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Years ago, when all 7 of the kids were home, a flock of chickens was a necessity. I could go through 18 eggs for a single breakfast and custard for that hungry bunch used up another dozen. Things have changed. Only my youngest remains at home and a dozen eggs lasts me for several days, even with the occasional batch of custard. A big flock of layers seems like overkill, especially as most of the neighbors have chickens too.
Enter the chicken co-op. Our neighbors and friends have the same issue we do. They want fresh eggs from free-range hens but a dozen birds is too many for just the two of them. We joined forces and both families benefit. Bob had a good coop. He keeps the birds and we provide the feed. They travel to see their kids quite a bit. When they’re away from home, we take over the care of the birds. If there is a big job like cleaning the coop, we share the labor.
Keeping your family fed is a work in progress for most of us. We can’t all have the perfect little homestead meeting all of our needs. We have to improvise and compromise, co-create and co-operate. We wanted a cider press but the one we wanted was out of our price range. We joined 3 other families, sharing the costs and reaping the rewards. Now a half-dozen other families have joined our cider co-op. They bring what they can: cauldrons of soup or a loaf or two of good bread, their home-made music and home-cured ham. It works for all of us.
If my chicken club falls apart, I will likely splurge on one of the fancy coops for small flocks. They are easy to assemble and perfect for our limited needs. They are also about the cutest things I have ever seen and one would look great out back where the play yard used to be.
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Our brand new chicken coop is not only adorable, but is the perfect size for small backyard flocks. Find it at Lehmans.com[/caption]
Many communities have become far more open to the idea of chickens in the backyard. If you keep them clean and share on occasion, your neighbors will likely not mind a bit. In fact, they are probably going to be asking exactly where you got the great little coop. Make sure you have an extra Lehman’s catalog to hand out.
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