butchered our last flock 2 1/2 years ago, and didn't get new chicks yet because we were too busy raising a baby.

Now that she's 4 years old and excited about helping me in the garden, we're getting new birds this year. And instead of buying meat-specific varieties, we're getting dual-purpose breeds that will be used primarily for eggs and fertilizer for the garden. Only when their egg production falls to unacceptable levels 5-6 years from now will they become chicken soup.

So long as I can have an egg or two a day in my diet, I don't need much meat. We can go in with some coworkers and stock the freezer with a free-range Angus steer from a local rancher for $3.50/lb processed, and hunt and fish for whatever else we need (squirrel, rabbit and groundhog are surprisingly tasty in a crockpot stew )

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

95 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

USDA to Allow Chickens From U.S. to Be Shipped to China for Processing and Back to U.S. for Consumpt [View all] bananas Mar 2014 OP

Dammit. Have we learned nothing? Not Sure Mar 2014 #1

I agree we haven't learned davidpdx Mar 2014 #6

fuck that noise if we stop buying chicken for a few weeks elehhhhna Mar 2014 #28

I will not buy chicken Scairp Mar 2014 #92

they're staring w/ recombinated chickey things like breaded elehhhhna Mar 2014 #93

We? I rarely use that word in connection with this government anymore. woo me with science Mar 2014 #39

Who comes up with this shit? awoke_in_2003 Mar 2014 #45

this is why we need tariffs to protect jobs ThomThom Mar 2014 #63

We will never have them awoke_in_2003 Mar 2014 #66

Now this is something both and GOP and the Dems should protest loudly. But the corporatists will kelliekat44 Mar 2014 #87

Score another for corporate profits - Obama admin, zero wordpix Mar 2014 #95

Because chicken is just so goddamn good for you to begin with! Systematic Chaos Mar 2014 #2

So, one fine day the USDA folks just, on a whim, decided to "allow" jtuck004 Mar 2014 #3

Baby food, too XemaSab Mar 2014 #8

Which is why I won't eat processed seafood or anything else like that. There were also news freshwest Mar 2014 #4

Thank you for the information. Don't ya just love the one percent. classykaren Mar 2014 #11

I got away from them a half dozen years ago. It was an unfortunate period in my life. freshwest Mar 2014 #12

A friend of mine bought some fish sticks from a 99 cent store recently. closeupready Mar 2014 #49

My cat Snowball died a horrible death after eating that poison pet food from China back in '07... DesertDiamond Mar 2014 #5

Sorry to hear about your cat. If you can get local fish I'd try that for the cats, too. n/t freshwest Mar 2014 #13

Make sure your pet dishes aren't made in China, either theHandpuppet Mar 2014 #30

Oh my God.....did they even think about this one? Hulk Mar 2014 #7

Chicken is now out of my diet choices. nilesobek Mar 2014 #9

Not a chance in hell this will lower prices to consumers Fumesucker Mar 2014 #24

Yup. ctsnowman Mar 2014 #38

+$0.25 closeupready Mar 2014 #50

The last time I shopped at Save Alot they had meat that stated happily prepared for you in Mexico. classykaren Mar 2014 #10

All because we greedy North American workers want to earn enough money to buy said chicken. Ed Suspicious Mar 2014 #14

Well if it's any consolation durablend Mar 2014 #69

There are many American dogs that are dead from Chinese dried chicken snacks. Kablooie Mar 2014 #15

won't feed my dog anything made overseas mdbl Mar 2014 #20

And the only way to avoid this is to buy local from a humane rancher. Le Taz Hot Mar 2014 #16

Healthy food for the well-to-do, fuck all for the rest is the problem with this idea. $20 chicken Ed Suspicious Mar 2014 #18

Sweetheart, I'm hardly well-do-do. Le Taz Hot Mar 2014 #22

Processed chicken A Little Weird Mar 2014 #29

It is a horrible idea. Le Taz Hot Mar 2014 #46

Or hunt. I have 2 deer in the freezer, 30 dove, too. Eleanors38 Mar 2014 #27

I don't derive pleasure out of killing animals. Le Taz Hot Mar 2014 #47

Neither do I, but I prefer killing directly than by agency... Eleanors38 Mar 2014 #54

Or . . . Le Taz Hot Mar 2014 #56

"You people" was enough to rationalize your hatred. Eleanors38 Mar 2014 #58

I agree packman Mar 2014 #61

So you think that someone who goes out and kills an elk indie9197 Mar 2014 #77

There are other ways of looking at this arikara Mar 2014 #79

So you are doing something "Noble" packman Mar 2014 #82

Are you a vegetarian? arikara Mar 2014 #83

Vegetarian - hell no packman Mar 2014 #85

Why do wild things have more rights to live than domesticated ones? NickB79 Mar 2014 #90

There will be a profit to be made by companies that process entirely in USA. MADem Mar 2014 #17

Must be for the fast food industry mdbl Mar 2014 #19

This is what happens when corporations control the regulation process. Enthusiast Mar 2014 #21

You mean they control the DEregulation process, cuz that's all we've got now. nt valerief Mar 2014 #33

That too. Enthusiast Mar 2014 #35

I hope it will be labelled My Good Babushka Mar 2014 #23

Are we out of our friggin minds? SmittynMo Mar 2014 #25

I can only imagine how sick this will make us liberal N proud Mar 2014 #26

Just thinning the herd durablend Mar 2014 #70

So if I buy plain old boned chicken--no breading or other processing--does that valerief Mar 2014 #31

Looks like the shippers and fuelsters make out most on this. nt valerief Mar 2014 #32

Get kosher chicken greymattermom Mar 2014 #34

Why all that shipping get the red out Mar 2014 #36

stuff spent laying hens live in a shipping container, freeze & ship to china? Sunlei Mar 2014 #37

Canned tuna ctsnowman Mar 2014 #40

Infuckingsane. One more reason to not eat meat. marble falls Mar 2014 #41

Gross. It's always good to be a vegetarian. roody Mar 2014 #42

i've eaten here in china for six years. i haven't died yet. i wonder where i can buy all Nanjing to Seoul Mar 2014 #43

I don't think the tainted food going to America is served in China fasttense Mar 2014 #48

Try "Walmart China" they DNA test all meat to make sure refuge pile mink/fox meat isn't mixed in! Sunlei Mar 2014 #51

i wouldn't go to walmart back home. why would i go to the devil spawn hellhole here? Nanjing to Seoul Mar 2014 #53

You really don't want to go to one in China. Mag238 Mar 2014 #72

Not surprised. I see that all the time. You're not shocking me with that Nanjing to Seoul Mar 2014 #73

Yes, it is the same all over the country. Mag238 Mar 2014 #75

Because this is China and it's traditional Chinese attitude to piss, shit and drop your garbage Nanjing to Seoul Mar 2014 #76

Those poor animals. CrispyQ Mar 2014 #44

I doubt they're shipping live chickens. magical thyme Mar 2014 #60

The only safe and inexpensive way to feed a pet is to make the food yourself. nm rhett o rick Mar 2014 #74

wtf? bossy22 Mar 2014 #52

Don't ever forget the dog food incident a few years ago. SoapBox Mar 2014 #55

They poisoned my dogs, and then poisoned their own children. No f'g way am I going DeschutesRiver Mar 2014 #94

Antifreeze in my chicken? What could go wrong there. santamargarita Mar 2014 #57

Chicken ships? packman Mar 2014 #59

This will incentivize people to get a better job so they can buy a real chicken at Whole Foods jsr Mar 2014 #62

who will be disallowed from labeling the origin of their meat reddread Mar 2014 #65

Thanks, Vilsack. bullwinkle428 Mar 2014 #64

There goes my career as a chicken flicker. Mag238 Mar 2014 #67

I wonder if they will ship all the way to China or WhiteTara Mar 2014 #68

What could possibly go wrong? Jake2413 Mar 2014 #71

The is so amazingly stupid and wasteful Matariki Mar 2014 #78

Maybe it's time to just give up on all animal proteins .. read this ditty >> YOHABLO Mar 2014 #80

On reflection, it seems that little by little HeiressofBickworth Mar 2014 #81

***FOOD SAFETY NEWS to spread awareness/STOP this from reaching supermarkets or school lunchrooms. proverbialwisdom Mar 2014 #84

Um, er... KamaAina Mar 2014 #86

LOL. TwilightGardener Mar 2014 #88

Fuck it, I'm growing my own this year NickB79 Mar 2014 #89

If only there were something we could do, almost immediately flvegan Mar 2014 #91