The joy of keeping chickens.

Someone gave us this book to read awhile back, but I was a little skeptical.  Although keeping chickens seems rather trendy right now, and we own an organic farm market, I still thought it would be too much extra work and trouble. 

Then, last minute, we happened upon three chickens who needed a temporary home until our new Urban Acres store is finished this spring, where they will eventually live.  "Just for a few days" became a few weeks, and now they're happily living in our back yard.

Dolly, Polly, and Lolly

Let me tell you, there really is a joy about keeping chickens.  The excitement begins with their muted balking that we can hear through the bedroom window first thing in the morning.  Yet, they wait patiently to be let out of the coop.  Once the door is open, they walk out slowly, calmly, single-file and go about their morning, pecking and grazing all day long.

Right now, they're living in a makeshift, rickety coop that my husband threw together with old wood pallets and wire, beacuse the much more fashionable coop they came with didn't fit through our gate.  But these girls don't care. There's covering, a place for them to roost, and a door.  They could care less if it's a Pinterest-worthy dwelling. 

Each day, we look forward to our family scavenger hunt around the yard, looking for eggs.  Here's the first one we got - isn't it beautiful?

Chickens are easy enough that our 2-year-old can help take care of them, giggling and smiling as she spreads chicken scratch and other kitchen scraps on the ground.  She can even do it in a ballerina dress!