Raising Poultry for Your Protein Needs

OK, so I can assume you know a little bit about the Paleo Diet after reading the blog I made available.
You haven't read it yet? That's fine, I'm a patient guy. Here it is again: fitbomb.com

Now that we are on the same page, lets get started.

Protein from Poultry

thechickencenter.com

We have all (or at least most of us) eaten chicken at some point in our life. Chicken is a great protein cause it is not only very inexpensive, it is also very high in protein and at the same time very low in fat. Chicken can be served in many different ways.

On a salad

paleodietlifestyle.com/waldorf-salad

Or with a side dish

primal-palate.com

Chicken is very diverse making it a popular choice among Crossfit athletes and anyone looking to lose fat and gain muscle.

Eggs!

thechickencenter.com

I love eggs almost as much as I love eating chicken. Just another reason to make us all love this animal that much more. Eggs are an excellent source of protein. Egg whites contain the highest percentage of protein to fat ratio of any food you can consume. The yolk on the other hand is said to be not so much good in high amounts. However this is very controversial. I myself believe the yolk contains many beneficial nutrients. Take a look at some of the evidence: cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk

Eggs can be served in many different ways as well. Scrambled, poached, hard-boiled. I wont show pictures as I am confident you know what an egg looks like when it is cooked.

OK, one picture. My favorite:

Deviled Eggs

primal-palate.com/deviled-eggs

So we have taken a quick look at the benefits chickens have towards the Paleo Diet. High in protein and inexpensive. Before you go run out your door to the local grocery store (preferably a food co-op), lets start discussing the ease of raising chickens.

Raising chickens can be quite a delightful venture indeed. They require very little day-to-day care. As long as they have water and food they are pretty much fine.

Step 1: A house for your chickens.

My chicken pen

This is a great book full of easy to build chicken coups.

Ideal if you do not have much space to work with.

I could go into great detail on how to build a chicken pen and all the finer points surrounding it.

Or you can just click this link: easychickenpenplans.blogspot.com

Raising chickens is a fun experience and very fulfilling. All you have to do is keep them happy with some organic grains, grass and water and they will keep you supplied with fresh eggs daily and when the time is right you will have a homegrown organic chicken on your grill. Or however you like your chicken cooked.

Need to learn how to butcher a chicken?

Here is a good blog on it: butcherachicken.blogspot.com/getting-ready-to-butcher

I'm sure I missed some of the finer points along the way. Hopefully i have encouraged you enough to start your own small scale chicken farm. It is tons of fun and much more than a hobby. It's a lifestyle and one that you will benefit from in many different ways. Good luck!

Bio

 

 

In my first post I would like to give credit to this specific blog: What Is The Paleo Diet?

TONS of great information. To be quite honest, I am gonna have to finish reading it tomorrow while my brain finishes processing "part I".

 

 

 

Now to get to focusing on my own blog 'Pacific Northwest Paleo'. Well the name speaks for itselft but if you are unsure as to what it means i'll clarify a bit.

I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest (Western Washington State, United States), Skagit Valley to be exact. It is home to me and I am thankful for it. Green grass, beautiful veiws, tall trees, tons of wildlife, etc... I honestly don't think it could get much better (Hawaii may be the exception). I have driven across the country a couple times to and from Ohio, crossing over the Rocky Mountains in Montana, across the midwest plains, and thru the Great Basin of Wyoming. And everything I have seen does not compare to the beauty of Western Washington. If you haven't noticed by now I specify 'Western Washington' for a good reason. Eastern Washington is in fact a dry desert like enviroment much like the upper midwest. Yes, Washington is not all trees and rain, we have different eco-systems here. Actually we have quite a variety of eco-systems which makes this so much more of a unique place to live. Ok ok, i've kinda got off track a bit. Lets get down to what this all about. Paleo!! Well... Pacific Northwest Paleo to be exact.

 

 

For sake of significant repeating, I will from now on refer to Pacific Northwest as (PNW).

As a long time resident of the PNW, 23 years to be exact, I have been blessed with the knowledge of the land. Growing up on 5 acres of forested land in an 'off the grid' type of living situation has really been a huge benefit to me. My recent transistion from typical american glutteny to a strong paleo lifestyle is of great pride to me. Now let me clarify that I have really never been overweight, obese or had significant health prolblems. That issue was solved with just being flat poor. Can't really eat what you wan't when ya can't afford it. However, I have eaten my fair share of McDonalds and drank enough soda to last me a lifetime. With that said, I made the switch to paleo when I was about 21 years old. But I wouldn't say my story starts there.

As a young adult I was very active in sports. Wrestling, Football, Swimming and most recently Crossfit. I quit consuming sugary drinks when I was about 18 years old and quit consuming dairy when I was about 20 years old. BEST decisions of my life! This made it alot easier to switch to the Paleo Diet as those two ingediets are very much frowned upon. I can tell you this, I am a much stronger and faster athlete now than i ever was when i was 14, 16 or 18. I feel healthier in every aspect of my life.

Now you may be wondering how the paleo aspect mixes in with the PNW aspect of things. Well, as a fairly strict paleo-tarian (yeah i think i just made that up), the overall natural abundance in the PNW has made keeping myself on track that much easier for me. I can tell you this in confidence as I am currently writing this post from Cincinnati, Ohio where finding quality foods is basically impossible! Only visiting family, just fyi.

In this blog, I will be sharing with you all my ventures as a farmer and how paleo has and will result in sustainable lifestyle that I believe will stand the test of time in this ever changing society.