In One Ear: Stanley's chickens
A poultry tidbit from The Daily Morning Astorian, May 15, 1889:
• Stanley’s Seaside chicken ranch is unique in many respects. It’s not the size of it (he feeds 2,200 chickens) much as its location and the quality of the eggs.
It is bounded on three sides by the ocean, and the chickens know it. For some time, Stanley used to cut the tide table out of The Astorian and put it where the chickens could see it, but that is no longer necessary.
The chickens watch the tide themselves now, and at low tide when the beach is bare they go down and eat of the marine food brought in by the tide. When the tide is out the table is set, and the chickens partake thereof.
The result of such food is an egg that is recommended by doctors as a specific for rheumatism, dyspepsia and general debility.
Note: A news morsel from 2009 says there was a kerfuffle in a Seaside City Council meeting about having chickens inside city limits. The devoted chicken owner claimed he should be able to keep his peace-disturbing critters, as they were a “solid educational tool” for his children, and “part of the family.”
Unfortunately, the City Council did not recall Stanley’s chickens, and clucked in disagreement. The chickens had to go.
