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So, instead of shopping at the grocery store, I bought eggs from every
vendor at the farmers’ market and though they were good, they just
weren’t the eggs I was looking for. I was looking for eggs with deep golden
(almost red-orange) yolks, small eggs that were so fresh you could barely
break the shell, eggs that would make the perfect homemade pasta I was
striving for.
Finally, I determined the only way I could make perfect pasta was to
raise my own hens. Thus, I could control what they ate, their exercise
routine, etc. (I did say earlier that I had become obsessed, did I not?)
The foremost local authority on raising poultry is
Katherine Anderson
of Blue Oak Ranch in Goleta. Katherine also works at Island Seed
and Feed (29 S. Fairview, Goleta 805-967-5262), and she became
my source of all things chicken. She told me about “Heritage Breeds”
and how the safety of our country’s food sources rest in the hands of
small farms and the “backyard” farmer. Why? Heritage Breeds are old
breeds of animals that are the animal equivalent of Heirloom seeds.
They are bred naturally; they still have natural instincts, like foraging
and nesting, and they lay a superior egg (in the case of chickens). As
a bonus, they are beautiful and their eggs come in every size, shape
and color. I asked Katherine to pick out a nice assortment of Heritage
Breed hens for me.
Meanwhile, I needed a coop. I found the perfect man for the job
in
Loren Luyendyk
(805-452-8249 or loren@sborganics.com),
permaculture designer and chicken coop builder. Using all the
construction “left-overs” at our house, he designed and built a coop,
nesting boxes, and run for my future brood.
Eventually, my chicks arrived and after about a month of living in a
large cardboard box, they moved into their new home. I had heard about
“watching the chicken channel”; in fact I had read somewhere that one of
the advantages of raising your own hens was “hours of entertainment,”
but I didn’t believe it. In a few short weeks, however, we were spending
our precious spare time “hanging with the chicks.” I can’t explain it. This
was entertainment! After a while certain ones were obvious favorites, Coco
(of Coco and Chanel, the two French Marans) would jump on my knee
Was there something wrong with
me? Even if I had a rough day,
going to see the chickens was
sure to bring a smile to my face.
“Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it’s tuna, but it says
‘Chicken of the Sea’” – Jessica Simpson