SLSF Articles

It’s nice to have your own chickens and it’s not surprising that so many people are doing just that , in their own backyard.

Those chickens will keep you supplied with fresh eggs each day, and possibly even enough to sell on to local shops, or at the local market.

I think eggs must be one of my favourite foods. They are just so tasty ” and so versatile. There are so many ways an egg can be cooked ” boiled, fried, poached to name just a few. And that’s not even mentioning all their uses in baking cakes, quiches etc.

I live in the city and eat eggs regularly. Now the eggs that you get in supermarkets and grocery stores are OK, but have you tasted those down-home, free-range varieties?

I usually spend a weekend in the country with my mom, every five or six weeks. And she always seems to have a supply of “free free range” eggs at the ready. She gets them from a local farmer who calls to the door. Now these eggs are about as far from battery eggs as it’s possible to get.

And those eggs always pass the taste test - they get my vote every time. The taste is far superior to shop eggs - even top those ones marked as “free range”.

I suppose that I have this discerning taste because I was reared on delicious eggs like these. On the farm where I grew up, we kept our own chickens, and I think I got the taste for the “down-home” eggs. It never leaves you!

And you know, keeping a few chickens is no big deal ” if you have a reasonably-sized back garden, you can build your own chicken coop and start your own egg-laying factory.

And I think that it’s hard not to get attached to the chickens - they can be so endearing. You can of course keep them for the eggs, but they can turn out to be like pets!

I’m not joking when I say that I could watch chickens for the longest time. They are just so amusing - whether it’s the way the look at you and at each other, or the noises they make.

They are all individuals - some are bold and boisterous, others are more reserved and timid. And each one likes to announce the laying of an egg!

And the chickens come in many beautiful colors and varieties, such as Golden Campines, Blue Andalusians or the popular Rhode Island Reds.

You can treat them as pets if you wish, but they will keep laying eggs anyway. I can’t think of another pet that will give “something back” to you!