So why did the chicken cross the road? Well because it’s National Poultry Day! On National Poultry Day, we recognize the hard work of poultry farmers, the produce they raised and the agriculture industry as a whole.
Poultry refers to domestic birds raised for the production of meat and eggs and can include feathers. These birds include chicken, turkey, ducks, geese, quail, and pheasant. Poultry is farmed in large numbers with chickens being the most numerous.
Without these poultries, all our celebrations from Thanksgiving to Christmas and other celebrations, would not be so egg-cellent without an im-peck-able feast.
On March 19th, we acknowledge poultry not just for their culinary value, but for their other lesser-known contribution to mankind as pets. Chickens make wonderful pets - whether common laying hens or exotic heritage breeds. Chickens also make good mousers, some say better than cats, and will keep your vegetable garden fertilized and insect-free.
If you are scrambling to celebrate National Poultry Day, just wing it!
- Enjoy your favourite poultry dish
- Try a bird of a different feather
- Visit a local and/or family farm and purchase farm-fresh eggs
- Order chicken, duck, or turkey off the menu at a restaurant
- Test out a new poultry recipe
- Read Small Farm Canada’s Jan/Feb Magazine issue
- Use #NationalPoultryDay to post on social media
- Watch a chick flick 😉
Fun Facts about Poultry
- As of 2019, Canadian poultry farmers produced a record of 493.5 million kilograms. Ontario and Quebec accounted for over half the chicken produced in Canada.
- There are more than 25 billion chickens in the world meaning they outnumber humans 3-to-1.
- Chickens can remember over 100 different faces of people or animals.
- There is a rare breed of chicken from Indonesia, called Ayam Cemani, that is completely black including the feathers, beak, and organs, due to hyperpigmentation. They can be sold for $2,500.
- Fresh eggs will sink in water, whereas eggs no longer fresh to eat will float.
- Brown and white eggs differ depending on the breed of the hen, specifically the chicken’s earlobes! Generally, chickens with red earlobes lay brown eggs, and chickens with white earlobes lay white eggs.
- Aside from the famous Canadian rapper, a mature adult male duck of any duck species (wild or domestic) is called Drake.
Are you interested in finding chicks in each province? See a list of Canada’s hatcheries here.