Years of very precise breeding means that modern poultry grow to massive sizes very quickly — sometimes in a matter of weeks. While this results in more meat in less time, it’s also causing a problem: Some birds are so top-heavy that they may not be all that interested in breeding, and there’s now an older breeding population of roosters and hens that are less likely to produce viable eggs. [More]
birds
Tesco Abandons Plan To Have Sniper Shoot Protected Bird Living In A Store
By 9.12.14
It’s hard out there for a pied wagtail. First of all, your species is in decline. Second, it’s hard enough to get a nice place to live, without meddlesome humans coming in and trying to shoot you out of your home. Good news for one particular pied wagtail living in a Tesco store in England, then, that supermarket officials have decided not to bring in a hired sniper to shoot it with an air rifle. [More]
IKEA Workers Tried To Get Birds Drunk So They’d Stop Flying Around Store
By 7.25.14
Calling all avians with a thirst for the hard stuff — workers at an IKEA store in Florida are handing out rum to birds for free. Not because IKEA decided to open a bar for our feathered friends, but to try and get a couple bothersome birds drunk enough on rum that they’d slow down and be easier to catch. [More]
Man Accused Of Stealing Bird Costume, Wearing It To Bar’s “Wing Night”
By 6.27.14
It was “Wing Night” at a bar in Kansas City last night, but we’re pretty sure that doesn’t mean that wings were mandatory. That’s what we would have assumed, anyway, but one bar patron acquired a bird costume before stopping in. Because…well, it’s not all that clear why. What is clear is that he didn’t have permission to borrow the feathered hat and cape. [More]
Who Should Pay If A Bird Poops In Your Food?
By 12.14.11
This isn’t the most seasonally appropriate question to ask, at least here in the Northeastern U.S. And in the Northern Hemisphere. Perhaps it’s important (yet disgusting) enough that we can argue about it until springtime.
Simply put: if a bird relieves itself in your food while you’re dining outside, should the restaurant comp your meal?
Ward Off Squirrel Raids On Your Bird Feeders With A Slinky
By 1.24.11
A classic children’s toy can be a fun way to keep squirrels from gorging themselves on your bird feeders. If your feeder is on a pole, attach the end of a slinky to the top and let the rest fall down the pole. One guy who tried it out says that since then, “the squirrels will try to jump onto the pole, grab the Slinky and promptly find themselves dumped to the ground.” [More]
Government Wipes Out Geese Population In Brooklyn To Ensure Airplane Safety
By 7.13.10
In what has come to be known as “Sully’s Revenge” (by me, just now), wildlife biologists herded about 400 geese from Brooklyn’s ginormous Prospect Park into cages last week, then “took them to a nearby building where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide.” [More]
Excreted Tamiflu Found In Rivers; Flu-Resistant Superbirds Coming Soon
By 10.2.09
You know all that delicious Tamiflu we humans have been taking in order to reduce our suffering as various strains of regular, swine, and bird flu fly around the globe? Yeah, um, turns out that it doesn’t break down in our bodies and can’t be removed by water treatment plants. The combination of Tamiflu-polluted waters and wild birds may result in resistant strains of avian flu.
Should You Keep Your Own Chickens?
By 8.6.09
We’re gonna say “nope.” But since we’re all here, let’s look at the recent New York Times article over the subject and consider whether the current “chicken boomlet” is right for you.
EPA Moves To Ban Potentially Dangerous Pesticide From Domestic And Imported Food
By 7.25.08
The EPA has announced that it intends to ban a pesticide, carbofuran, from both domestic and imported food because of the danger it poses to “general population” particularly small children. The pesticide isn’t commonly used in the United States but is popular in developing nations and is sprayed on “crops including rice, bananas, coffee and sugar cane,” according to the Washington Post.
Birds Live In Virginia Safeway Store
By 2.12.08
Jose writes, I thought that the long lines and the produce always being out of stock was bad enough, but then I noticed the small family of birds living at my local Safeway (Nutley St, Fairfax, VA).
