GOOD EGG

Keeping backyard chickens is cheap, safe, and easy.

WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE STIKA

I grow most of my own veggies and during the recent harvest season I would not have imagined adding another chore to my garden life. Yet now the snow is falling and I find myself thinking not about the seed catalogs but about breakfast, a delicious, fresh breakfast. I am thinking about eggs. Omelets, scrambles, Benedict … I love them all.

I’ve thought about owning chickens before, yet those thoughts were commingled with doubts. It would take too much time, cost too much, and/or my dog might get to them. I’m also a bit of a germ-a-phobe, and I had it in my head that if I had chickens I would surely get some sort of avian disease. Also, I like to travel. I couldn’t possibly have chickens if I wanted to explore the world. Or could I?

I decided to talk to Jana Vanderhaar, a Reno resident who keeps chickens and amazingly, is not only healthy, but also takes vacations. I had to find out how she did it and why.

COOPED UP

It turns out Vanderhaar’s reason is quite simple; She wanted to have fresh, healthy eggs for herself and her family. Three years ago, with help from her husband, Tom Miller, she converted an old shed on their property to a chicken coop. The coop consists of the interior of the shed, which has roosts for the chickens to perch on and nesting boxes.

There is access to the nesting boxes for egg collection through a cut in the side of the shed that latches closed on the outside. Attached to the door of the shed is a pen that has fencing on all four sides and on the top and bottom. The chickens’ water and food are kept in the pen. And there is a gate for human access into this area.

These areas are safe from predators and if the family leaves for up to three days, the chickens can remain happily and safely in this part of the pen. On the opposite side of the outer pen there is another gate that leads to a larger outdoor area. This outer area is only fenced on the sides and this is where Vanderhaar lets the chickens scratch and have daily dust baths. While it is best to give the chickens as much room as you can afford, the general guidelines are 2 square feet per chicken inside and 8 square feet outside. So much for my concern about the dog. You must protect the hens from predators, and fencing is a great solution.

EASY DOES IT

I asked about the day-to-day maintenance needs. Vanderhaar replied that every morning she lets the chickens out into their outer run, replenishes their food and water, and then returns them to the fully fenced portion at night. She has two large feeders, one each for food and water. The coop only needs to be cleaned out twice a year. So much for the time argument. Maybe I can’t travel the world, but vacations are a definite.

I thought cost would surely be an issue. Animals take money, right? It turns out chickens are a lot less expensive than my dog, which has yet to feed me (I know he would if he could). Once the coop is built, the only expense is the feed.

Along with kitchen scraps, Vanderhaar feeds her hens organic pellets and grains. A 50-pound bag of organic pellets from the Great Basin Community Food Coop in Reno is about $24. For Vanderhaar’s six chickens this lasts six to eight weeks depending on the time of year. A family of four would have plenty of eggs with just three chickens. You can supplement their food with any whole grain. And at just a handful a day, the cost is, well, chickenfeed.

KEEP IT CLEAN

Disease was my final reason why I thought I couldn’t have chickens. Well, I was thwarted again. It seems that salmonella may be present on store-bought eggs as well as on eggs from your own chickens. It is also easy to avoid getting sick from salmonella. Wash your hands after handling the chickens or cleaning the coop.

And eggs actually have an antibacterial layer on them. Do not wash the eggs. Instead, they should be directly placed into your refrigerator until you cook them. Then there is virtually no concern. If the eggs are a bit messy, rub them clean with your fingers, then wash your hands. So it comes down to this: Chickens give us eggs, meat, and fertilizer. They build the soil, and you can feed them all of your undesirable garden bugs and kitchen scraps, even meat and dairy.

They don’t take a lot of time or money, and from the eggs Vanderhaar gave me I can tell you they make a much better omelet than storebought eggs. Studies have shown that local pastured (from chickens allowed to roam in open pastures) eggs are more nutritious as well.

If you’re not convinced or are unable to keep chickens, taste the difference by supporting a local chicken farmer. Rise and Shine Farms in Fallon and Girl Farm in Reno offer community- supported agriculture programs where consumers pay a fee for a weekly delivery of eggs and chicken meat. You’ll be supporting your local economy and providing a healthier alternative for you and your family.

For me, well, I don’t tend to do things small. So I’m converting my backyard shed into a coop this spring, and raising as many hens as I can fit in there. It seems a lot of people like the idea of a fresh egg, so it’s even turned into a kind of cooperative. My friends are going to pitch in for the feed in exchange for eggs. They might not realize it yet, but this also gives me plenty of chicken sitters when I want to get out of town.

Stephanie Stika is a horticulturist and avid backyard gardener whose passions include edible landscapes, sustainable agriculture, and supporting local business. She also has a landscape design and consultation company called Your Plant Guru (Yourplantguru.com).