Chickens on Television Show Little House on the Prairie

[Bullitt]

I like to watch episodes of Little House on the Prairie on YouTube. It's a great show.

I was rewatching the first regular episode called "A Harvest of Friends." There was a pilot movie before this episode. Anyway, the Ingalls family moves to Walnut Grove. Charles is walking to town one morning and finds the doctor with a broken wheel. Charles repairs the wheel so the doctor can drive his buggy to town. Later, the doctor comes to Charles and says that everyone is paying their medical bills with chickens so he has more chickens than he knows what to do with, and the doctor gives Charles four chickens for helping with the wagon wheel.

From then on Caroline Ingalls is selling chicken eggs to Mrs. Oleson at the mercantile, the family soon has a flock of chickens, and they are eating fried chicken on a regular basis. Charles often says he is having chicken and biscuits for lunch.

It is just interesting how people used chickens and eggs to barter with, as well as for food. It seems that many people might have starved during hard times without chickens. With chickens, a milk cow, and a garden a person should have plenty of food to eat.

Anyway, just an observation, or a rambling.

 

[Lothiriel]

That's such a good show. And that first one is my favorite!

 

[b.hromada]

That's such a good show. And that first one is my favorite!

x2!

 

[EweSheep]

I am sure they had RIRs, Red Sex links and not sure at one time they had Barred Rocks?

 

[featherz]

And didn't mrs. Oleson give Caroline some sort of hassle about the eggs? Can't remember why, tho.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Yep, Mrs. Olson said something like she would pay more for white eggs, since Mrs Ingalls brought only brown eggs. Somethin' like that.

 

[Bullitt]

Mrs. Oleson wanted to buy the white eggs and not the brown eggs.

Mrs. Oleson would also always say that the eggs were smaller than usual so that she wasn't going to pay full price. Caroline would then say she knew someone going into Springfield who could sell her eggs for her, and Mrs. Oleson would end up paying the regular price for the eggs.

So if the Ingalls family had white and brown eggs, they must have had chickens that laid white and brown eggs. They probably had Leghorns, which were brought from Italy to the U.S. in the 1820s, to lay white eggs. They probably also had Dominique (look like Barred Rock) to lay brown eggs. Or they had all-American mutts.

 

[eenie114]

Mrs. Oleson wanted to buy the white eggs and not the brown eggs.

Mrs. Oleson would also always say that the eggs were smaller than usual so that she wasn't going to pay full price. Caroline would then say she knew someone going into Springfield who could sell her eggs for her, and Mrs. Oleson would end up paying the regular price for the eggs.

So if the Ingalls family had white and brown eggs, they must have had chickens that laid white and brown eggs. They probably had Leghorns, which were brought from Italy to the U.S. in the 1820s, to lay white eggs. They probably also had Dominique (look like Barred Rock) to lay brown eggs. Or they had all-American mutts.

In one episode (I think it was from the fourth season?) there are some chickens that def. looked like Dominiques!

We're all such nerds.

 

[WooingWyandotte]

Mrs. Oleson wanted to buy the white eggs and not the brown eggs.

Mrs. Oleson would also always say that the eggs were smaller than usual so that she wasn't going to pay full price. Caroline would then say she knew someone going into Springfield who could sell her eggs for her, and Mrs. Oleson would end up paying the regular price for the eggs.

So if the Ingalls family had white and brown eggs, they must have had chickens that laid white and brown eggs. They probably had Leghorns, which were brought from Italy to the U.S. in the 1820s, to lay white eggs. They probably also had Dominique (look like Barred Rock) to lay brown eggs. Or they had all-American mutts.

Nice.

 

[Bullitt]

Well, I was thinking in historical terms, if the show is historically correct. On the TV show there were several different breeds of chickens. I am guessing they didn't worry too much about chicken breeds for the TV show.