Category 7

Tabitha Bilaniwskyj-Zarins answers readers questions about all things poultry.

My frizzle Harriet was unwell (scaly leg mite) which is now under control but her ‘cheeks’ are still a little pale. Is there any particular vegie or something else I could feed her to help build her system back up again? [tashmohring]

A chicken’s omb and wattles should be bright red; if they are pale then this can be a sign of anaemia, lack of oxygen in the blood, or dehydration. The comb may also appear dull and discoloured. The comb and wattles, where the blood is cooled, are a good indication something’s wrong. Seek veterinary advice immediately if Harriet has stopped eating or drinking.

The next IPC will be held from 25 November to 2 December 2017 in India.

The Conference, on 25–26 November, will be held at Prof. Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University, Hyderabad.

The Convergence, on 27 November to 2 December, will be held at Polam Farm, Medak District.

The theme of IPC India is ‘Towards Healthy Societies’, with six strands of activity:

The next generation of Tesla’s home battery system has just become available in Australia with limited numbers available as of February 2017. It has double the storage capacity and a lower cost. The Powerwall 2.0 is a complete lithium battery storage system with its own built-in inverter and the ability to hold up to 13.5kWh of energy. Power output is 7kW peak and 5kW continuous.

It can be installed in an off-grid or grid-connected solar system and provide backup power in the case of a grid failure. You can also charge from the mains grid via lower-priced off-peak power.

You can monitor your solar electricity use from your computer or hand-held device. 10 year warranty. Priced at $8400 plus installation starting at $2100. www.tesla.com/en_AU/powerwall

In one of the worst slums in North America, Sole Food Street Farms is showing how growing food and connecting people to land and community provides a pathway to recovery – nourishing others as a way to heal our world and ourselves.

Sole Food Street Farms has been growing in Vancouver for over seven years. The project, led by the Cultivate Canada Society, is another initiative of pioneering urban agriculturalist, Michael Ableman who recently released a book about it called Street Farm: Growing Food, Jobs, and Hope on the Urban Frontier. He has also written a great 15-point urban food manifesto.

These street farms are growing vast quantities of artisanal organic food right in the middle of the city. The produce is sold at local markets, restaurants and shops. On a series of sites, they’ve transformed vacant and contaminated land to become North America’s biggest urban farm project. A key is that they are not just creating jobs and new skills, but meaning and empowerment for many people managing addition and chronic mental health problems.

We as humans have included chickens as part of household life for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of domestication is believed to date back to 5400BCE in China and evidence has been found dating back thousands of years across the world, in Iran, Pakistan, India, Africa, North and South America.

All chickens have descended from the red jungle fowl of South-East Asia and from there have been traded and transported across the globe and been embedded in civilisations throughout history.

Around 800BCE ancient Egyptians were artiõcially incubating eggs and at the same time, Romans were experimenting with dishes such as omelettes and stu§ed chickens and using farming practices to fatten birds for eating.

What has caused the humble chicken to be so ubiquitous throughout time? It hasn’t always been for their meat and eggs, chickens were often held in religious esteem where they were worshipped and often they were used as oracles and omens in times of war.