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Marin County - California

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      • 2025
        • May 3, 2025: Havening
        • March 8, 2025: Choosing Healthy Clothing
        • January 26, 2025: 2024 Conference Viewing Party
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        • November 10, 2024: Using Sound and Frequency for Healing
        • October 6, 2024: Christina Hildebrand
        • August 18, 2024: Stinson Beach Walk
        • August 11, 2024: Talk With the Chicken Lady
        • June 30, 2024: Nutrition & Bodywork
        • June 1, 2024: Bodega Pastures Farm Tour
        • February 11, 2024: Learn How to Muscle Test
        • January 7, 2024: Real Food & Supplements
      • 2023
        • December 2, 2023: Tennessee Point Labyrinth (Marin Headlands) hike
        • November 26, 2023: Special Viewing of Wise Traditions Conference Talk
        • October 7, 2023: Indian Valley Organic Farm
        • September 10, 2023: Biotic Ferments
        • August 5, 2023: Salmon Creek Ranch Tour
        • July 22, 2023: Sunset Marin Walk @ Tennessee Valley Trail
        • June 9, 2023: Holistic Dentistry
        • March 18, 2023: The ABCs of EMFs
      • 2022
        • August 7, 2022: Food Exchange and Potluck
        • June 4, 2022: The Immune System
        • May 7, 2022: Be Love Farm Tour
        • February 26, 2022: Something Ain’t Right Documentary
        • January 8, 2022: Taming Anxiety with Nutrition
      • 2021
        • October 30, 2021: Nut-N-Other Farms
        • August 21, 2021: Yemaya Seaweed Company
        • July 10, 2021: Bannister Oak Farms
        • May 29, 2021: Desi Milk
        • May 15, 2021: Foraging for Food and Medicine Walk
        • April 12, 2021: All About Fasting
      • 2020
        • December 4, 2020: Freedom From Anxiety
        • November 7, 2020: The Root Cause Protocol
        • September 10, 2020: Breathe Easier: Smoke Remedies
        • August 23, 2020: Sauerkraut at Home
        • July 27, 2020: Being a Savvy Shopper: Avoiding Refined Foods & Ingredients
        • June 16, 2020: The Truth Behind Labels: What Goes IN, ON & SURROUNDS Us
      • 2019
        • May 26, 2019: Green Gulch Farm
        • February 23, 2019: Small Animal Naturopathy
        • January 27, 2019: Backyard Farmer
      • 2018
        • September 16, 2018: Mini Traditional Food Fair and Potluck
        • April 29, 2018: SoMar Farms
        • February 24, 2018: Bay Area WAPF Mixer
      • 2017
        • December 3, 2017: Food, Mood and Fermentation
        • November 10-13, 2017: Pearls from the 2017 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 8, 2017: AppleGarden Farm Tour
        • September 17, 2017: Dr. Cowan’s Garden
        • September 2, 2017: Fermentation Festival in Petaluma
        • August 20, 2017: Apple + Almond Harvest Party
        • July 22, 2017: Nutrient-Dense Foods Tasting
      • 2016
        • November 11-14, 2016: Pearls from the 2016 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 23, 2016: Raw Paleo
        • June 11, 2016: Backyard Chickens
        • May 26, 2016: All About Kombucha
        • April 16, 2016: Wireless Devices – Health Dangers & Solutions
        • April 2, 2016: Natural Healing with Essential Oils
        • March 6, 2016: Live Blood Microscopy: What Does It Reveal about Our Health?
        • February 20, 2016: All About Bone Broth
        • January 5, 2016: To Be…Or Not To Be…Gluten-Free?
      • 2015
        • December 6, 2015: Holiday Party and Food Trade
        • November 22, 2015: Turmeric Kraut Demo with Trish Carty
        • November 12-16, 2015: Pearls from the 2015 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 16-18, 2015: Bioneers Conference
        • September 5, 2015: Apple Harvest & Processing Party
        • August 8, 2015: Visit Amy’s Homestead
        • July 12, 2015: Stemple Creek Ranch Tour
        • June 25, 2015: Electromagnetic Fields
        • May 20, 2015: Vaccines: Movie and Panel Discussion
        • April 12, 2015: Fluoride in the Water
        • March 29, 2015: Marcey Shapiro, MD
        • March 8, 2015: Nicolette Hahn Niman, author of “Defending Beef”
        • February 26, 2015: Dennis Dierks of Paradise Family Produce
        • January 21, 2015: Muscle Testing with Srinika Narayan (SF event)
        • January 15, 2015: Homeoprophylaxis with Deborah Landowne
      • 2014
        • December 5, 2014: Aaron Gilliam of Thistle Meats
        • November 23, 2014: Miso tasting with the San Francisco Chapter
        • November 16, 2014: Probiotic Soda Workshop with Kim Ireland
        • November 6-10, 2014: Pearls from the 2014 Wise Traditions Conference
        • October 18, 2014: Doug Stonebreaker of Prather Ranch Meat Company
        • September 29, 2014: Julia Ross Speaking on Depression
        • July 27, 2014: Iodine and Your Health with Jerome Chambless
        • June 15, 2014: Father’s Day Farm Tour @ WHOA Farm
        • May 10, 2014: Awareness Through Movement with Susan Hammond
        • March 29, 2014: Holistic Dental Health with Rupam Henry
        • February 23, 2014: Energy Medicine with Connie Prodromou
        • January 19, 2014: Dessert Potluck
      • 2013
        • December 15, 2013: Pearls from the 2013 Wise Traditions Conference
        • November 2, 2013: Primal Posture with Abeja Hummel
        • October 17, 2013: Personal Stories
        • September 26, 2013: Detoxification with Maureen Donohoe
        • July 20, 2013: Salmon Creek Ranch Tour
        • July 13, 2013: Indian Valley College Organic Farm
        • June 30, 2013: “Get To Know Your Farmers’ Market” tour
        • May 9, 2013: Removing the “Obstacles to Cure” with Dr. Louisa Williams
        • April 7, 2013: Personal Stories
        • Feb 21, 2013: Tim Wightman
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June 11, 2016: Backyard Chickens

Leslie of Mill Valley Chickens treated us to a talk and tour of her backyard chickens.

Historically, keeping chickens was purely utilitarian and had a dual purpose. They were kept for about 2 years for the eggs then eaten. Now there is a chicken craze over the whole country. Leslie says she has had customers come from as far away as Los Angeles and has gotten calls from as far away as the Middle East for information about chickens.

WAPF Tour of Mill Valley Chickens

Leslie of Mill Valley Chickens

She started raising chickens with her children. They belonged to 4H and showed chickens at the county fair. Chickens have a lot of expressions and personality and are fun to have as pets. She says they are a lot like middle-school-aged girls – there is a pecking order and you “can’t force them to be nice”.

Common predators of chickens include bobcats, raccoons, coyotes, owls and hawks. Roosters will defend his flock from predators, making sure all the hens are in the coop at night. He will sacrifice his life in defense of his flock.

WAPF Tour of Mill Valley Chickens

Coops

Leslie raises and sells chickens plus their feed, supplies and chicken-themed products as well as building redwood coops and runs for backyard chickens.

When asked about soy-free feed, she claimed that in her experience soy-free feed is bad for chickens. She has seen leg problems develop and egg production goes down.

WAPF Tour of Mill Valley Chickens

Hens of all ages and breeds

Leslie raises about 23 different breeds. One of her favorites is the naked neck. “When you look like that you need to have a great personality.”

WAPF Tour of Mill Valley Chickens

Our tour

She says that we are paying extra for pastured eggs and feels like it’s misleading, especially in this area where there is no rain for 6 months of the year. Even if chickens are on pasture outside in the sun and fresh air, 90% of their food is commercial grain coming from Texas because there isn’t food available in the fields – it’s too dry and barren. And chickens denude everything so unless they are moved very frequently, there won’t be enough plants and bugs for them to eat. She feels that eggs should be a lot more expensive if the chickens are raised humanely.

In the 1930s factory farming began where the hens were raised inside on concrete. Diseases are easily spread in the dirt but concrete can be bleached and disinfected. She said the chickens sold in the grocery store are only 5 weeks old when slaughtered. They grow so quickly that they can’t hold their own weight after 5 weeks.

WAPF Tour of Mill Valley Chickens

Mill Valley Chickens

By Karen Hamilton-Roth

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