Urgent chicken news: A flock for the Obamas?
By Gina Spadafori
March 30, 2009
Hat tip to Terrierman, who knows I’m nuts about my chickens. Or just nuts.
From HuffPo:
After the warm reception to the new White House kitchen garden, you’d think that the Obamas would be left alone on the locavore front, wouldn’t you?
If so, you wouldn’t be Bill Niman and Nicolette Hahn Niman, who ask when the White House will get its own flock of chickens.
Go vote for White House hens. Fresh, humane, local eggs for all!
The Chicken Underground is on the move. We have yet to hatch our biggest plans!
/Why not chickens?
I clacked on, I mean I clicked on Yes and thereby cast my vote for chickens!
Comment by Colorado Transplant — March 30, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
If the Obama’s do decide to get a chicken, someone ought to suggest they get a Giriraja!
http://www.theecologist.org/pa.....cast_id=95
And for all of you feeding raw food to your pets, watch this ‘Sick as a Pig’ video, which talks about the rising epidemic of MRSA in pigs. They say that 12% of U.S. pork is purchased from the Netherlands and that evidence shows that 10% of that pork is infected with MRSA.
Sick as a Pig - http://www.green.tv/ecologist_sick_as_a_pig1
Antibiotics in livestock threatens humans:
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk.....5101083.jp
Comment by Barb — March 30, 2009 @ 4:48 pm
Will this be instead of the dog?
Comment by Christie Keith — March 30, 2009 @ 5:03 pm
Barb, I do feed raw food. I don’t feed pork however, and my source is excellent at stating the sources of her products, USA, Cda, NZ. My dogs take the same risks I do when consuming anything these days. That’s the best I can do for them and for myself. Procuring food and it’s inherent dangers are no different than they were 10,000 years ago. The dangers have just changed from charging woolly rhinoceros and cave bears to intestinal bacteria and plastic (melamine).
Comment by Anne T — March 30, 2009 @ 5:26 pm
I agree: It’s about the sourcing.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — March 30, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
All the more reason for the ‘slow food’ movement to take hold. Seems 60% of food suppliers aren’t even watching the hen house!
United States-Concerns over food threat -
http://www.farminguk.com/news/......13939.asp
A year after the 9/11 attacks, Congress decided to require the nation’s food suppliers to keep copious records of who they buy from and sell to in order to maintain a safe and healthy food chain for Americans and to minimize the risk of terrorists using food to strike at the country. But the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services has discovered that, despite the requirements of the anti-bioterrorism law, only 40% of suppliers are properly keeping their records. One quarter of those contacted by inspectors said they were not even aware of the federal requirements, while others complained that the recordkeeping was too difficult.
The news proved to be yet another black mark for the Food and Drug Administration, the nation’s watchdog for food safety, which has routinely failed to prevent tainted foods from reaching consumers, including peanuts, spinach, lettuce, and seafood. The report by the inspector general raises questions about the capability of FDA enforcement, and whether Congress should bother proceeding with even tougher record-keeping requirements if FDA can’t begin to enforce the original rules passed in 2002. The new rules under consideration on Capitol Hill would expand the bioterrorism reporting requirements to cover farms and restaurants, which are currently exempt.
Comment by Barb — March 30, 2009 @ 6:53 pm
Greetings!
My name is Joseph Marquette, SPPA memebr and co-owner of Yellow House Farm (www.yellowhousefarmnh.com), a farm focusing on foundational heritage breeds, in Barrington, NH. We have written First Lady Michelle Obama to offer a small flock of White Dorkings, the first breed to cross with the pilgrims. We have partnered up with Christine Heinrichs, also member SPPA ( http://poultrybookstore.com), poulltry author who is willing to offer copies of her book HOW TO RAISE CHICKENS. We are joined by Dennis Harrison-Noonan, a coop builder in Wisconsin who had offered to custom build a coop for the White House, as well as by Kevin Fletcher of Organic Poultry Feeds, http://www.countrysidenatural.com, who has offered one year’s supply of organic grain to feed their new flock.
Our customer and friend Chris Ouellette has opened a facebook page “Chickens at the White House” that contains a letter of petition written by Christine Heinrichs, asking the Obamas to accept our gifts to their honorable homestead. The letter is easy to cut-and-paste and the link is given to the White House homepage for contact information.
Please feel free to promote this via your organization. We have the package ready, all we need know is the “yes”!
Cheers!
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Comment by Yellow House Farm — April 26, 2009 @ 8:07 pm