Chickens!

I'll admit, I was very scared to get chickens. People told me taking care of them would be easier than taking care of the cat, but I didn't really believe them. Finally I took the plunge. I built a coop I got the plans for online called the "coop-de-ville". It looked great! I shopped around & got the chickens. And guess what?! They really are easier than the cat! We fill the food & water about every 5 days. Twice a year my son cleans the coop. During the winter I put the coop on top of my garden so it's getting fertilized. And we gather eggs every day! I feed them a lot of my leftovers that would go to waste, to cut back on feed costs.

One of my favorite things I learned was how to store eggs all winter without refrigeration. You coat the eggs in mineral oil, put back in carton, & store in a cool dark place. I stored mine for 9 months last year & they were still great!

So why would I want chickens & how do I learn more?

Here are a few of the most frequently expressed reasons people raise chickens:

Easy and inexpensive to maintain (when compared to most other pets, much easier than our cat.)

Eggs that are fresh, great-tasting & nutritious

Chemical-free bug and weed control

Manufacture the worlds best fertilizer

Fun & friendly pets with personality (yes, you read that right) I have a friend who's neighbor kids come over & ask to watch "chicken TV". They love watching the chickens.

www.backyardchickens.com

Has everything you could want to know about raising chickens. They wrote the books "Raising Chickens for Dummies".