Backyard Chickens - Coops are Chic!

Our Backyard Chickens.

Little did I know almost 12 years ago when I bought my first batch of chickens that someday they'd be the trendy chic backyard hobby to have.  Why did I get chickens 12 years ago? Well, we bought my childhood home complete with a chicken coop on 1.5 acres, and being an avid reader of Martha Stewart magazine, she had chickens and a lovely garden - So why not me too? As a kid we had ducks, bunnies and I rode my neighbor's horses, so the little town we had moved to was 'pet' friendly as well.

I share the street with a Horse and Rider in my 'pet' friendly town.

My Chicken Coop 'Coup du Jour'

[Turns out my coop is very old, having been the my neighbor's historical estate out building before they subdivided the land post WWII to build my home. ]

It all seemed serendipitous since not only did I have a coop, lived in a chicken friendly town, but a feed store, aptly named The Feed Store carried chickens and was the same place we got those ducks and bunnies as a kid.  A quick chat on chicken raising with the staff and I drove home with 6 baby chicks and bags of chicken chow. I created my French kitchen garden the same summer.  Eggs were gifted to me by fall as well as something else - Community.

Colorful Eggs from my Hens

Soon, my friends would bring their kids or grand kids over to my 'farm' to see the chickens and my garden. I would open my mailbox or door and there'd be a note with a bag of egg cartons or veggie peels for my chickens to eat. I was giving my fertilized eggs to the local Montessori School for classes to hatch.  The kids even had a field trip to my home to see their fruits of labor and my garden.

My French Garden Kitchen

William -Sonoma  Chicken Coop

So what a surprise when I started reading in the paper that the new trend was to have chickens. Even more of surprise when I saw that William - Sonoma had hopped on board the coop train and has an Agrarian collection in which they offer up coops to bee hives. From the city of Chicago to suburbs, the idea of having backyard chickens seems to have hatched! I was visiting the San Francisco Bay area a few weeks back and it seems everyone has a fancy coop, even in property tight Berkley, CA!

Having a coop does also requires a bit of maintenance and setup. Read this great article about maintaining and setting up your coop before your make your final decision on a coop investment from my friends at Treats for Chickens. 

10 Reasons to Check Your Chicken Yard + Checklist

Why I love my Chickens:

• Daily fresh organic eggs.
• The best organic fertilizer for my garden.
• All my veggie, bread and fruit scraps that would have been in the garbage - feeds my chickens.
• When free ranging, eat bugs keeping my garden pest free.
• Creates community.
• Fun to have

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