There is a baby Barred Rock chicken on my kitchen counter right now. She and her three sisters chirp incessantly while we cook nearby. The arrangement is by no means hygienic. But it's adorable. My middle son and I bought the birds at Tractor Supply Company a week before Easter. We set them up with … Continue reading Live: Chicken Feed
The egg holder on the window sill above my kitchen sink has been bleakly empty for the last few months. While my backyard hens molted and staged an egg strike, my family had to eat store-bought eggs, like regular schnooks. A few days ago, as we wrestled egg cartons in and out of the refrigerator, … Continue reading The Best Holiday Gift
To those of you who would say the world is going to hell in a handbasket, let me offer you a rebuttal: Today, when I checked the little library in my front yard, I found a quilted heart. Yes, a heart that is quilted. Apparently, I'm not the only person in the world to find … Continue reading Be Still, My Quilted Heart
It's that time of year again when I pony up $25 to renew my domesticated hen permit from Metro Nashville Public Health Department. Whenever that pale blue certificate arrives in the mail, I pause to think of the benefits our urban chicken coop has brought our family. I'm not just talking about fresh eggs, which … Continue reading Coop, There it Is!
Build Me Up, Buttercup 