I just finished reading “Big Chicken” by Maryn McKenna which I would consider required reading for everyone regardless of whether or not you enjoy eating the flesh of said creature. This well-researched book outlines the progression of the scrawny bird, from the back yard egg layer -- who made it to the table only after its productive days were over -- to the mammoth industry of today. The book takes you back to the beginnings of “the big chicken” and shows you how good intentions and some clever thinkers world-wide turned this fowl into a one size fits all commodity, carrying illness to the unsuspecting consumer and to those working within the industry
McKenna outlines how the chicken industry skyrocketed due to the life-saving discovery of penicillin in the 1940s and the early research being done regarding antibiotics. In the last seventy years, through the use of antibiotics, a chicken’s weight has doubled and has achieved that weight in half the time. Sounds like a good thing, right? Well, sorta. Doctor Frankenstein considered himself to be a humanitarian, initially – until his experiment got away from him.
Interwoven within the historical background are interviews with commercial farmers, chefs, and activists who are today, working hard to make things right. This is an international story and many countries faced with disease issues took steps early on to make chicken and all meat products safer. Other countries saw the problem but the industry was tied too tightly to politics and money. “Big Chicken” is straightforward in explaining how political inaction and greed helped to make us sick.
Before you push that chicken nugget off your plate I want to assure you that things are getting better for the chickens and those of us who eat them. Many restaurants, including fast food eateries, insist on obtaining chickens that have not been raised on antibiotics, which in turn, trickles down to the growers and down to the hatcheries and then down to the breeders. Some of these folks went willingly, some not. I found my copy of “Big Chicken” at my local library; you might want to check out a copy at yours.
While on the subject of chickens, we are close to closing out “Survive Live Well and Wisely” number 5 and one of the articles regards the validity of raising your own chickens. Some of the other topics we cover include land navigation, self-defense techniques, and a look at some of the pros and cons of marijuana use. If you’ve missed the first four books, you can find them on Kindle for only $2.95 each. I’ll let you know when number 5 is available.
Survivalist 36 – “Operation Phoenix” will be available July 2. A lot of despair, deception, and death. A whole lot of down and dirty mayhem! When the Rourkes get angry you had better watch out! Here’s a look at the first draft of the cover.
Camp Zero #2 – “Icefall” is in the works and looks to be a pretty chilling adventure. Look for the return of the Starlings and their new agent who seeks revenge for his former kidnapping caper gone bad. This time his desire is to capture the Rourke kids and do evil things to them. Did I tell you about the mutant walrus creatures and the Aryan Grail???
Sharon