New Market Products, Farm Tour/Dinner and More

Happenings from Mint Creek Farm
Here is a 2-part story told with two different writing techniques by two different storytellers.

The Chick

As an icon of the will to live
The chick stands supreme
Most eggs get harvested and not incubated
The chick incubated itself

21 days of remaining warm
Evading the grim reaper
Life desiring to be lived
a passion of purpose unrelenting

Most of us would be fried
Over easy or scrambled
The chick dodged these fates
Assembling unbending intent

Lying hidden out of reach but later found
The Chick hatched itself hidden in a box
Then peeping vigorously
For hours till a inquisitive aid rescued it

Well now we had one newborn chick
What do you do with that
Raya could not let it die
She took it home and babied it for weeks

Evading the fate of five cats
Living alone in a room all its own
Then we moved it to Julie's brooder
To live with the freedom rangers

I heard about the chick found and rescued from the egg washing area. It truly is amazing considering how difficult it can be to hatch out chicks. They make all sorts of contraptions to simulate a setting hen who turns the eggs regularly and keeps them at the right temperature. These are still not always successful so the fact that this chick hatched on its own is quite remarkable. I can see why Raya wanted to help this one along on its journey.
Chickens are happiest in a flock and being a lone chicken can be pretty stressful but what about a chick that for weeks has only known a singular life inside the house? Would the need to be with its own species be greater than what it had come to know as normal?
The problem with chickens is they can be very unwelcoming to newcomers, especially as adults, so putting it in with mature hens would certainly lead to its death. Even putting it with young chickens that are not of an even size can be difficult.
I offered to take The Chick and introduced it to the young group in the brooder. It sticks out like a sore thumb with its longer legs, longer neck, and grey feathers. It seemed a little freaked out the first night.
The next day The Chick was pecking and chasing away any chick that came near it. Not a good sign. Stress is not good for growing chicks. I was thinking it would have to go outside to be with the next older group and take its lumps.

When it didn't warm up later in the day I went in to put the heat lamps back on the chicks. What did I find but The Chick right in the middle of a group of chicks all huddled up to keep warm. One of the freedom rangers even had its head resting on The Chick's back. While I try to avoid getting inside the head of a chicken, I have to say it had a look on its face like 'I'm not sure what this is about but it sure beats being cold.' Now it just goes around like all the other chicks and is learning acceptable chick behavior.

Harry & Julie

Mint Creek Farm Chicken is now available at the Farmer's Markets

We have recently added two varieties of broiler chickens and also stewing chickens to our list of products. Each of them is a little different in flavor but will equally tantalize your foodie palate.

Freedom Rangers are derived from the American and European old heritage breed of chicken and was developed in the early 1960's to meet the highest standards of the French Label Rouge Free Range program. They take 60% longer to reach maturity so they have a deeper, more succulent flavor than the typical chicken while maintaining their meaty conformation.
Cuckoo Marans are a heritage dual-purpose breed which means the hens are kept for egg production and the males are raised for meat. They take even longer than the freedom rangers to mature so they have that excellent old fashioned chicken flavor but may not have the meat to bone ratio of the strictly meat breeds.
Stewing chickens are older hens that have a super intense flavor great for stocks and soups but the meat is less tender and there is less of it.

Mint Creek Farm's broiler chickens are introduced to pasture at 3 weeks of age with full access to grasses and insects from sun-up to sun-down. Only certified organic, non-soy feed is given to ensure their nutritional requirements. Their little houses are moved daily providing shade and protection from rain and predators.

Let us know what you think!

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Find Mint Creek Farm at the Farmer's Markets

Click here to find one near you.

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Interns Needed

Mint Creek Farm is looking for interns for the fall/winter season. If you or someone you know is interested in learning how healthy, great tasting meat is produced give Julie a call at 708-828-4325. This is a learning experience through hands-on, day-to-day work and fun. Experience not needed but a willingness to get the job done is.

Mint Creek Farm

1693 E. 3800 N. Road

Stelle, Illinois 60919

815-256-2202
www.mintcreekfarm.com
Mint Creek Farm Blog
hcarr@mintcreekfarm.com

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Goats Goating

Farm Tour, Dinner & More
Saturday, Oct. 8

We are now offering an option for round-trip transportation from Chicago.

Click here for more info!

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The Day I Became a Chicken

By Harry Carr

As farmers we do tend to take on the qualities of the animals we care for

Sometimes this is not our choosing

I found myself pecking at every little detail in my life

It was not enough to walk I had to scratch my feet across the ground

Every time something new came at me I ran for it

Shall we say my beak fell into it

It became attractive to roll around in the dirt

My arms moved more frequently at my sides

My voice slurred and I found myself stuttering

Faster and faster my thoughts came to me

Bugs became very attractive and I would hunt for them

I found myself chewing on gravel

The sun controlled my biorhythms

I started waking up earlier

I realized I was turning into a Chicken

Like a good idea an egg welled up inside me

Not a conscious thing formed by my intention

But the biology of oviparity transformed me

Now on the nest waiting for the ultimate sensation

A hormonal cocktail of oxytocin and dopamine

Engulfed me .....then Voila the egg was laid

Letting out an uncontrolled Cackle

A firm warm egg lay under me

I just wanted to lazily set there my progeny below

Tis nice to have a house to hide from the storm

Just two roosters to run from and free food and water

This Chicken life was not so bad

I spent most of my time in the grass liking to look for bugs

That wore out my need to peck, so by the time I got back to the nest

All I wanted to do was doze with one eye closed

Dreaming of a smooth new egg for the morning.

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Reasons to join

Mint Creek Farm's CSA:

Excellent Value
10% off other purchases
Wide variety of cuts
No repetition of cuts over 3 months
Special requests are fine
Can sign-up at any time
Pick-up at farmers market of choice
Email reminders before pick-up date

Click here for more

CSA info.

Chicago Home Grown Cookbook

Check out Mint Creek Farm in
The Chicago Homegrown Cookbook
by Heather Lalley

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