WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? To bring me tasty eggs of course

When I first told my husband I wanted a chicken coop in our backyard, he laughed and said, “Oh, I would love to see you take a chicken, cut off its head, and pluck its feathers.” I found this amusing since I don’t even like to prepare chicken for dinner. After explaining it wasn’t for the meat but rather the eggs, his eyebrows were still raised pretty high. Since my husband and I are both lawyers, I knew ahead of time I was going to have to present my case to “the court” and expect cross examination. Please let the record reflect, defense council is entering three exhibits.


EXHIBIT ONE: Better Tasting and Healthier Eggs

The chickens that reside in your backyard are organic, hormone free, and are not given food with antibiotics or animal by-products. They will have a diet of grain that contains flax seed and grass from your backyard. This combination gives you better tasting eggs that are healthier for you.

“You are what you eat eats too.” So says Michael Pollan in his book, In Defense of Food. He explains that these types of eggs contain higher levels of vitamins, antioxidants, and has more omega-3 and conjugated lineoleic acid than those you typically see in the grocery store. Studies have also shown that those who have an ample amount of omega-3 in their diet are less likely to have high blood pressure and may reduce their risk of cancer. (1) In his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Pollan states that you can actually see a vibrant orange color of the yolk when the chicken was given a diet that had grass in it. Apparently this color indicates a high level of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene, also known as vitamin A, promotes a healthy immune system and as well as healthy skin. (2) These factors make a healthy egg, but are more importantly known to taste better.

EXHIBIT TWO: Happier Chickens

I am sure that most of you have been on a freeway and seen a large semi-truck barreling down the road with thousands of chickens crammed in wire cages that are so small they can’t even stand up. It saddens me to say that their normal living conditions are not much different. I do not want to go into detail about the practices that large egg manufacturing companies subscribe to, but I will say it is very disturbing. For more information on this subject, I recommend reading the Michael Pollan books that I referred to above. When you have chickens in your backyard, living quietly I might add, you know that they are happy and healthy. Happy chickens make healthy eggs.

EXHIBIT THREE: It’s Easier Then Owning a Dog

I was recently asked where I find the time to research and write this blog while keeping house and raising small children. My first response was that I’m not sure where I find the time to pee…but I do. That being said, becoming a farmer is not something I plan to add to my responsibilities. This is the great thing about urban chicken farming, it’s easier than caring for a dog or cat, except the chickens actually work for you. You feed them once a day, get rid of their pellet like poop every two weeks, and they make it so you don’t have to mow your grass as often. The dog I own right now takes up so much of my time that I have begged my husband to give her back to the breeder. (Oh, and I’m a dog lover). He says it provides home security. I say let’s spring for an alarm system and obtain more firearms. I’ve been overruled on that argument for a while now, but I digress. My point is, these chickens provide you a service, are low maintenance, and make great pets for kids. Pets that don’t need to be walked around the block in the pouring rain to do their business.


Although the judge hasn’t made his ruling in this house, if owning a small chicken coop is something you are interested in, it’s really easy to get started. Purchase a chicken coop, or build one yourself, and get some chickens. Personally, I wouldn’t want to spend the time researching the blueprints and painstakingly building it. EZCOOPS actually does all this for you at a really reasonable price. Their coop can be assembled with no tools and done under two minutes. I highly recommend watching their promo video at http://ezcoops.com. Mention this blog article and they will give you four free chickens. It’s important to have 3-4 chickens because they are a social bunch and would get lonely otherwise. After you’ve got your coop and chickens, sit back and collect your eggs. On average, chickens lay one egg a day. Times that by four chickens and you’ll have 28 eggs a week. That’s over two dozen eggs a week! You could sell those eggs to your neighbors and make a little extra cash. Cash I would use to pay for my coffee addiction. Ooooh, another argument I should present to the judge.

Whether or not you decide to get your own chickens, I hope you’ve learned a little more about them other than how they taste. Until I get a ruling on this from the husband, I will continue to buy my eggs from Organic Valley. Their chickens meet the criteria set forth above but are certainly not as cost effective has having your own coop. This young hen is “For the Birds” and hopes you are too, but in a good way.

(1) http://www.eatwild.com/healthbenefits.htm
(2) http://www.thedietchannel.com/beta-carotenes-your-health