( CNN) “Always wash your hands after handling live poultry.” That’s the reminder from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week due to another outbreak of salmonella from backyard chickens.
As one in every 100 homes in cities such as Los Angeles and New York house live poultry, small companies are feeding into the niche trend
There are luxury cars, luxury homes, luxury barges and luxury aircrafts. And then there are luxury chickens. Some US small and medium-sized companies are hoping the fad for fancy poultry will lay them a golden egg.
” Likely our top marketer is the Easter Egger, which gives you the blue or green egg ,” Leslie Citroen said in a Marketplace report.” The other one is the Black Copper Marans, which lays black copper eggs. That’s extremely popular, too .”
Citroen is the owner of Mill Valley Chickens and a luxury chicken entrepreneur. Her company- and its online sister company Judy Chicken- sells everything from signs, pillows and chicken” peace flags” to galvanized water troughs and those little stamps you can put one over an egg. Oh, and of course chickens.
But not only any ordinary chicken. Citroen’s chickens are, according to her website,” sourced from top hatcheries and have been raised in strictly clean cages and hygienic conditions “. That means twice-daily cleaning and enclosures that are bathed in a natural illuminate without wire flooring. Her chicks are given organic feed only and are up to date on all vaccinations. A newborn chicken can run anywhere between approximately $20 and $50 depending on their type and when they were born.( It’s bad luck, however, if you get a rooster .)” Heritage breeds”, which are rare , non-industrial birds with a traceable genetic line, can go for as much as $350 apiece.
Chicken rearing is growing in popularity- particularly in metropolitan areas around the country. CBS News reports that 93% of the 150 most populated US metro areas permit backyard flocks of chickens and the US Department of Agriculture found that one in every 100 households in the metro the matter of Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City keeps some form of live poultry. But there’s no better place for the luxury chicken entrepreneur than the epicenter of over-the-top American luxury in the 21 st century: San Francisco’s Bay Area.
Scott Vanderlip, a software engineer by day and a chicken fanatic otherwise, operates a free, self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and gardens in the Silicon Valley area for hobbyists and fans. His organization, called Tour De Coop, also sells shirts, sweatshirts and other garb items to cover its costs. Laura Menard, a schoolteacher and chicken breeder, has custom-built chicken coops with antique stained-glass windows and detailing added by a master carpenter.” Technology may pay the bills, but it doesn’t feed your spirit ,” said Menard to CBS News.” Chickens, that’s one way to feed your spirit .”
Someone’s soul is being fed well because this stuff is not cheap. According to a Washington Post report, entrepreneurial contractors are constructing $20,000 coops complete with solar panel, automated doors, internal lighting and video cameras that are built with expensive redwood and reclaimed materials so that the coop fits into the esthetic of the owner’s home. There’s actually a Williams-Sonoma coop as well, called ” the Range Rover of chicken crib “, that is made from” sustainable red pine” and is” chemical free “.
Finding a niche and excelling in it is the key to making money for many business people. And if that niche happens to be in a luxury marketplace where people don’t mind spending $350 for a chicken? All the better.” If you’re living in a $15 m home, you’re not going to buy a chicken coop off of Amazon that comes from China for $200 ,” Citroen said in the Marketplace report. That fact would make any entrepreneur cluck, only a little.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
As one in every 100 homes in cities such as Los Angeles and New York house live poultry, small companies are feeding into the niche trend
There are luxury cars, luxury homes, luxury boats and luxury planes. And then there are luxury chickens. Some US small businesses are hoping the furor for fancy poultry will lay them a golden egg.
” Probably our top vendor is the Easter Egger, which gives you the blue or green egg ,” Leslie Citroen said in a Marketplace report.” The other one is the Black Copper Marans, which lays black copper eggs. That’s extremely popular, too .”
Citroen is the owner of Mill Valley Chickens and a luxury chicken entrepreneur. Her company- and its online sister company Judy Chicken- sells everything from signs, pillows and chicken” peace flags” to galvanized water troughs and those little stamps you can put on an egg. Oh, and of course chickens.
But not only any ordinary chicken. Citroen’s chickens are, according to her website,” sourced from top hatcheries and have been raised in strictly clean enclosures and hygienic conditions “. That entails twice-daily cleaning and cages that are bathed in a natural sun without wire flooring. Her chicks are given organic feed only and are up to date on all vaccinations. A newborn chicken can run anywhere between approximately $20 and $50 depending on their type and when they were born.( It’s bad luck, however, if you get a rooster .)” Heritage breeds”, which are rare , non-industrial birds with a traceable genetic line, can go for as much as $350 apiece.
Chicken rearing is growing in popularity- particularly in metropolitan areas around the country. CBS News reports that 93% of the 150 most populated US metro regions permit backyard flocks of chickens and the US Department of Agriculture found that one in every 100 households in the metro areas of Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City maintains some form of live poultry. But there’s no better place for the luxury chicken entrepreneur than the epicenter of over-the-top American luxury in the 21 st century: San Francisco’s Bay Area.
Scott Vanderlip, a software engineer by day and a chicken enthusiast otherwise, runs a free, self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and gardens in the Silicon Valley area for hobbyists and fans. His organisation, called Tour De Coop, also sells shirts, sweatshirts and other attire items to cover its costs. Laura Menard, a schoolteacher and chicken breeder, has custom-built chicken coops with antique stained-glass windows and detailing added by a master carpenter.” Technology may pay the bills, but it doesn’t feed your spirit ,” told Menard to CBS News.” Chickens, that’s one way to feed your soul .”
Someone’s soul is being fed well because this stuff is not cheap. According to a Washington Post report, entrepreneurial contractors are constructing $20,000 coops complete with solar panel, automated doors, internal lighting and video cameras that are built with expensive redwood and reclaimed materials so that the coop fits into the esthetic of the owner’s home. There’s actually a Williams-Sonoma coop as well, called ” the Range Rover of chicken crib “, that is made from” sustainable red pine” and is” chemical free “.
Finding a niche and excelling in it is the key to making money for many business people. And if that niche happens to be in a luxury marketplace where people don’t mind spending $350 for a chicken? All the very best.” If you’re living in a $15 m home, you’re not going to buy a chicken coop off of Amazon that comes from China for $200 ,” Citroen said in the Marketplace report. That fact would make any entrepreneur cluck, simply a little.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
As one in every 100 homes in cities such as Los Angeles and New York house live poultry, small companies are feeding into the niche trend
There are luxury automobiles, luxury homes, luxury barges and luxury airplanes. And then there are luxury chickens. Some US small businesses are hoping the fad for fancy poultry will lay them a golden egg.
” Likely our top marketer is the Easter Egger, which gives you the blue or green egg ,” Leslie Citroen said in a Marketplace report.” The other one is the Black Copper Marans, which lays black copper eggs. That’s extremely popular, too .”
Citroen is the owner of Mill Valley Chickens and a luxury chicken entrepreneur. Her company- and its online sister company Judy Chicken- sells everything from signs, pillows and chicken” peace flags” to galvanized water troughs and those little stamps you can put one over an egg. Oh, and of course chickens.
But not just any ordinary chicken. Citroen’s chickens are, according to her website,” sourced from top hatcheries and have been raised in strictly clean enclosures and hygienic conditions “. That entails twice-daily cleaning and enclosures that are bathed in a natural lighting without wire flooring. Her chicks are given organic feed only and are up to date on all vaccinations. A baby chicken can run anywhere between approximately $20 and $50 depending on their type and when they were born.( It’s bad luck, however, if you get a rooster .)” Heritage breeds”, which are rare , non-industrial birds with a traceable genetic line, can go for as much as $350 apiece.
Chicken rearing is growing in popularity- particularly in metropolitan areas around the country. CBS News reports that 93% of the 150 most populated US metro regions allow backyard flocks of chickens and the US Department of Agriculture found that one in every 100 households in the metro areas of Denver, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City keeps some sort of live poultry. But there’s no better place for the luxury chicken entrepreneur than the epicenter of over-the-top American luxury in the 21 st century: San Francisco’s Bay Area.
Scott Vanderlip, a software engineer by day and a chicken enthusiast otherwise, operates a free, self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and gardens in the Silicon Valley area for hobbyists and fans. His organization, called Tour De Coop, also sells shirts, sweatshirts and other dres items to cover its costs. Laura Menard, a schoolteacher and chicken breeder, has custom-built chicken coops with antique stained-glass windows and detailing added by a master carpenter.” Technology may pay the bills, but it doesn’t feed your spirit ,” told Menard to CBS News.” Chickens, that’s one way to feed your soul .”
Someone’s soul is being fed well because this stuff is not inexpensive. According to a Washington Post report, entrepreneurial contractors are building $20,000 coops complete with solar panels, automated doorways, internal lighting and video cameras that are built with expensive redwood and reclaimed materials so that the coop fits into the esthetic of the owner’s home. There’s actually a Williams-Sonoma coop as well, called ” the Range Rover of chicken crib “, that is made from” sustainable red pine” and is” chemical free “.
Finding a niche and excelling in it is the key to making money for many business people. And if that niche happens to be in a luxury market where people don’t mind spending $350 for a chicken? All the better.” If you’re living in a $15 m home, you’re not going to buy a chicken coop off of Amazon that comes from China for $200 ,” Citroen said in the Marketplace report. That fact would make any entrepreneur cluck, just a little.
Read more: www.theguardian.com
How to Choose a Chicken Breed
Chickens are wonderful animals. They are like the coconut. You see, the coconut can be used in many ways- from the leaves to the roots. In more ways than one, chickens are bred and raised because it entails a lot of benefits. In Asian countries, chickens can be eaten from beak down to its funny-looking feet. Thus, making it one of the sought after poultry products in the animal community.
Yet, chickens aren’t used only for food but for ornamental purposes. It all depends on the owner of the poultry farm if he’s going to raise chickens for food or for exhibition. Whatever the purpose is for these critters, you can settle on one simple question…what breed should you get?
There are actually four ideas to consider when choosing a breed – egg production only, eggs and meat combined, exhibition, and meat only. Aside from these four, people also account chickens as a hobby and they very well enjoy watching and caring for their chickens.
Egg Production
If you are concerned with only the eggs and are not really a fan of chicken form and features, white leghorns or Red Sex Links and Golden Cornets fits the job. These breeds lay eggs in a very excellent way. There is a point to ponder upon though, if you wanted white eggs, choose a chicken breed that have ear lobes that are white. But if you wanted brown eggs, choose a chicken breed that has red ear lobes.
Meat
In meat, you have to purchase a breed that grows quickly and weighs big like the Cornish Cross. It is a cross breed between a White Cornish and a White Plymouth Rock. These breeds weigh four to five pounds in six weeks and weighs more than 6 pounds within 8 to 12 weeks.
Eggs and Meat
Breeds that are dual purpose is a combination of a breed that is both having the talent of vast egg production and grows larger and faster than the rest of the species. One typical and popular example is the Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes and Sussex. They are both English and American breeds.
Exhibition
These are the kind of birds that are appreciated for their eloquent beauty and features. Every part of their feather-covered body must be exceptional. Usually those that are chosen to wind up in exhibition during fairs are those that are crossbred. Exhibitions shows for poultry raising are most popular in places like the Midwest and Indiana.
Usually, chickens are judged based on their color, breed type that’s supposed to be ideal, their body weight and shape, etc.
Bantams are one of the chicken types that outnumbered larger fowls during shows. They have a characteristic that a judge would adore – takes less space, easier to feed, eat less, and easy to handle. Their eggs are also expected to be small but are pretty much good for eating like other ordinary eggs. Some of the popular breeds of bantams are the Wyandottes, Cochins, Old English Game and Plymouth Rocks. These bantam breeds can most likely win in exhibitions.
Bantams are not the only birds that can have the right to the throne. Larger fowl breeds also hog the limelight. Some of these breeds are the leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, and Black Australorps. These breeds vary in their type, size, color, comb type and shape.
Have you ever dreamed of caring for your own chickens? Would you like a great source of free, fresh, organic eggs? Do you like do-it-yourself projects?
You should consider building your own chicken coop with these ready-made easy to follow plans!
Whether you already have chickens and just need a better way to keep them, or even if it’s something you’ve never considered before, you’ll be amazed how easy and affordable it can be to build your own chicken coop!
It may seem like a complicated project, but luckily for you, you don’t have to suffer through the headaches of working out dimensions, materials, insulation, ventilation, lighting, and all of the other details. Not to mention reading multiple books and resources to try and learn how to care for the chickens, how to feed them and how to get the best quality eggs.
Introducing “Building a Chicken Coop” by Bill Keene. This book is full of simple do-it-yourself plans to allow you to build an affordable chicken coop on time, on budget with little waste. joe cettina