Chemically Raised Chickens

More than 50 billion chickens are reared annually as a source of food, for both their meat and their eggs.

Picture from Trust Organic Food

According to the Worldwatch Institute, 74% of the world's poultry meat and 68% of it's eggs are produced from intensive farming techniques.  This includes the heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land areas.

Silkies - The Fluffiest Chickens Of Them All

When we found this image on Pinterest, we just had to know what these unusual-looking birds were! The answer: Silkies.

Silkies are a breed of chicken known for their fluffy feathers, which are said to feel like - obviously - silk. But this isn't the only thing that makes Silkies stand out from other chickens. They are also have five toes instead of four and black or grayish skin, bones and earlobes! Can you imagine having that chicken for dinner?

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, despite their dark meat, silkies are considered a gourmet cuisine in several Asian countries.

The Silkies that don't make it into the oven are often kept as pets. Silkies are known for their friendly and mild-mannered temperaments (plus, imagine how much fun it would be to pet them!).

Why Are Chicks An Easter Symbol?

Eggs, and thereby chicks, have been a symbol of Spring for thousands of years. The egg represents fertility, the chick represents new life. Christians adopted the egg into their Easter celebrations, using it to symbolize the rebirth one can find in Christ.

For a while, papal edicts banned the eating of eggs during the 40-day period of Lent that leads up to Easter. Of course no one told the hens, so there were plenty of eggs to use when the Lenten fast was over. Hard-boiling the eggs helped them last longer. How people came to color eggs is not known, but the tradition is very old. Ukrainians use a form of batiking called Pysanka to produce the colorful, intricate designs found on their Easter eggs.

Picture of Pysanka Eggs supplied by Luba Petrusha