1830-1849 Chickens coming to the New World
“Ship ahoy!” “Cock-a doo-da-doo!”
Picture the sailors ready for voyage to the New World, excited at the prospects of reaching a land of new adventures. In the background of the ship’s passengers were various farm animals, important for the voyage. These exported animals were also an important factor for a successful colony in the new land.
It is believed that Christopher Columbus’ ships brought the first chickens to the New World on his second voyage here. Would you suppose eggs were on his breakfast menu many mornings on that voyage? It’s very possible they were, provided the chickens were kept healthy with proper feed and sunlight.
After Columbus’ introduction of chickens in America, many of the ships coming to America during the 18th and 19th centuries brought additional poultry to these shores. These chickens were likely the lesser choice of the flocks taken abroad from Europe to feed the crew and passengers aboard the ships. The extras were frequently sold or exchanged for other goods in the ports of destination.
Years passed and the early settlers established their small homestead flocks. As ships continued bearing food and supplies to America, they continued to bring more hens and roosters. These new chickens were intermingled with the offspring of the few chickens brought over by the earlier colonizers.
In these early days there were no large poultry houses, packed with layers. There were no automatic feeders, just the young hands on the farm that threw the extra table scraps or grains out in the barnyard for the hens to peck on. Otherwise these hens ate the bugs, worms, seeds and other delectable fare they found around the yard by the house or in the stables and barnyard.
When the hens hid their nests successfully, they would likely hatch a brood of healthy little chicks. These chicks would need to cooperate with their mother to be spared from the teeth of the many prowling predators of the woods surrounding the cabin-home and stock shelters.
Likely the early settlers at times traded eggs with the Native Americans for salt or other goods needed from their woodland friends. Eggs like other meat proteins were a valuable source of food, sustaining the hard-working developers of America. Hearty meals were necessary for those farmers to be able to meet the challenges of the everyday workloads. Eggs provided an excellent source to fill that need.
We will look at more developments of the egg industry in future newsletters. How thankful we should be for the first chickens that were introduced to the American soils. We have enjoyed many blessings from the men who labored to establish a land of freedom for future generations who endeavored to work with their hands to provide sustenance for their families and for those around them in need.
Nature’s Yoke eggs are a product of those early endeavors. We are interested in continuing the labors of working to provide for the good of others: the small-scale farmers, feeding the hens and gathering the eggs; the labors in the egg packing facility, working to ensure cleanliness and care to the eggs; the delivery men, carrying this fragile cargo to the stores; the local store owners, who honestly want to meet the requests of their customers; and finally, the house keeper who desires to feed her family well with healthy meals prepared from fresh, sustainable foods.
Thank you for choosing Nature’s Yoke products. We intend to maintain a product line that you can depend on, fresh from small farms, with values like the early homesteaders of American colonial times.