Kinda Busy Being A Chicken Mom Shirt

Chickens today are spoiled beyond belief when compared to Grandmas’ hens.Hens of the past (1900s) had no regular access to basic commodities such as water and feed- this severely limited their egg laying rate and also the size which they grew.The chicken really wasn’t considered a necessary ‘livestock’ animal on the farm. The meat was only eaten on very special occasions and eggs were a luxury.Today we are going to take a look back at the Humble Homestead Hen over the years and see how her lot has improvedOur condensed history of the chicken starts in 1900.Chickens were primarily raised on family farms. They were not raised in huge numbers- a flock of 400 birds would be considered large.Families who had flocks of this size sold eggs as their primary income source, and chicken meat was a delicacy being reserved for special occasions and holidays only. The average chicken would lay between 80-150 eggs per year.Chickens in 1900sChickens in an outdoor pen on a chicken ranch in California in 1920How To Tell The Difference Between Rooster And Hen Chicks – Vent Sexing.mp4The chicken diet was basically whatever they could forage with occasional handouts of grain, scraps and waste kitchen products. A hen destined for the pot would befattened up with extra grains and buttermilk if available.Housing was non-specific, either in the barn with the other animals or a separate outbuilding. They ertainly didn’t have purpose built coops like we see today, and this led to a high mortality rate of around 40%.Chickens also didn’t do well over the winter months due to a lack of vitamin D which is provided during the summer months through sunlight. Vitamin D was discovered in the early 1920s and led to a small revolution in poultry keeping. Hens could now survive through the winter months with Vitamin D supplements and go on to produce healthier chicks in the spring.1920-1930: The Age of the Broiler IndustryIn 1923, Mrs Wilmer Steele of Delaware raised 500 chicks intended for meat birds. Her enterprise did so well, that by 1926 she bought a broiler house with capacity for 10,000 birds. She is considered to be the pioneer of the commercial broiler industry.

Kinda Busy Being A Chicken Mom Shirt

This was the beginning of confined housing for birds and ‘industrial’ status for broilers.Cage systems of keeping hens was introduced in California.Hens were gradually improving and could now lay up to 250 eggs/year.Mortality also dropped to 5%.1930-1950: Chickens Are Now PatriotiFollowing the Great Depression, agriculture was slowly regaining lost ground.USDA Announcement on Raising ChickensWar between the US, Germany and Japan was declared following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. This led to an increase in flock size to feed the troopsEveryone who had a plot of land was encouraged to grow a Victory Garden. Even city folk were encouraged to form community gardens and help to supply fresh food for their families. Raising and keeping chickens was encouraged, since they were small livestock and produced eggs!In the 1940s’ feed mills, hatcheries, farms etc. were still separate entities.1942 an ‘on line’ eviscerator (device used to ‘gut’ the chicken) was invented, making the chicken ready-to-cook. Prior to this, evisceration of a bird was considered a kitchen skill.1946 Pilgrim’s Pride feed storestarted by giving away free chicks with a bag of feed.1949 USDA grading program for eggs started.Following the war years there was a huge change in the way food was produced. Chickens slowly began to be raised ‘intensively’.