Challenging Big Chicken

Challenging Big Chicken

Darn. I missed the official celebration in September — bet you did too. But even if we’re a little late, we still have time to mark National Chicken Month. Websites are giving us myriad ways to observe the bird. Eat more chicken! Do the chicken dance! Read...
Faster Chicken Processing, More Injured Workers

Faster Chicken Processing, More Injured Workers

Oscar was good at his job. He folded chicken wings at an Alabama poultry plant. As bird carcasses zipped by on the processing line, he twisted the wings into position, folding fast enough to meet a quota of about 40 chicken wings per minute — roughly 18,000 wings per...
Why I’m a Chick with Chicks

Why I’m a Chick with Chicks

In the span of a few years, I’ve gone from weird to trendy. Why? I keep chickens — in San Diego. Here’s one sign of how times have changed. In 2009, the local newspaper’s editorial page excoriated me for trying to change local laws to allow chickens....
Why the Chicken Crossed the Road

Why the Chicken Crossed the Road

Thanks to the industrializers of American agriculture, we finally know why the chicken crossed the road: to run away from the factory farm. These livestock and poultry factories are encased in thousands of sprawling, low-slung, metal buildings that now litter much of...
The Best Little Chicken Sanctuary in Texas

The Best Little Chicken Sanctuary in Texas

Some people complain that their town has gone to the dogs. Bastrop, Texas has gone to the chickens — and Bastropians are proud of it. Well, most Bastropians. While other cities might boast of their historic sites or cultural offerings, the good folks of this...