Chicken Coop Chatter©
When people were gathering supplies, wagons and livestock for the 2000 mile trek to the Northwest Territory, some of them built chicken coops that were tied to the side or beneath the wagons, along with tar buckets, water barrels and milk buckets. Some of the chickens may have been taken along as a meat source but in addition for the eggs. It is doubtful most of the chickens even laid eggs while on the rough and bumpy trails. Most probably the chickens put up quite a fuss even at the most inopportune times. Of course we will never know and can only assume that the chickens did not enjoy their experience and likely a number of them died along the way, either as food for the travelers or from the extremes in weather and the unstable environment they were enduring. How many may have made it safely to the new territory would be difficult to surmise, but it's obvious some had to have been hardy enough to have arrived at their final destinations.
On the trail there were Forts and farms and ranches sparsely scattered, where the traveling parties stopped at every opportunity to replenish supplies until they reached the Northwest Territory where there were many miles of rugged travel before they could rest or purchase any type of needed goods. Fort Dalles in what is now Oregon, along the Columbia River, would have been the final rest stop before the grueling final sprint to the greater Willamette Valley of Oregon, which was the end of the pioneer trail.
It was at Fort Dalles where the travelers chose to divide up. Their choices were few. They either had to go the Barlow trail route, which took them over Mount Hood, where they literally had to lower the wagons down the canyons and hoist them up the other side, or float the boat-like Conestoga wagons down the Columbia River, through rapids, winds and storms to reach British owned Fort Vancouver in current Washington State; or cross the Columbia River to the present day Washington side of the Mighty Columbia, crossing via the natural land bridges that are now covered in water from modern day dams that control the flow of the river. There were a few ferries that allowed for the Columbia River crossing. These ferries were operated by pulleys that allowed two wagons at a time and prices early on were negotiable, though any animals were an additional charge above the cost of ferrying the wagons, that only the wealthier pioneers could afford. A good share of the wagons were mere farm wagons, not built to traverse the wild winds and massive waterways like the Columbia river. Those wagon drivers had to find alternate routes or pay the ferry and bridge tolls. Some emigrants found shallower waterways where they could drive wagons across and force the livestock to swim across. Some wagons did not make it down river, much less across the Columbia river. Either the turbulent waters capsized the wagons or wagons were mired in mud and because of the heavy weight could not be pushed or pulled out. Animals got stuck in the mud or carried down river in the rapids. People, animals and goods were lost not only along the trail but within a few hundred miles of their final destination. Though the pioneers had encountered difficult travel over the first 1800 miles, their final 200 miles turned out to be some of the most discouraging and life altering.
In the late 1840s when the larger groups of pioneers made the trek to the Oregon Territory, a chicken cost $1.00. A turkey sold for $2-2.50. The larger livestock such as Oxen that pulled most of the wagons cost anywhere from $25.00 to $65.00, but the advantage of Oxen was their strength, ease of handling and they would eat the poorest of the grasses and vegetation along the route, compared to the more expensive horses that could not withstand the rigors or the sometimes difficult to handle mules that were also available. Most of the early pioneers were not people of means. The majority of these emigrants were looking for the promise land of milk and honey to improve their lives, so some had no choice but to opt for the cheaper supplies and less costly livestock, hence the chickens and turkeys they were able to purchase for meat and eggs at a much reduced cost over cattle, sheep and goats.
Today we think the post office transportation is hard on fertile eggs and day old chicks, so to even think of chickens, much less eggs surviving a 2000 mile journey of rugged and sometimes virtually impassable terrain is beyond the imagination. As a small example of the rough trails; a bucket of milk tied to a wagon after the morning milking, became a wad of butter by the end of the day when the wagons came to a halt to rest for the night and partake of their evening meal.
Our modern way of thinking is that chickens need sweaters and coddling, when for centuries of migration and emigration, chickens survived the worst of conditions, had no special accommodations, yet continued to thrive off the land without the special grain formulas, modern medications and special attention to assist in their survival. Throughout history, chickens were transported by ships, wagons, and satchels, as a food source for crews on trade ships, puritans that came to the New World and for overland travelers that forged the way to the Pacific Northwest. Many chickens were set free, or escaped and became what is known as "landrace". The term literally means they learned to live off the land, foraging for carrion, berries, grains and bugs without human contact or human intervention. Many of today's breeds of chickens started from these landrace birds, that had been traded at sea ports, or left to survive on their own in a new land. They increased in numbers through natural selection, rather than formal breeding programs. They learned to survive against all elements of weather, and all predators, using natural camouflage and shrubbery for protection. There are still landrace breeds in countries such as Iceland, Sweden, and the Mediterranean. Some of these breeds are now being protected by the countries where they have existed since the early Viking days and early explorer days. We here at Just Fowling around are fortunate enough to be one of few breeders of some of these landrace chickens. Our landrace breeds are Icelandics and Swedish Flower Hens, and Basque, that are very rare and in small numbers around the world.
Today, chickens are transported via truck, train and even airplane over a two or three day journey to their chosen destination, rather than a 6 month or longer voyage over the vast oceans and prairie schooners that led to the development of the new lands.
(As a reminder to all of us, we've included links below for publications on Preparedness and Self-Reliance.)
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