Sixty years ago it wasn’t an uncommon sight to see your neighbors raising chickens. As families moved into suburbs and the city, raising your own poultry became obsolete as it was super convenient to run to the grocery store and grab a dozens eggs, all clean & neatly packaged. It seems that chickens are making a comeback in our society. I don’t know if it is a fad, or a desire to get back to pure foods, but it’s happening!
It’s common knowledge that Martha Stewart keeps a lovely flock of chickens on her farm in Bedford. As a matter of fact, she has dedicated several shows and blog posts to keeping chickens and life on her farm. Her coops (as well as the farm) are just beautiful and efficient.
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| marthastewart.com |
Martha is not the only celebrity with chickens. Would you ever imagine that Felicity Huffman of “Desperate Housewives” and her hubby raise chickens?
Did you love Dr. Carter on ER the way I did? Here is what he is doing now…. “Noah Wyle: We’ve got goats, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, two emus and five pot-bellied pigs. We just keep collecting these animals. I think when you are named Noah, you are destined for a certain way of life.” (taken from TV.com)
And Paula Deen? Yes, she is raising chickens as well.
Two years ago this week, we began our own adventure of raising chickens. Everyone is shocked when they realize it was this city girl, not her husband who wanted these. I thought it would be great fun to raise a few hens for fresh eggs and sheer novelty. Who would have ever guessed that we would now have a little farm, complete with goats, sheep, pot-bellied pigs, and calves (which were my husband’s idea!)!
I do adore my beautiful birds. We have Rhode Island Reds, Astralorps, Araucanas (which lay the colored eggs), and a few exotics that are just too cute for words!
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| One of our astralorps |
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| my very first RI Red hen |
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| our silkie roo with his little one |
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| Lily is a black cochin bantam …. feather-footed and small |
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| Mr. Darcy is a black-tailed Japanese bantam ……. |
The pretty little bantam above lost his mate to a raccoon earlier in the summer. So yesterday, he had friends arrive that are just his size.
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| 3 hens and a roo to join Mr. Darcy |
I really enjoy taking a walk out to the coop and gathering eggs everyday. I feel so “Laura Ingalls”. And the color? I love the various shades we get from brown to pale green. You can’t find that at a grocery store!
Since our little birds free-range and are given no hormones, I know my family (and our friends) are getting the best possible egg whether it be deviled, boiled, fried or in a cake when they sit down at Our Southern Table.
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| the family favorite way to eat an egg |
And don’t think I’ve lost all of my frilly, city-girl ways…….
……because this is what you get when the resident farmer sends me to the co-op!
They come in pink, too!
What do you think, would you ever consider keeping chickens?
Fiddle Dee Dee by Jennifer Jones 
My little grandson and I used the last of our eggs this morning while baking. I would love a stroll out to your coop to gather in the fresh bounty you receive each day. Great post!
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nope, but i sure wish one of my friends did! yours are
just beautiful, and i bet the eggs are delicious.
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