Food for Thought (3/29/16)

Happy Easter!

Although, Easter brunch is over you can still purchase eggs for $3/dozen in the office! We are starting weekly egg sales every Tuesday and Thursday during office hours, usually 8:30-1:45 PM.

According to the Green American, “By getting eggs from your own chickens, you avoid supporting industrial farms that produce the majority of eggs sold in the US. Egg-producing hens on factory farms are often kept in such close, inhumane quarters that they cannot stretch their legs or wings, walk around, or participate in normal social behaviors.” I’m sure by now most people have heard the factory farm horror stories, if not from a PETA campaign than from your pushy vegan friend who only eats organic. Although those are two sources that can sometimes be over the top, what they are saying has value. It is true that factory farms are not fun places to be for the animals or the workers. Cramped living quarters and poor feed choices negatively affect the health of the chickens. If you want to eat eggs from healthy chickens and get as many nutrients as possible, then you want eggs from organic, free-range, or backyard chickens.

Messiah has had our own chickens for 4+ years. We have 3 chickens in the Grantham Community Garden and 16 chickens down at the garden expansion, right across the railroad tracks. You’ve probably heard our community garden chickens clucking away when the weather is nice. We think they make a great addition to our campus! Check out the chickens and try their eggs, but be sure not to feed them (we feed them well, don’t worry)!

Food for thought… Do a taste comparison! Try a homegrown egg and an egg from the grocery store, see which you like better!

Eggs from the chickens! Photo taken from the Grantham Community Garden album.

Eggs from the chickens!
Photo taken from the Grantham Community Garden album.

Sources:

Tarver-Wahlquist, Sarah. “Green American: The Many Benefits of Backyard Chickens.” Green America. Green Business Network, July 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

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