The reason that the study was fascinating to me is that it identified 49 genes that expressed themselves differently between the two groups of chickens. So this is compelling evidence that the expression of an animals genetics can be altered simply based on the way their feed is grown. The study is inconclusive about how this might affect human health, or even poultry health, but it did show that the genes affected things like the way cholesterol is processed in the birds.

Read the article here: http://www.physorg.com/news182106362.html

This article made me really glad that we just ordered over a ton of non-genetically modified, non-chemically treated grains for our pigs and chickens. Not only does this decrease the chemical fertilizers, herbicides/pesticides, and genetically-modified seeds in use, it turns out that it will maintain the natural genetic expression in our animals. While I can’t make any claims about how that might affect their health or the health of our customers, I know that I’d rather not take chances with genetically-modified, chemically-grown feed.

Personally I think that there are two things (one feeds off of the other) that really make our food system what it is. The first is federal subsidies of crops such as corn and soybeans. This encourages a mass amount of monoculture farming where now the same fields in our area are being used year after year for corn. It also encourages more and more processed foods that are made of elements of corn and soy. These aren’t good for you but the biggest worry for me is the fact that most of these corn and soy are now GMO (genetically modified organisms). The reason there is so much of this stuff is because farmers can produce the crops for more more than what they are worth on the market and still make a profit with their multiple subsidies. This is not the fault of the farmer, it’s a policy problem.

The second big problem, and this is huge, is that one multi-national chemical corporation M****nto (can’t be too careful is taking total control of our food. Not our country’s food but our world’s food. The are buying up seed companies and are bulying farmers into not saving their own seeds anymore. Soon we will all be eating GMO foods, not because farmers want to grow it but because they have no other choice. The stories in Food INC. about lawsuits against farmers and seed cleaners were really eye opening.

Of course there is something that we can all do. First, everyone can eat local, transparent food. Second, farmers that are thinking about raising natural and organic foods can take the plunge and start doing it.
Visit the Farmers Forum to see and get involved in a discussion on the movie.

We had brought the coop in near the barn for the winter, but unfortunately, did not anchor the coop down with stakes.  We had used it in the pasture for an entire season, so we thought it was heavy enough to make it through the winter unscathed.  In order to provide more warmth and the height to add deep bedding under the coop (a way to capture/compost manure and keep the birds healthy), we put the coop up on a ‘frame’ of straw bales.  This situation was working perfectly for both purposes, but unfortunately, it probably contributed to the coop catching the wind and blowing away.

Some of the parts are salvageable – the nest boxes were largely undamaged, and some of the wood is unbroken.  But many pieces are busted, the wheels were ruined, and the cattle panel hoop seems hopelessly misshapen.

The good news?  We’re hard at work on coop 2.0 – it will be lighter, stronger, easier to move, and will make the chores simpler… will post pictures/plans soon.