The Weblog
The local foods movement is alive and well in Champaign County! Here are some updates on other projects while we finalize our virtual market:
Local Producers Map:
Our local producers map is ready for publication and you will soon be able to find it on gochampaign.com. Copies will be distributed around the community, in the local telephone book, and other “hangouts”. The guide lists the location and contact information for nearly 50 local producers within our county. The map was a project of the Local Food Council and printed with the help of some local sponsors including the Monument Square District, Champaign Bank, the Community Improvement Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, the Farm Bureau and others. It is a great start to finding a local source for Champaign County’s finest!
My mother nature story from today...
This post expired on April 15, 2023.
So I admit, I sometimes try to fool mother nature and she doesn’t miss a beat. The background is I have a older hen that was made an outcast from the group a few months ago. To me, chicken coops are where bullying must have originally started and if left to battle it out, sometimes ends in death. Knowing this, I intervened and placed her in a separate cage to strengthen her and give everyone a chance to forget their meanness. There indeed is a “pecking order” with hens and I believe this is true, even in how they place themselves on the rows of the roosts with the roosters best girlfriends alongside him and just those other ladies on lower roosts. I have heard this order is also to protect the best of the flock should an intruder enter the coop allowing the lowest ones to be sacrificed while the most protected remain higher up on the roosts. Thankfully this portion of the story remains unproven in my coop.
So tonight I let them all out in the grass and into the compost pile beside the barn to scratch and munch on bugs. They obviously loved them and squawked with delight. The man in charge directs them to certain finds and calls them to attention. This too is amazing that they listen so intently to his suggestions. Often if he finds something, he calls to them and backs up allowing them to eat it unselfishly. Impressive chivalry!
The sneaky part of my story begins when I quietly retrieved my little outcast who has really plumped up in her secure little vacation spot and placed her along the edge of the fencing. Looking exactly a mirror image to the other Barred Rocks, she sauntered towards the compost and snuck around the currant bush awaiting it’s spring leaves.
She joined the group near the base of the compost hill and that darn rooster wasn’t fooled a bit. He made a few calls with a throated-gesture and tip-toed almost sideways towards her. I have begun to think that the sideways walk is part mating ritual and part agent 007 as it seems too predictable to me but not to “the girls”.
He immediately let us both know the gig was up and tried to fight her like two boxers on the ropes. I intervened once again and carried her quietly back to her more-than-temporary home. We shared a few words and I apologized for the bully in the barnyard. She seemed to understand and perhaps from the flashbacks of terror or from the sight of the full food and water dish, she trotted right back into her cage. So sleep tight ladies and gents…we’ll try again another time!
As another day on the farm comes to a close, I encourage you to try something new this season. Chickens are a wonderful addition but perhaps herbs are your choice. Whatever you choose, spread your wings and give something new a go! You will learn so much, even if it is who is nice to you in your flock!
Don’t forget to order from us as the market is open! There are lots of exciting things to share so spend a few minutes and learn more about our vendors! Good night to my friends in my flock!