[Northkeep] More About Chickens

[Anawyn at aol.com]

Hm-m, ya just have to wonder...did they count their chickens before they  
hatched?...;->
 
 
In a message dated 3/21/2011 11:25:43 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
kiamichikate at gmail.com writes:

It was  really interesting to find this article about Chicken Husbandry in
the  Middle Ages, following our conversation about the  fowl.

http://www.mnhn.fr/museum/front/medias/publication/23772_35_56_HD_N.pdf

For  those who are not inclined to read a 22 page scholarly article about  
the
intricacies of raising poultry on a demense in England, let me  summarize:

Before the Black Death swept through Britain in the 14th  century, most
poultry was raised on the manor.  Chickens comprised  about half of the 
avian
stock (the rest were geese, ducks, pigeons,  etc.).  Most manors maintained
between 5 and 15 chickens, with some  stocks as large as 100 chickens.
Records indicate that the average hen  produced around 50 eggs per year, but
most scholars think this is a low  number, even with the cold winters,
moulting season, and, of course, the  breeding season.  After the plague
wiped out 40% of the human  population, the chickens went to the
peasants, while geese, peacocks and  other less egg-productive birds 
remained
with the noble and upper  gentry.  Most likely a status thing.

Franziska

--  
Remember this: that there is a proper dignity and proportion to be  observed
in the performance of every act of life.  --Marcus  Aurelius
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