A chicken castle

Do you suppose there is a connection between the price of eggs and the proliferation of chicken mamas? My daughter-in-law studied up and built a chicken castle for four lucky ladies who pay 120 eggs a month’s rent. My niece recently arrived at my sister’s house for a weekend visit with her five children, a dog, a rat, and a retinue of 17 chickens. The babies were still in the brooder and she couldn’t find a chicken sitter.

Apparently there is more to keeping chickens than tossing them out in the yard and scattering feed at their feet. I’m learning it requires quite a bit of knowledge about their habits to keep them healthy and laying. Do the job right and chickens serve up protein-rich food and the pleasure of their company.

Author Flannery O’Connor dressed her chickens. No, really, she sewed clothing for them. “A gray bantam named Colonel Eggbert wore a white pique coat with a lace collar and two buttons in the back,” writes O’Flannery in her essay “The King of the Birds.” As amusement, this far exceeds most television programming. Costume your Cubalaya and cast her in a production of your own.

Not to go down a rabbit hole (a whole other subject) but you can choose from an assortment of breeds rated for egg laying capacity, egg color, cold hardiness, and pet friendliness. (If you like to cozy up to your feathered friends, some varieties are better lap chickens than others.)

What has all this got to do with the price of eggs? Big egg producers are fighting bird flu, sending the cost of eggs into the stratosphere. Buy local! Locally grown eggs are fresher, tastier, cheaper, and more colorful. How fun is it to have your eggs delivered to you by a friend or neighbor at church or in your yoga class? Or find them at your Farmer’s Market.

Support your local chicken mama!