Hen Fever

[@scottgates4979]

I have a story: Near Charlottesville, VA, this guy had a tiny farm that butted right up against the city line. Just a little hobby farm with a few dozen chickens, guinea hens, some goats, etc. Well, the old gentleman died...and his unattended animals got loose and went feral. The city grew a bit, bought his land from his heirs, and expanded a bit, eventually building some affordable housing projects on part of it. And the chickens remained free in the woods behind the project. Those feral chickens lived for a few decades. Generations of them held on in the woods, fending off cats, dogs, and the occasional human. Never more than a few dozen at a time. They were rather fun to see, those scrappy, rangey, feral birds. Survivors, one and all.

[@chrisv9186]

Flocks of wild parrots are now a common sight in my neighborhood. Where did these parrots come from? Did people just set them free?

[@scottgates4979]

Brooklyn has a small flock of feral parrots that escaped from a crate at LaGuardia...they set up roost and thrived. They're tough, adaptable, and intelligent birds.

[@roverworld7218]

@Chris V - Polly want a cracker? - Nah, I'll have a Pilzer An acclimatized New York wild 🦜

[@geoffgill5334]

Lots of folks reflect on which came first the chicken or the egg, I maintain it was the rooster

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

LOL

[@YoYo-gt5iq]

It was before us all along.

[@otpyrcralphpierre1742]

The first man to eat a Chicken is thought to have said, "Hey, I like this! It tastes like Everything!"

[@evelk5233]

Takes seasoning and sauce amazingly and the skin is great when cooked right.

[@dmarcouxbeatty374]

Funny.

[@RetiredSailor60]

Good morning from Ft Worth TX. I have 5 hens; 2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Easter Eggers, and 1 unknown breed. Get fresh eggs every day.

[@elhombredeoro955]

Even in the winters?

[@RetiredSailor60]

@@elhombredeoro955 Yes, even in winter.

[@suzbone]

@@elhombredeoro955 they slow down in winter, but don't totally stop.

[@RetiredSailor60]

No slow down except when they were molting.

[@HM2SGT]

Colonel Sanders... I mean of course he has chickens at home!

[@rabbi120348]

THG is at the top of the pecking order. He never lays an egg. And he maintains his humility -- never strutting around like the cock of the walk. Wattle he come up with next?!?!?

[@bryanparkhurst17]

The history of chickens and the breeds are fascinating. Promised my daughter when she was 10 that we would get her a few...that was 14 years ago. She's flown the coop and we're still chicken farming. Loved this episode, please do more farming centric videos.

[@benjaminrees6665]

He really does early American and agricultural related topics justice, doesn't he!?! I second this

[@westrim]

I'm glad you didn't chicken out.

[@leggonarm9835]

@OneHairyGuy Chickens are a versatile sort, they can defend themselves and aren't as dumb as people think.

[@jackd.ripper7613]

There's a book, "Why Did The Chicken Cross The World?" by Andrew Lawler. Absolutely fascinating! They weren't even used as food for a couple of thousand years!

[@thomaspick4123]

My brother got his daughter a pig as a 4H Club project. It grew to 400 pounds. When the pig died, the daughter was emotionally attached to it. So, my brother buried the dead pig on their country property.

[@-jeff-]

This piece of forgotten history showed that any expensive fad is apt to go from soaring expence to mere chicken feed. In this case literally. And like most fads, was generally was for the birds.

[@jeffepstein4138]

Birds feed themselves in the wild, and handle almost any environment where food is found. Existing long before man, birds will with little doubt, outlast him on earth.

[@denniswhite166]

Very punny. :)

[@maryjeanfrazer6250]

I currently have one dozen chickens, down from over a hundred in my days of selling farm fresh eggs and meat. My favorite is a Golden Phoenix rooster named Good Lookin. He has the distinction of not becoming fox food for three full years.

[@arvisconti]

Chickens are underrated animals but some of those prices are crazy! Hen Fever indeed.

[@robertmoore1472]

In my area I'm known as the crazy bird guy. I've been raising chickens for over 10 years. Also raise different breeds of quail. By far this is my favorite episode.

[@-xirx-]

I enjoyed raising Quail, guinea fowl & doves when younger. Especially the Guinea Fowl: we named him Harold!

[@piatpotatopeon8305]

I love these "bubble" videos. I remember your tulipmania video. That was a good one too. I also was a huge fan of your chicken video. I made my whole family watch it, and that string of puns near the end is timeless.

[@sandrastreifel6452]

Yes, I had heard of tulipmania before THG, but this chicken fever shocked me!

[@ernestscribbler2294]

What a sad childhood it must have been for queen Victoria, not being allowed to play with other children. Pets are lovely, but they are no substitute for another human being.

[@jbweld6193]

Well at least she didn't have Facebook.

[@Ritabug34]

Thought about that too

[@jurgschupbach3059]

Baboons

[@glenns5627]

I dunno... the older I get and the more I know about people, the more I love my dog

[@aivehn]

Currently I have about 38 chickens of half a dozen breeds on my small hobby farm. Got my first dozen about 5 years ago, at the age of 52, and have loved having them ever since. I have no chickens that lay white eggs, multiple shades of brown dominate my egg baskets, with variety of blue and green eggs to keep it interesting. During the pandemic I have noticed that prices and availability have been affected here in Oregon. Thank you for this wonderful look at this bit of chicken history! Keep up the great work!

[@ArchFundy]

I see you have hit 1M+ well deserved subs. Congrats Lance. This has been one of my favorite chans for several years. Chicken feathers have a unique quality of not "zipping up" like flight feathers do. They are used a lot in fly tying. My nephew has a few laying hens. He has it set up so their eggs roll down a trough to where customers collect their own and box them up. It is an honor system and the ppl just leave their money in a jar. It isn't uncommon for there to be ppl waiting for more eggs to roll down the trough. Have a great 2022. Maybe you'll get another 1M subs this year.

[@thekoneill8]

Real power is when you can call your chickens by name and they come running. That’s real power.

[@jimmartin2548]

One of my hens just died yesterday and her nest mate she hatched with has been acting lil weird and stir crazy today. Love the show as always thanks for all you do

[@Munden]

As someone that has acquired "The Fancy" for chickens back in 2018, I was absolutely fascinated by this telling of history. Excellent work!

[@stuartriefe1740]

My good friend’s daughter wanted to raise chickens several years ago, and they’ve always kept about 10. The eggs accumulate far beyond the family’s needs, so I am blessed to be one of the lucky recipients of the overflow- I can’t remember the last time we’ve had “store bought” eggs! Tom’s daughter is all grown up and has a place of her own now, but the chicken keeping continues. I guess it’s a family tradition now! Great topic, THG! Happy New Year, everyone!

[@TheDirge69]

here in Australia at $6.00 a dozen you save a lot of cash!

[@mattmatthews5414]

I like that you used “ironic” rather than “predictable”. Your politeness knows no bounds.

[@-xirx-]

Chickens are such great animals to keep, even as pets. They are not a very demanding animal to keep, don't need huge space, don't cost too much to feed (They are mini composting machines: they'll take care of almost all your food waste), funny birds all with fantastic individual personalities, provide tons of tasty eggs, breeding is not too difficult. Good with children: unaggressive & pettable birds, if you clip their wing feathers they can roam freely. No need to keep birds separated, multiple varieties. Not expensive to start or to keep them: they'll give back to you years of quirky, adorable personalities, amusing memories and genuine affection when you get to know them. They are a very useful companion too, from regulary providing fresh eggs & baby chicks, to helpfully disposing of almost all your kitchen waste, turning it into compost and they are good little gardeners when set loose: they remove pests, bugs & weeds and improve the ground by scratching around breaking up the top layer of soil. Highly recommend.

[@ronroberts110]

I found a reference that the Chinese interest in ducks was encouraged by regions that were known for 20-year floods of enormous proportion. The chickens would drown, but...the ducks would float.

[@graycloud057]

Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding! Outstanding!

[@321southtube]

There are few animals that are so plentiful yet so unique and so "ugly" yet so beautiful. Thanks so much. A safe, healthy and Happy New Year to you and yours.

[@51WCDodge]

I'd say that describes Guiniea Fowl. Pug ugly, but fantastic watch animals.

[@oteliogarcia1562]

there was that Christmas season when her true love sent Queen Victoria 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree

[@alberttross175]

A story worthy of a Pullet-zer Prize.

[@suzbone]

That's a pun to crow about

[@stevedietrich8936]

Ha ha! My Scandinavian grandfather would say that was an eggcellent yoke.

[@Traderjoe]

Can you imagine an imaginary menagerie manager managing an imaginary menagerie?

[@rhondahuggins9542]

Grew up in rural Arkansas where having chickens is just a given. Thses days there are hundreds of commercial chicken farms here with Tyson being a major state business.. Was traumatized as a young child twice by roosters and watched a Hen 'assisting' a cat giving birth under a bush outside the kitchen window. This incident prompted my tiny grandmother to valiantly shoo my cousin and I with a broom! We had her outnumbered 6 to 1. We simply scattered, circled and reformed at the bush, emulating (in hindsight) a flock of domestic poultry. I am content with getting my eggs and meat from those who raise the cursed beasts. Remember that mantra..."...a chicken in every pot..."?😉 Big thanks, THG🐓

[@punditgi]

The History Guy is no chicken when it comes to telling the story of history that deserves to be remembered!

[@kevinobrien8545]

The Reverend Henry Ward Beecher called a hen a most elegant creature. The hen, pleased with that. laid an egg in his hat, and thus did the hen reward Beecher.

[@julzmgrforll7278]

Rev. Beecher was a very bad man. She should have pooped in his hat!

[@captainskippy6622]

Thank you for this video. My wife and I run a chicken farm where we have approximately 75 New Hampshire Reds which are a cousin of the Rhode Island Reds. We sell very tasty and healthy non-GMO eggs. Chickens are prone to numerous maladies and can be aggressive to each other. They are fun to raise and generally start producing eggs within 6-8 months depending on breed. One thing most people don’t know is that chickens are born with the number of eggs that They will lay for their entire life. Once that number has been laid they will not produce any more eggs and are really only good for the grill, except that my wife names them and then refuses to eat them!

[@suzbone]

The same egg limitation applies to mammals too, including humans

[@sandybarnes887]

@@suzbone that's not true

[@johnopalko5223]

We named 'em and we still ate 'em. Our first rooster was named Stew and his son was Dumpling.

[@lizj5740]

@@johnopalko5223 My dairy-farmer friend used to raise a Freisian steer or two to eating size. Names? Roast 1, Roast 2, etc.

[@questfortruth665]

One thing I love about chickens is that they eat anything that moves. They'll eat centipedes, scorpions, poisonous spiders, snakes, you name it! I lived in Costa Rica for a few years and kept some chickens just for that purpose! If you hate bugs, don't go to tropical countries.

[@rinardman]

This just goes to show that a good THG video about chickens isn't as rare as hen's teeth! 🐔 😊

[@EGRJ]

But how can he involve pirates?

[@rinardman]

@@EGRJ I dunno, but the long history of pirates, and the long history of chickens has to overlap at some point. I'm sure THG can find it. 🤔

[@patpierce4854]

@@EGRJ 😆😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@christian-michaelhansen471]

As a child of the 70’s, living in a rural setting, it was only natural that we would have barn fowl… (as my Mama used to say!) We already had two horses, and Mama decided Chickens and Turkeys would be great additions to her “Hobby Farm”. Dad built a hutch and a pen for both. 10 chickens of various fancy breeds and a Rhode Island Red rooster lived comfortable lives. The rooster hated the dog though, and would torment the poor thing.

[@scottinnis9666]

I wish you were able to put out a new video every day. History has never been made more interesting, than by you! Thank you for sharing your passion with us!

[@clickbaitcabaret8208]

A few houses up my street is a back yard full of chickens. I live in an Urban area. You'd be surprised how much animal raising & micro farming goes on around here. The chickens are just raggedy ass chickens. Most people around here don't have the cash to slap down for fancy chicken's. They eat the eggs & occasionally slaughter a bird or two. No fancy pedigree required.

[@suzbone]

My neighbors and I all keep chickens, smack in the middle of Austin. You can hear roosters crowing near and far. We LOVE it.

[@theshocker4626]

Red sex links are cheap, friendly and prodigious layers.

[@dairallan]

I for one welcome our new chicken overlords.

[@Dakktyrel]

170 years ago it was chickens, today it's NFTs ... more things change, the more they stay the same.

[@dairallan]

Chickens, at least, are somewhat useful.

[@Dakktyrel]

@@dairallan That is an excellent point.

[@MrBuffaloBrent]

Oh yes - Ive always wanted to raise a small amount of chickens. The Covid lockdown gave me a perfect reason to do so. I haven't had to buy eggs now for the past two years. They make great pets as well, if you don't mind your backyard getting torn up from them digging nesting holes.

[@paulchristensen2854]

Before I go into a rant I have to say thanks for sharing that. Gad I like your "short snippets of history". And you are correct history needs to be remembered. Corporate farms and the mono cultures their business model is built around = a genetic bottleneck at some point. No matter if it is a plant animal or fish feathers fur hair or scales genetic diversity is a must have in any species

[@christopherdurham1999]

The quick reference to it caused me to look up "the Kensington System"... if you haven't done a video on it, that sure seems like History that Deserves to be Remembered.

[@pipedog9702]

Eggknowledges as a nice touch.

[@markw999]

Every time I hear a story about these Financial Manias throughout history, I always keep in mind that people have paid thousands of dollars for Beanie Babies. This chicken bubble seems crazy, like the Tulip Bulb craze, but I'm pretty sure we're just as silly today, if not sillier. What will people say about those "super rare" Beanie Babies people paid so much for in 100 years? LOL

[@scottabc72]

Digital currencies come to mind

[@laserbeam002]

Exactly and let's not forget the Cabbage Patch Doll craze.

[@katmandudawn8417]

I always think of the dog breed, shar pai. People buying and breeding the poor things thinking they’d make thousands per puppy. All it did was exacerbated health and temperament problems and end with many thousands of sick, aggressive, unwanted dogs in shelters. People are so greedy and foolish. If you would stop and think you’d know markets will eventually become glutted and people get bored and move on to the next fad. I will say though the Seabright bantam is one of the most beautiful bird imo.

[@raydunakin]

And the same Beanie Babies that were valued at thousands of dollars are now worthless.

[@raydunakin]

@@scottabc72 At least with chickens, when the bubble bursts you can still eat them or keep them for the eggs. With digital currencies all you'll have left is...nothing.

[@martinm3474]

Many years ago, I visited a Fancy owner with better than twenty breeds. This was very impressive as I was used to our common farm chickens.

[@David0lyle]

There seems to have been some grim aspects. Friends from the old Soviet Union had some odd stories about chicken. Behind the iron curtain as the assorted fiat currencies started to show undependability eggs regularly showed up as a defacto currency. One individual noted that his mother regularly plied a known KGB agent with eggs. He said later that no one ever mentioned the word “bribe” but his mothers assorted home enterprises (home made vodka, grey market imported clothing and so on) never seemed to garner much attention from the authorities.

[@curtisholmes4]

From one SoDak to another...look forward to every installment of THE History Guy!

[@WingKLok]

“Winner winner chicken dinner” Thank you for another informative and fun video. Thank you for the excellent commentaries and lived experiences in the comments to all. May your 2022 be better than 2021, THG Family!

[@schaind11]

This just goes to show, if a species is endangered, eat it and it's numbers will explode.

[@GrimmDelightsDice]

Not always true! We've eaten a lot of animals to extinction, they need to breed well in captivity for predation to be a good vector for preservation.

[@paull2166]

These videos are incredibly detailed and well done. Thank you THG

[@bonniearmstrong6564]

Very interesting. While growing up, my parents raised Leghorns for market, they are good fryers. They aren’t too bad for egg production. I’m in my eighty’s now. I have favorite memories of those days.

[@The-Opium-Den]

I remember reading a book about various chicken breeds I borrowed from my local library. It really opened my eyes to the diversity of chickens. This video builds on that by explaining why some of those breeds emerged. Quite a craze indeed! At least this asset bubble left us with something useful unlike other bubbles.

[@timothymulholland7905]

Sunday, after church in the 50s, we would share a roasted chicken from our coop as a special meal. The drum sticks were eaten in rotation among the kids. Most people today only know super market chickens. Everyone can have drum sticks!

[@ckmbyrnes]

These are the stories I like from this channel; forgotten, quirky, sometimes comical but always true history. It's hard to imagine all the things we, as a species, has forgotten. Thanks for keeping some of it alive.

[@avnrulz8587]

We keep chickens and turkeys. Our Sebrite hen would crow, so we had to rehome her (yes, it was a hen, she did lay eggs).

[@tommywright7196]

My grandma used to say a whistling woman or a crowing hen always comes to no good end .because both was supposed to be bad luck

[@avnrulz8587]

@@tommywright7196 our issue was the ruling on roosters not being allowed and we knew no one in charge would believe that something which crowed wasn't one.

[@lizj5740]

My Barnvelder hen crowed after she was the only one left of the flock.

[@aimeepotts2137]

Thank you for making this one! My husband loves raising chickens, and it was great learning when cochins arrived in the West.

[@51WCDodge]

In the 1980s it was Ostrich in England, they were going to be the next Super Breed. Same happned large amounts of money followed by a heavy dose of reality. Though Poultry and Pigieon fancys still carry on . My home town has it's own breed The Orpington Buff- A dark bird with black points, supposedly bred to not show the dirt asnd smoke from London.

[@Elvis20101]

Ah yes, breeding pair of ostriches were $30,000, why? because eggs cost $5,000 each. Why were eggs worth $5,000 each? because a breeding pair costs $30,000.

[@Deepranger930]

Just had to put down my rooster a few days ago. I was devastated. Of the eight we had he was the friendliest. Never thought that I could get so attached to a chicken. A good video as always Mr. History Guy. Thank you.

[@pamelamays4186]

Egg-cellent video. A subject worth crowing about.

[@valhallaproject9560]

Many of us are doing a small part to conserve some of these Heritage breeds. Recommend the Livestock Conservancy for those who wish more info on these old favorite breeds. Excellent segment!

[@garywatson3778]

Mr. Guy, I have been enjoying your videos for quite some time now. I can tell two of your biggest passions are history and story-telling, as your uploads are all fascinating even when the subject, such as today's, would seem mundane. That, sir, is the mark of a true yarn-spinner, and I commend you on yet another fine job. I am, however, infinitely disappointed that you completely missed the incredible, yet awful pun: "henaissance." There's at least three places it could have gone. You can't wear a bowtie and not have terrible puns. It's in the by-laws, man! Keep up the awesome!

[@Deepranger930]

Then you should watch his other chicken video.

[@allysondoerfler2435]

More chickens than people - chickens often make better company. We had about 24 at any time when I was growing up; a mix of leghorns & banties, and someone gave us a Rhode Island Red hen - they were worried that she was lonely. We would eat dinner on the patio in the summer and watch them - their personalities and habits - quite entertaining.

[@rockin_john6282]

Mt wife loves to decorate our kitchen in chicken/rooster items. We have what appears to be the exact same rooster doorstop as is in the background in this video. While having lived in a metro area for many decades now, I started high school in rural Arkansas. Agriculture and livestock classes were available and I took them, as well as having been a member of both 4-H club and FFA. I'd also like to see more agriculture history on this, one of my favorite channels.

[@3ducs]

My paternal grandfather, an immigrant from England, had a poultry farm. It was a commercial venture but he also raised show birds and had a vast collection of awards to show for it. Alas, he died at age 65 and that ended the farm. I have a childhood memory of being chased across the yard by an angry goose, when one is 5-6 years old a goose is very scary! I am 75, I wonder if my grandfather's interest in poultry and show birds is somehow related to Queen Victoria's interest?

[@dicebed]

Ha Ha - I've been chased by a goose when I was 20, and it is a scary thing - geese are very aggressive, and about as big as a 5-6 year old - yes, if I were five, I'd be scared of a goose running at me - that thing is as big as I am :-)

[@constipatedinsincity4424]

What would Queen Victoria 👸 say knowing that people stand in line and are willing to be stabbed for a Sandwich

[@Gma_Alma-Marie]

Thank you

[@DavidJones-pi8rl]

I love watching your videos, great facts, always a chuckle or two, plus the bonus of great bowties and waistcoats, that deserves to be remembered too!

[@curtisholmes4]

viwatch is correct. Oklahoma had an Emu bubble...Emu oil, Emu meat served as Emu Parmigian at the local Italian restaurants. After the bubble burst the local entrepreneurs could not afford to feed their now worthless birds. Many just loosed them on the range....had a large number of wild Emu for some time ...but the habitat would not support them and eventually they were starved/shot out!

[@51WCDodge]

You did better than the Australian's then. They tried truck mounted machine guns. The Emu War is worth the laugh.

[@lizj5740]

@@51WCDodge The Emu War (1932) was lost in part because the emu is indigenous to Australia.

[@aaronbasham6554]

Oh boy, I sure hope we learned from this example and never have another bubble or fever over something that is almost actually not worth anything in all reality

[@chonconnor6144]

Get boosted today

[@Chris_at_Home]

I worked part time on a chicken farm for four years starting when I was 14 in the late 1960s. The farm was a big corporation named Arbor Acres that the Rockefeller’s owned a controlling interest in. Our paychecks were drawn on Chase Manhattan Bank. The farm I worked on was a few miles from the home office/farm which had a multi story office building. There was also a huge hatchery there. Where I worked we had many pens with experimental breeds. We used to get about 10,000 per floor per day from the 3 two story chicken coops.

[@abbycross90210]

My mom bought us 10 baby chicks when I was 5yp. Even then I thought it was funny to have chickens in the suburbs. When they grew up we gave them to friends who had a large farm. I still think about those cute little chicks.

[@mikecrase3047]

A number of older farm wives talked about having chickens and using the money from the eggs and chickens they sold as their grocery money.

[@emmarichardson965]

Yep, I was one of those people who got chickens during Covid. I don't even like birds, but there's something bizarrely attractive about those animals.

[@marcress]

People who tie fishing flies are very familiar with some of these breeds. Hen hackles are used extensively for dry flies and can be very expensive.

[@lockednloaded9867]

I love my chickens. They are wonderful little breakfast makers. Great for sustaining during tough times.

[@aharder5765]

There are so many poultry shows here in the United States, and yes pigeons still appear at a few of them. Ohio Nationals, the largest show in the country in 2021 had 6,000 entries with representatives from all classes of ducks, chickens, geese, guineas and turkeys. The largest show I show at, the Wisconsin International typically has 2,000 or more entries. Today poultry shows are frequented by people who love poultry and not as many of the general public.

[@kevinbarry71]

A Chicken is a lot more useful than an NFT

[@katieshantz3517]

I definitely have the hen fever! I have 12 chickens of a few different breeds. My favorite is my Brahma, she's quite large and docile. They will follow me around the yard and squawk for treats and affection. I can't get over all the different colored eggs I get. From a light blue, to an olive green, to different shades of brown and small white eggs from my two little seabright hens.

[@PlanetEarth3141]

Any animal that is the basis for the most famous, most told joke in the world or history has something to crow about.

[@chucks4328]

The History Guy sure knows how to tell a story. I had chicken last night for supper and eggs this morning for breakfast.

[@Linusgump]

The chicken for dinner, the eggs for breakfast. I guess that answers the question of which came first. 😁

[@51WCDodge]

@@Linusgump You make a 'Yoke' of it? I find that answer a bit scrambled. (I'll get my coat)

[@vansongs]

I worked at a hatchery/feed store at one time. There was a period where ostriches, emus , Ratites were selling upwards of $30,000 a breeding pair. Everyone was going to get rich. As processing plants were considered, no one wanted to sell for meat. The bubble burst quicker than it started.

[@shawnr771]

I worked at a sale barn when the prices plummeted. The first 20 or so pairs went through the barn at $20,000 dollars a piece a pair. Then the man running the auction declared there is no more breeders market for Emus, it is now a ranchers market. Prices plummeted over the next 5 hours to around $100 a pair. There were a lot of pissed off people that day.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

I remember the ostrich and emu bubble well. We had a guy here that got stuck with some very high priced breeding stock. I also remember the bison crash. A lot of people got into raising bison, only to see the market collapse. Another bubble was the Jerusalem Artichoke scam in MN in the early 80's. Lots of farmers got taken in on that one.

[@Blazer02LS]

Sounds like all the ones who bought Llamas and alpacas as a super investment without looking at the realities of raising them for the small amount of high quality wool they produce.

[@n1vg]

Game roosters are the big money maker where I live. There are dozens of farms around here and I understand the birds go for hundreds to a few thousand dollars. Of course fighting is illegal, but busts are rare and the breeders operate pretty much in the open.

[@51WCDodge]

About the same time Ostrich were the 'Hip' birds in England. Ask thge Australian's about catching Emus. Lewis Machine guns mounted on trucks. The Emu war.

[@normandecaesen9696]

I live in the north/central region in Michigan. This is the second totally AWESOME chicken video from my favorite KZbin channel, THE HISTORY GUY. My mom is from Kentucky, so we ❤ our fried chicken. Another great thing that comes from certain breeds of chicken are feathers, feathers for tying flies to fish for trout, and my favorite game fish steelhead ( BIG rainbow trout). Please Lance, how about a piece on " the quite sport "?? If not , that's okay, THG is by far my MOST FAVORITE channel. Looking forward to 2022, keep up the GREAT WORK ❤

[@cameronmccreary4758]

I didn't know that, there's more chickens in the world than there are people. That's a lot of chickens. Very interesting.

[@MarvinStroud3]

Back in the 1940s people bought artificially dyed chicks in many colors for Easter. We raised some of them in our back yard for eggs and meat during the Second World War. We fed them table scraps and walked carefully to avoid stepping in something. Those were the days.

[@seatedliberty]

The poultry craze came on fast, most said that it couldn't last. But the queen's interest in birds that would cluck, was to breeders a stroke of good luck. Yet soon things took a turn for the worse, and to the hen fancy most grew averse. The falling prices raised quite a howl, it was a financial murder most fowl. The lesson that has here been dispatched, is don't count your chickens until they have hatched.

[@dr.froghopper6711]

Rhode Island Reds are my favorite birds. Big eggs, big birds, a rooster big enough and mean enough to be good protection for his flock of hens. And they taste good!

[@rocksandoil2241]

My mother and brother's picture graced the cover of a local poultry magazine during WWII. NW Arkansas still home to Tyson's and other poultry companies.

[@hhuggman1]

Yea, Yea!! I'm comment #15! We love you Mr and Mrs History Guy, son of Mr History Guy. Also Mother of Mr History Guy and Mr History Guy kittys.

[@krumple8560]

Kitty Princess? Really??? Gotta love it. Thank you HG!!!

[@chonconnor6144]

Perfect timing for my daily serving of eggs.

[@rickharold7884]

Wow. Amazing how we have bubbles around so many areas. Crypto. Chickens tulips. So interesting. Awesome story.

[@gearjamor]

I think the most ridiculous bubble was "Tulipmania." In the mid 1600's. Bulbs became more and more expensive and was used as currency...well...like bitcoin of today. One special, precious tulip bulb was worth 6 times the average person's wage. It continued until someone finally said, "Hey...it's just a freaking tulip bulb!" Curiosity Stream has a movie about it.

[@sailorarwen6101]

Wow! What people were willing to pay for chickens is astounding! I have chickens that I love. I acquired Ayem Cemani hens and a rooster for almost nothing, meanwhile a local breeder sells her unsexed chicks for over $100.00. I’m contemplating breeding them to sell but my attempts at making money always fail. Edit: I read a statistic several years ago that said there are 3 chickens for every person on earth

[@jeaniebottle6758]

Hen fever, clucking madness.

[@4BillC]

Chickens are good to control ticks too. If you have issues with ticks in your yard, get a couple chickens!

[@theshocker4626]

Scorpions too

[@4BillC]

@@theshocker4626 probably not the best thing to have in your back yard...

[@bodenplukt]

I recently learned that possums eat ticks too!

[@theoldgrowler3489]

An egg-salent piece!

[@emmitstewart1921]

Washington Atlee Burpee started his mail order business at the age of fourteen selling chickens. His first seed sales were corn seeds so his customers could grow food for their chickens.

[@billgrindler4653]

I didn't see anyone else post this, if someone did already I'm sorry that I missed it, but as an interesting aside, in a recent episode of "The American Experience" on the life pf L. Frank Baum (creator of Oz) it was mentioned that he got caught up in this craze. One poultry journal even called him one of the best and most enthusiastic breeders (or words to that effect) in the The United States. He also contributed articles to chicken raising publications of the time. So thanks for the background on this fade.

[@legitreason3973]

I adore chickens and would love to know more about their history. This was an absolute treat.

[@aimeepotts2137]

There is a History of the Chicken video by THG as well.

[@legitreason3973]

@@aimeepotts2137 Thank you! I'll have a look at that right away!

[@captaincodebook3200]

Just shared this with the FB group "backyard chickens"...we all have hen fever !! I have some of the Queens Sebring roosters and hens as well as a dozen other breeds. Fun stuff

[@louielamlouie]

Very unique piece of history. Thank you.

[@hlmoore8042]

Anyone here remember the Tulip craze? It's not just chickens that people went crazy buying. Beanie babies... the Cabbage Patch doll? Wait til the chicken bubble burst now.

[@51WCDodge]

In the 1980's there was an Ostrich craze in UK.

[@vandercecil9449]

I absolutely LOVE Mr Geiger's videos!

[@corporalvideo26]

Here is an earlier, similar event, Tulip Mania. Tulip mania was a period during the Dutch Golden Age when contract prices for some bulbs of the recently introduced and fashionable tulip reached extraordinarily high levels, with the major acceleration starting in 1634 and then dramatically collapsing in February 1637.