I've got a chicken info site here, with information, links, etc., including my experience with chickens: http://home.earthlink.net/~velvetsparrow/VSChick.htm You are smart to learn about chickens first, that way if something happens you can be prepared, and also can spot it quicker if illness strikes. The most important thing you can do for your birds is to house them securely (predators are amazingly strong and can be VERY determined to get a chicken dinner) and keep them healthy. If you aren't raising them for meat, expect to become attached to them, as chickens have loads of personality and affection to give. :) But if you fail to provide a secure home for them and a predator comes and massacres your flock, your going to have a whole lot of heartbreak and regret. It's happened a lot on this site, if you read some old threads you'll see it again and again. :( Also, sooner or later you will hear the siren call of raising chicks--either via broody hen or an incubator. Raising chicks is an incredible experience and one that shouldn't be missed--especially if you have children. You'll get hooked on raising chicks, so fair warning. :) feathersite.com has lots of pictures of chickens arranged by breed, with some breed/breeder info. eggbid.com has people offering fertile hatching eggs, chicks and adult birds. Mississippi State Univ. has a great poultry department online with info that can save your hide. Check in your area for an avian (bird) vet that will see your chickens--line one up now, BEFORE an emergency strikes. Most vets can and do see chickens, so if you catch flak from the staff, ask politely to speak to the vet and ask him. Read up on bird sites and bird books in general--chickens are, after all, birds, and a LOT of the information for parrots, cockatiels, etc. applies to chickens as well. Chickens have the intellectual and emotional levels of a human 2 year old child. They can and do show affection, get jealous, want revenge, pout, etc. Each bird will have a distinct personality all it's own. Decide in advance which breeds you want and be careful about mixing different breeds--don't put a single sweet bird such as a Silkie or Polish in with a flock of Rhode Island Reds (aggressive), for example. That's all off the top of my head, if you want or need to email me, feel free, :) Velvet ~:>

Mary, I'm very happy with my 11" cuprinox style fry pan. But like you, I've spent time reading all the cookware articles. If there is one pan in your arsenal that you want to be thick and heavy, it would be the frying pan, (at least for some cooking). I think the Demeyere Atlantis skillet would be a great choice because it is lighter,(than copper or iron) but still thick and would never warp at high heat-thanks to the stainless. Good cookware will sometimes make up for a less than perfect heat source. I have a powerful gas range with nice big star shaped burners, so I don't really need the thickest pan. But if you were to sear a steak with a weak burner, you would like a nice thick pan to hold more heat - once you preheat it. Otherwise, the meat would 'suck' the heat out of the thiner pan, before the burner could catch up and supply enough heat to get it hot again. I remember you saying you weren't sure on what you were cooking with, but wanted a good fry pan that's not too heavy. I think the Demeyere would be a good choice, I don't own it but I've seen the fry pan and it looks good.- should be easy to clean and is induction capable. I like the inside silvernox finish as well. Price is tough to swallow, but I saw one on sale that was the floor sample at a Sur La Table store...- so if you look long enough? What do I think about the All Clad copper core stuff? It is bomb proof, and I'm really impressed with it. It's not induction capable, and it's not particularly light (because of the copper). Total thickness at the edge, even with all those plies is not very thick. My guess is that the Demeyere Atlantis would do better as a fry pan, even without the copper, because the aluminum is so thick, - while remaining fairly light. Sure copper heats a little faster.. but the race isn't always won by the fastest and fry pans are one item that thickness and therefore heat capacity is just as important.

RachelEllen, I know you didn't ask me, and Maria's description is wholly accurate, but there is an easier way to pluck chickens if one is plucking several at a time: Put a steel drum full of water on a brick platform and arrange a torch burner beneath it so the water comes to a rapid boil. Grab a (freshly killed) chicken by the feet with some loooong tongs and dip it in the boiling water for a few seconds, then fire up your plucking machine! There are different configurations for plucking machines, but ours was a motorized horizontal cylinder with soft rubber fingers protrubing from the drum. One holds one's scalded chicken by the feet above the spinning cylinder and it ever-so-gently pulls all the feathers off as it rotates quickly. It's the only really fun part of the process to be honest. More than ten chickens can be plucked this way in the time it takes to hand pluck one. As for slaughtering your own chickens, it can be done quickly and with dignity by just about anyone. Your best bet is to ask someone who has several (get a referral from the place that sells you your chicks) that need dispatching and ask to come help/learn.

Shrink wrapped is not the same as vacuum sealed. Store chickens in trays are shrink wrapped and that's not good for freezing. I wouldn't want to keep them 12 months unless they were vacuum sealed and a good hard freeze and they'll probably still degrade a bit so it depends on how much you'll accept. They will not be like fresh. And to try to keep them that long, I'd also either wrap in foil or an extra freezer bag. Make sure your freezer is at a proper freezer temp.