Latest news with #chickens
Washington Post
17 hours ago
- General
- Washington Post
Asking Eric: Neighbor's new rooster disturbs retirees' peace
Dear Eric: One of our neighbors has acquired backyard chickens and a rooster. His chicken coop is not far from our bedroom window. Now that it's getting warmer, we like to sleep with the windows open to cool off the house at night. The rooster wakes up at 5:20 a.m., so now we do as well.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Little House on the Prairie' Star Melissa Gilbert Suffers Heartbreaking Family Loss
'Little House on the Prairie' Star Melissa Gilbert Suffers Heartbreaking Family Loss originally appeared on Parade. Little House on the Prairie star recently suffered a heartbreaking family loss, the former child star revealed on social media. On Saturday, June 7 the actress, 61, took to Instagram with a sad update for her followers. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 "Terrible, sad day today," Gilbert wrote in her post. "A raccoon broke into our coop and killed our three chickens. Didn't even eat them. Just killed them and left." She added, "We feel awfully sad. Rest in Peace Betty-Jean, Coco and Peep. We really loved you," also including emojis of a chicken and a broken heart. In the comments, Gilbert's fans shared their condolences for her loss. One Instagram user wrote, "That's so sad. I am sorry. I'm sure the time they had with you was wonderful. ❤️." Another shared, "Oh my just horrible and I'm so sorry. One of my chickens died last week. We don't know what happened but it was devastating." Young and the Restless star Tracey Bregman echoed, "Oh no! I'm so so sorry 💔." Meanwhile, yet another follower commented, "Ugh! I don't think there is anything more heartbreaking than losing an animal." Although Gilbert didn't share photos of her beloved chickens when they were alive in the post, she has previously shared about her flock. In 2022, the actress posted an Instagram snap of her husband, Timothy Busfield, with four baby chicks on his chest, writing, "This is my Valentine. He's a real chick magnet." Next: 'Little House on the Prairie' Star Melissa Gilbert Suffers Heartbreaking Family Loss first appeared on Parade on Jun 7, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
27,000 chickens killed in British Columbia fire that destroyed two barns
TOWNSHIP OF LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA — A fire at a farm in the Township of Langley, B.C., has destroyed two large barns, killing thousands of chickens. Deputy Fire Chief Cory Parker with the Township of Langley Fire Department says crews were called around 2 a.m. on Sunday and when they arrived the fire was already growing rapidly. He says the two barns that burned were each about 365 metres long and an estimated 27,000 chickens were killed. Firefighters were able to save a third barn on the property. Parker says 10 trucks and 30 firefighters were required and the fire was brought under control in about five hours, though crews continued to extinguish hot spots throughout the day. The cause of the fire has not been determined. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025. The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Victorian poultry farmer recovering from 'devastating' bird flu outbreak
A Victorian farmer who had to kill more 500,000 chickens to control an outbreak of bird flu has detailed the financial and emotional cost of the "devastating" ordeal. Phillip Szepe and his wife, Jane Szepe, own Kinross Farms near Euroa in the state's north, where bird flu was detected on four separate free-range egg farms. The outbreak began in Febuary and was contained earlier this month. Mr Szepe said the loss of his chickens and the massive clean-up operation took an emotional and financial toll on his family and business. "It's been very emotional — our team were devastated and to see that loss of birds euthanased on such a scale is completely gut-wrenching and very traumatic," he said. "We took all possible precautions in terms of managing the welfare and biosecurity of our birds at all times … but it's been pretty tumultuous. Mr Szepe said the quarantine process was "like a scene out of CSI". "People were in full biohazard suits, washing down areas, which was pretty intimidating, but that's what's necessary to managing the response and ensure we contained the virus to that area," he said. When the business returns to full production by mid-September it will supply 1.2 million eggs per day to supermarkets. "Retail shelves are now a lot fuller than what they have been, reflecting the recovery process with some of the farms affected by the prior outbreak just coming back to full production," Mr Szepe said. Kinross Farms was in the process of being purchased by New South Wales-based egg producer Pace Farm at the time of the outbreak. The sale is expected to be finalised within weeks. "Pace Farms supported us getting back into production as soon as possible with replacement birds they had available and they'd had similar experiences in the past, so they knew what was involved and there's no one to blame for what eventuated," Mr Szepe said. Multiple variants of avian influenza are present in Australia's wild bird population and can spread into commercial poultry farms directly from chickens being exposed to wildlife or from poor biosecurity practices such as dirty footwear. Australia is the only continent that has not been hit with the H5N1 subtype of the disease, which is spreading among multiple animals internationally. Mr Szepe is acutely aware of the threat the strain poses. "All you need is wild ducks or waterfowl to frequent the ranging area and you've got the potential for transmission … we believe that's what happened, despite our best endeavours and leading edge technology," he said. "We also have artificial intelligence lasers that detect ducks and then frighten them away with a high-resolution light. "Any person who enters our farms has to go through a shower facility, leave street clothes outside and put on our uniforms and, if you have personal items such as a phone or glasses, they have to be UV sanitised."
CBS News
25-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Sustainable hen tractor prototype clears orchard debris, produces eggs on Linden farm
Nearly 145 hens in the middle of a walnut orchard is not something you see every day, but the brood of hardworking ladies has a big job at Chinchiolo Farms in Linden. "We've developed a chicken tractor," Walnut Farmer James Chinchiolo explained. "We've placed it in our walnut orchard to create a cycling. We're able to utilize some of the material on the ground for the chickens to forage through." This portable hen cage is a prototype. Inside, they roam free, eat all the weeds and extra plants every single day to help maintain the rows of walnut trees, and then when nothing but dirt remains, the all-electric cage is moved to the next plot. "It's fully self-sustained," Chinchiolo continued. "There's water that travels with this chicken tractor. There's predator protection around the perimeter of it as well to keep any issues associated with coyotes or raccoons or things like that out. It's an opportunity also to lessen the feed." The chickens get fed, what they leave behind brings essential nutrients to the soil, and then they produce a farm-fresh product. "On average, we're producing about nine dozen a day," Chinchiolo said. Then, those eggs can be delivered directly to customers. "There's something just, I think, special about having a direct connection with the farmer," he shared. So not only do the farmers get extra help in the orchard, they get a delicious product too. "I thought, 'Gosh, you know, to buy traditional eggs just was not in alignment with what I wanted,'" Chinchiolo explained. "A business recommendation is to scratch my own itch first, and that's what I'm doing. My wife and I, we enjoy these on a regular basis, and yeah, it's a really cool deal." Chinchiolo Farms is planning on expanding "Blooms Orchard Laid Eggs" to reach more customers. In the meantime, they'll keep delivering fresh eggs every Wednesday right to people's front doorsteps.
