Historic Chickens – California’s Gold (2009)

A 1916 brochure called the town of Petaluma “The largest poultry center in the world” and up until the sixties, Petaluma was a major player in the world of chickens. In 1915, Petaluma shipped 11,681,134 dozen eggs.

Huell travels to Petaluma to attend the annual Butter and Egg Days celebration, which ran from 1916 to 1928 and was brought back in the early eighties. Petaluma pulls out all the stops in this wonderful small town gathering. You won’t want to miss the Cutest Chick costume contest.

Continuing our look at Historic Chickens, the Petaluma Historical Society takes Huell to one of original chicken farms that once lined the hills of this town. Beautiful moss covered chicken coups are slowly decaying, but are an integral part of Petaluma’s landscape. Several of the original farmers come back to spend a day remising about their lives on these farms. Some of these folks come from a long line of farmers who have called Petaluma home for many generations.