Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Buffy Lays the Biggest Eggs!

I lived in Alpine, Utah when I was a little girl.  It was a beautiful little rural town snuggled up next to the mountains. Folks lived in cozy homes in tree-shaded yards with large gardens, orchards and chicken coops.  Nearly every family, it seemed, raised chickens.  We lived in a rental home without a garden or chickens.  One of my favorite memories is of staying with family friends on their farm just inside the Alpine city limits and getting to help with the morning chores, which included feeding the chickens and gathering eggs.  It was so much fun, but I just couldn't understand why my friends didn't share my enthusiasm.
As we are learning to be more self-reliant, there is a growing trend in Highland and in my neighborhood...raising chickens for eggs.  So I would like to introduce you to a new girl on my street.

This is Buffy.  Isn't she pretty?  She belongs to the Fowler family.  Sheryl Fowler took these pictures and graciously allowed me to use them.

Here she is with some of her sisters

This is the comfy chicken condo where Buffy and her sisters live and lay their beautiful brown and green eggs.  They each lay an egg about every other day.

Buffy lays the biggest eggs.  Look how much bigger Buffy's egg is!
Bonus!  See below:

Two yolks! 
Way to go, Buffy!

Why Raise Chickens?
I asked Sheryl where I could find more information about backyard chickens and she told me about a site called...BackYardChickens.Com.  http://www.backyardchickens.com/  According to the website, here are a few reasons people raise chickens.
  1. Easy and inexpensive to maintain. (when compared to most other pets)
  2. Eggs that are fresh, great-tasting & nutritious.
  3. Chemical-free bug and weed control.
  4. Manufacture world's best ferilizer.
  5. Fun & Friendly pets with personality. (Yes, you read that right!)
In addition to BackYardChickens.Com, there are many resources available to learn about the pros and cons of chicken raising.  The Utah State University Extension is one of the best for local information.  There is also this book:
The title says it all where I'm concerned. 
I don't have all my eggs in one basket.

Oh!  One more pic by popular demand:

Winnie's Mini.  Winnie is Buffy's newest sister.

Have a Fun and Productive Day! 


1 comment:

missyhyde said...

unless your chickens magically turn into roosters