sense of satisfaction

[raro]

I'm a middle school teacher and I go over the newspaper every day with my students. A few days ago there was a big newspaper article about the latest egg recall. It was trying to discuss how salmonella was originally thought to come from the egg shells, so 50 years or so ago people started having to wash their eggs to get them up to standard to sell. That helped for a while, but disease has really expanded in the past several years, especially with the recall of half a billion eggs last month.

So one of my students starts looking at the article and comments about how it looks like their conclusion is that the disease spreads so much because hens are kept too close together in their own feces in these huge farms. We got to talking and I mentioned that I don't have to worry about it because I have my own egg source. They were all fascinated. These are city kids who have never thought about where their food comes from. So yesterday I brought in some hardboiled brown eggs and they were all excited to try them.

Then one of my students says, "Wait a sec. Are you telling me that THIS came out of a chicken's butt?! And I'm eating it?!?" He had never realized where eggs came from. So we talked about that a bit and they were really interested.

I don't want to put down the suffering of those who were affected by diseased eggs, but there is a sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that I am doing everything in my power to protect my family from such things, and from participating in the suffering of chickens. I know we are not immune from getting something, but, I don't know, I guess I just like knowing where my eggs are coming from and that I'm responsible for it. And I really liked being able to teach a rising generation about it!
Is it just me, or do others out there have the same sense of satisfaction?

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
You are NOT the Lone Ranger in this, at all! I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction with every facet of my chicken keeping experiences (well, except when one is ill, and then I just feel helpless). I love knowing exactly where and from whom my eggs come - my hens are all named and I have a varied flock of different breeds. I love the fact that there are much fewer bugs around, especially spiders! I am anticipating greater garden yield next year when I utilize the compost with the free fertilizer.

I am incredibly happy and SO much more relaxed, caring for the chickens, enjoying their antics, listening to their cluckings and buh-gawkings.

Life is GOOD. Chickens contribute to that a great deal, much more than I expected.

 

[ginbart]

I’d like to add to your post. I am a CPT and I just took blood from about 200 chickens on several different homes in the last couple of weeks. It was so nice when all their paper work came back to me from the State stating none of the birds have Al/P you can look at them and tell they were healthy birds and well taken care of.

 

[phaethona]

ME TOO!!

Mine started laying about a week before the recall, suddenly those who thought me crazy for building a giant chicken coop and letting the birds run around my yard all day, were asking me for eggs

It's not much, and taking my family out of the commercial egg industry won't stop the problem, but at least I know where they came from and that they didn't have to suffer needlessly to give me eggs everyday.

That's great you're sharing this information with the kids,

it's suprising how even some grown adults know so little about chickens and eggs.

Did they like the eggs?

 

[drumstick diva]

It isn't just that many young'uns and some older have no idea where eggs come from. I was in a grocery store and the checkers also weigh the produce. The young guy went totally blank when he came upon my corn on the cob. It just floored me.

 

[cybercat]

It is not just the big cities where you have this clueness that happens. Hubby at work was selling our eggs and a secatrary said no way am i buying something from a chickens butt. He asked her if she ate eggs and she said yes. Then asked where do you think they came from she said food store off convetor belt. This is a small town here in TN where there are more farmes than stores.

 

[raro]

Phaethona,
Yes, the kids loved the eggs. They said they "taste more eggy" than regular eggs. Now they're asking all sorts of questions about chickens and eggs.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has found that keeping chickens has been much more satisfying than I expected!

 

[phaethona]

Quote:
That's great! more eggy, I like that. they do have such a better taste and are so much healthier than store bought eggs. I really haven't found a down-side to raising chickens, except maybe that I want more! It all started one day we were heading to the next town over to go check out a campground to take our kids to that next weekend, on the way there we passed a farm supply store that had a big sign up "Chick Days Sale", so my husband said "we're stopping there on the way back, I wanna get some chicks" I thought he'd lost his marbles, "what on earth are we gonna do with chicks?!" "get eggs" he said. I rolled my eyes a few times, and we got 6 chicks. as soon as we got them home, we were officially hooked. even went back for 6 more. It's been a great experience for my kids too.

I LOVE getting eggs, I love the health benefits, I love knowing that they are very safe to eat, I love giving eggs to friends and seeing their reaction, I love taking care of them, I love sitting outside just relaxing and watching their antics, the list goes on and on. So,no you are definitely NOT the only one who finds raising chickens to be so very satisfying!

ETA to say: I'm so chicken-crazed that I got a white leghorn for the symbolism of having the same breed that's commonly raised in deplorable conditions, and giving that same breed the very best life a chicken could have. she's my symbolic bird, so I was especially excited when she started laying eggs.

p.s. thank you for sharing your chicken wisdom with your students, I wish all kids were more exposed to thinking about where their food actually comes from, kudos to you!

 

[swimmer]

I'm with you raro. Most of the people I tell we have chickens think it's the neatest thing. Some think I'm off my rocker. But I explain to them why and then they kind of get it. If I could, I'd raise my own cattle for beef, pigs, but lack of space won't all that. I like to know what I'm eating and where it comes from. I showed my 9 year old a short clip on egg farms and how the chickens were kept and he was so sad for all those chickens.

 

[Sphinx]

Quote:
I'm sorry. I know you had a lot of really great points to make.

But I keep coming back to this and laughing and laughing. Just can't get back to your original topic.