How Chickens changed my Life

It was suggested to me a short time after getting my first chickens to write about: How Chickens changed my life. At the time, I was thinking: hm ...they have not really changed it, but I started writing some posts on another site anyway. I do know however that those words were not "just" said for no reason ....so I kept an open mind and heart - and - I am in the midst of that change .... or rather  A change ..... the learning about earth realities that involve suffering of sentient beings of all kinds has hit home in ways I "sort of knew" in my head before .... but now it is a different way of feeling and seeing .... and it is causing great tourmoil  - and change. Not sure of what or how ....one can't always tell in the facing another act boss monster event what is gonna happen and where you will find yourself afterwards. I am keeping track of some of all this in writing about the chicken adventure, but it really is affecting my in other ways .....

There is this (part of a quote I read somewhere): learn to carry the weight of the Universe or be crushed by it

and

....you feel it (the pain) more and it bothers you less - It is time to access the: "bother me less" part. Urthgame ...

Funny how what I am realizing myself, in the vein of personal experience personally experienced - I recognize saints and sages having said it all along, some of them thousands of years ago.

In this here video, the teacher says one thing: ...this is the only life they will have ....

Paleo or vegan - what will it be?

Paleo or vegan? Those choices seem to totally contradict each other - the meat based hunter-gather vs the grain-grower we can't ever hurt an animal purely non animal, non animal product eaters....each claiming their way is categorically the only or best healthy one ....hahahaha...

Both have drawbacks in terms of high cost to the environment, and yes, nutritionally, carbohydrates have been detrimental to human health, but that is because taken in excess. Meat ...yes, can be the healthiest thing to eat ...as long as you don't get a dose of mixed antibiotics with them and hormones ...as well as the substances released by the abject fear and horror of the now dead sentient being you are eating. For your soul, how well can it be to eat a tortured sentient being .... Confined industrial animal keeping is destructive all the way around. Lean is best for longevity, meaning - loose weight, eat consciously. Realize that the soul of G-D, the Absolute, Being ...is looking at you through the eyes of all animals you dare to look in the eyes. It might offer itself for your nourishment, for transformation, for transmutation - but does it? In any case - first: DO NO HARM. Do not cause it suffering in life or death. Compassion is meant for ALL sentient beings. And who knows what will be revealed about the consciousness of plants some day. "I had nothing buy myself with which to make this world" G-D.

Learn to kill it yourself.

What you can't kill, don't eat.

Do not be controlled by money making brainwashing schemes...which do not have your health at heart. Think about it: the rich USA has one of the most unhealthy populations on the planet,  and - you don't need meat or milk or coconut oil... and the processed foods that are poisoning you and the children - slowly, and the environment: rapidly.

You do need certain proteins and oils/fats as well as other micro-nutrients.

And for those plant eaters: get off your high horse, especially if you are promoting GMO crops....that is INSANE. They and the resulting increased use opf herbicides and pesticides will kill the planet's life. Destroying life forms is not leading to sustainable living. Are your vegan crop plots round-up treated? If so ...you don't care about those soil animals killed, you know ...the little invertebrates? Or for that matter, GMO or not, do you know about the highly social intelligent field rodents killed by the thousands at harvest of the "vegan" foods, or the destruction of the rain forests in Asia for palm oil etc??

Ultimately ... go local ...not a single pretty lawn anywhere, not a vacant city pot anywhere. Investigate truly sustainable ways to eat for more than a few homesteaders ...and yes, this may include fish in the aquaponic systems, which incidentally means a mostly plant based diet. In any case, for this one here ... don't champion any method unless it can be done by all, give life and dignity to all involved and stuarts the earth and environment into health and long term sustainability. With enough love - awareness, compassion - it can be done....please see video below.

Besides - the powers at work are working on population control you won't get to vote on .... so it all may become a more or less mute point and in the end - it is your life and conscience - and what you have done to the least of the creatures, you have done to yourself. The religions may have gotten a lot wrong in their institutionalized power hungry structures - but the message still is: relief of suffering of sentient beings - loving-kindness as a practice.

Maybe some folks do not have a soul - maybe some do ...and maybe some are governed by evil entities - those you have to watch out for.

To answer the question in the title: NEITHER - it needs to be sustainable, kind and health promoting  ...grow your own or know your grower. Take the extra steps it takes ....

And watch this: - amazing

"I don't build gardens with fences - ----   You have to engage the community"

c.

Pretty pictures and the other truth

A lot of people love the pretty pictures - hardly anyone sees or comments on the other stuff ...like this one

Wake the hell up and vote with your money .... take the time, get out of your comfort zone if you care anything about your children or grandchildren - ..... if not life on this beautiful earth.

Natural chicken eggs - truth in chicken keeping

In May of 2012, I got my first chickens - 1 day old chicks, a straight run - and it has been an amazing journey. I LOVE my chickens, I LOVE birds in general.

So, this post is about the eggs of my sweet girls, or rather, the egg laying. Some would call this a rant - but actually, it is the truth about what humans have done to chickens.
It has been 10 months and in the last few days, somethink else happened: I see those hens, the little ones and the big ones and notice: there are times - when they have yolks to fertilize inside - that they attract roosters more than others - and every day, all year - leading to wear and tear of their poor backs...but more importantly - I see them laying eggs: sometimes patiently, sometimes agitated and restless before, sometimes literally screaming when the

egg passes, and very often panting as if in labor - which they are.  Some will sit for a few minutes on the nest with remnants of their "nest-fixing" behavior, only to leave the nest. Broodiness has been bred out of  egg layers.

They are working hard - every day, and  attention from roosters every afternoon all year long - no break - so no wonder we have to cut the number of roosters..

THE WHOLE THING IS UNNATURAL. The entire: "lay an egg a day thing" is actually abusive. It is not quite like GMO chickens, but still, abnormal chickens. I feel bad for them ....

....  having to lay an egg a day and the resources that must consume in their bodies - they can't even forage enough food to sustain it. 

A first egg

Every day all year going through labor ....sweet little girls ...they don't seem to care much, and they don't know better - but it is NOT NATURAL....it IS using them and all the proud: OH she laid an egg a day all year  - is really being proud of having succeeded in perfect abuse. And the hens are spent spent spent after a couple of years as the number of yolks is limited.

It would be more "natural" to get meat from them, come to think of it, to let them be, let them be broody once a year after maybe stealing a few eggs for yourself and let them raise a clutch of chicks, and, unless you have a balanced predator control on your property, you are gonna have to cull - and get meat - not eggs. In the end, if you are not willing to cull, you can't keep chickens the natural way - and one option is to keep a few rescue hens, which will allow you to enjoy the birds, and maybe an occasional egg.

One of the reasons  we have Easter eggs is: there were no available eggs in Winter, otherwise we'd have had Christmas eggs.

So - I enjoy eggs - and I see that my girls have been bred to be living abnormal lives - abused by being forced to lay an egg almost every  day. At the very least, I owe them a decent chicken life.
I suppose you call it "progress" for humans, not being so dependent on the seasonal fluctuations of food supply ....the "problem" is: we are using breathing living beings for this, beings who feel - and who only have this one life to live on earth.

Once my current flock has lived out its days, all I can ever keep is rescue chickens. At least, I won;t be getting any more chicken from a hatchery. IF I were able to cull appropriately - I'd breed them back to normalcy....for truly natural chicken breeds....and I bet ya that you would be able to keep many more roosters to the hens.

Knowing what it takes to get eggs, and seeing the relative indifference with which people treat those precious perfect creations seals the deal: my answer to more chickens for eggs is NO.... unless they are rescue hens....don't ask me what I will do if one of the hens goes broody, I got a non-broody breed for a reason ... it made sense at the time.