By Recycla
How would you like to wake up in the morning and eat farm-fresh eggs with your breakfast? If you had chickens in your backyard, your eggs couldn’t be of a more recent vintage.
Yes, you read that correctly: The Eco Women are suggesting that you might want to build a coop and start raising your own Chicken Little and Henny Penny. Long thought to be the domain of country dwellers, keeping chickens has become more popular with urban farmers in recent years, as people are realizing the benefits of having their own source of free range hens and organic eggs.
Chickens not only offer up eggs and the potential for the occasional Sunday dinner, they can be fantastic weed pullers while at the same time ridding your garden of pests. They’re also omnivores who love leftovers, so you can feed them your kitchen scraps. And, think of the free manure!
Rumor has it — and Recycla is getting this information from people in her community who raise chickens — that becoming a poultry farmer is relatively easy, although you will need to do some research in advance, as well as prepare a home for your flock. Also, if you’re considering keeping poultry, check your local ordinances for restrictions (if any) and definitely check with your neighborhood association.
If becoming a poultry farmer seems a bit daunting, you might consider going in with some of your neighbors. That way, everyone shares the responsibilities and costs. And think of the community-building experience!
For more information on keeping chickens, check out these resources at Organic Gardening and this article on Chickens 101 at Mother Earth News.
Tell the Eco Women: Do you have chickens? If not, are you thinking about it? None of the Eco Women have poultry, so they’re curious about other people’s experiences.
We don’t have chickens…yet, but 2 of my sister-in-laws do and we had plenty growing up. They are easy to care for and provide way better tasting eggs. The only “issue” tends to be what you’re going to do with them when they reach the end of their egg laying lives. Some folks aren’t hearty enough to make them Sunday dinner if you know what I mean. : ) My husband doesn’t want them after being forced to pluck chickens when he was a kid. He has flashbacks.
We’ve had chickens for a few years now and love the eggs and free entertainment of chicken antics. For us, the best tasting and most nutritious of eggs come from “pastured” hens, or hens that have access to grass every day, so we started out with a chicken tractor. (For examples, check out http://home.centurytel.net/thecitychicken/tractors.html) Don’t worry about what to do with the hens when they stop laying – a quick post on Craigslist or Freecycle will produce many folks happy to take them off your hands!
We don’t but have friends who do, and the eggs taste so fresh and delicious.
Great post! I’m a huge fan of fresh eggs and have often considered raising our own chickens to supply us–especially with 3 growing boys eating more and more. I will click on and learn more…