Producer: I-Tang-O
Website: http://www.wildcrafter.net/
Text & Images: Emily Wilkinson

I-Tang-O, owned by Bridgette Tojek, is a small yet outstanding business located in Short Track, NY. A graduate from Cornell University, Bridgette has focused her academic efforts in animal nutrition, animal ethics and animal welfare. On her farm and around Allegany County, she actively promotes growth, endeavours to sustain and improve the environment, and conducts the pastured poultry with the animal’s welfare being in mind. She provides the county with fertile eggs, starter chicks for a “Back Yard Urban Flock”, garden vegetables, and medicinal and culinary herbs. She is also currently in the process of developing a breed of chickens that will represent the state of New York, and is continuing her education in herbal medicine.

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The I-Tango-O business located in Short Track, NY.
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As the sole owner of this remarkable farm, Bridgette Tojek spends day in and day out with her chickens. After starting in 2007 with only 15 chickens, she now own more than 300, all of whom she treats and nurtures.
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In order to provide healthy eggs and poultry to the community, her chickens are tested often for common diseases such as salmonella. Bridgette also feeds them flaxseed, a significant source of Omega 3 for the chickens and the eggs.
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A brooding hen. An egg takes 21 days to hatch with proper incubation. After eight months, a chicken will have fully developed.
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More than 6 -dozen eggs can be collected in a day. Bridgette currently has an order for almost 4,000 eggs for Easter!
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Bridgette encourages the idea of maintaining and growing chickens in an urban setting by promoting these urban coops. The coops hold 4-5 chickens and can be easily kept in a backyard. They are winterized with plastic and heat lamps during the cold months of the year.
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The Liberty Belle, the silver breed, and the Empire, the red line. These are 8th generation chickens of Bridgette’s on going project to develop a breed to represent New York state.
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Bridgette also makes medicinal and culinary herbs as well as natural lotions and soaps. They are used to detoxify the body and boost the immune system. Elder berry alone is known to have resistance to 6 different strains of influenza. The herbs are planted in the backyard and collected for tea making when ready. The lotions and soaps are made from goat’s milk and an array of medicinal oils.
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Benefits of the medicinal herbs can be seen through a study known as iridology. This is an alternative medicine technique that studies the patterns, colours, and other characteristics of the iris to determine information about a person's systemic health. Bridgette matches her observations to iris charts, which divide the iris into zones that correspond to specific parts of the human body.
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With a passion to help out mistreated women, Bridgette hopes to further her education and join her son who presently serves in the U.S. army in Japan.