[FLXPERMACULTURE.NET] Advert: Sustainable Chicken Project

[Thomas Shelley]

Dear Friends.  Some of you have heard  by now of 
the Steep Hollow Farm Sustainable Chicken 
Project.  We are looking for 40 subscribers 
living in downtown Ithaca* to provide food scraps 
for our compost system.  Many downtown residents 
may not have the inclination, time, permission 
from their landlords, or the space to 
compost.  We'd like to collect your food scraps, 
compost them at our farm, and allow our 95 laying 
hens (and a few roosters) to forage on the 
insects and other decomposing organisms living in 
the active compost.  The compost critters will 
become a significant component of the protein 
requirement of our flock, reducing our reliance 
on traditional grains as a protein 
source.  Instead of going to the landfill, as is 
currently the case, the composted food scraps 
from urban residents would become part of our 
chicken's nutrient base and the urban 
participants would have access to high quality, 
sustainable and locally raised eggs, establishing 
an urban-rural nutrient cycle.   We hope this 
will become a demonstration project to illustrate 
one way in which local agriculture can become 
less dependent upon fossil fuels, reduce its 
greenhouse gas output and become more sustainable overall.

We are asking for a $35 per year subscription fee 
from each participating household to cover our 
associated costs.  This fee could be less per 
unit for multiple units in one building.  (The 
average participating household could easily see 
more than a $35 per year drop in the cost of City 
of Ithaca trash tags.)  Ideally, we need 40 
subscribers to optimize our production.  *We are 
a small scale project and we are now only taking 
memberships from the downtown Ithaca area as it 
is unsustainable for us to collect food scraps 
from outlying areas at this time.  If you are 
interested or would like more information, please 
contact me by e-mail or at 342-0864.  Tom Shelley 
and Christianne White from Steep Hollow Farm.

******************************************************************************************
Steep Hollow Farm, Ithaca, New York

Sustainable Chicken Project

Do you eat eggs?

Do you cook at home?

Do you wish you could turn your food scraps into 
productive compost but don’t have the space, 
permission, or inclination to make a compost pile in your urban neighborhood?

Do you live in Ithaca, on “the flats”? Southside, 
Northside, Fall Creek, Downtown areas?

Your food scraps could turn into eggs….

How does this happen?

Steep Hollow Farm is raising “sustainable” 
chickens for egg production. We are doing this by 
trying to reduce fossil fuel consumption and 
greenhouse gas emissions to the extent possible. 
Reduction in the use of commercial grain crops is 
one way to accomplish these goals. One technique 
that has been proven to work as a way to reduce 
traditional grain inputs is to generate compost 
from household food scraps and use the “critters” 
in the active compost­insects, worms and other 
decomposing organisms­as chicken feed.

How can you participate?
   * Donate your table scraps. We will provide 
you with a five-gallon container with a lid for 
storage of your food scraps and provide 
instructions for preparing your food scraps.
   * We’ll pick up your container and supply you with a clean container.
   * As the hens start laying in July and August 
you’ll get some eggs back as a thank-you, and be 
able to purchase additional eggs, at a reasonable 
price, which could be delivered when we pick up your compost.
We need a name for our project!

All of those persons or households who contribute 
food scraps to our compost system are eligible to 
provide an entry to name the “sustainable chicken 
project.” The winner will receive a dozen eggs.

For more information contact Tom Shelley at 
<mailto:t...@cornell.edu>t...@cornell.edu<mailto:t...@cornell.edu> 
<mailto:t...@cornell.edu>or 342-0864.
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