The Suburban Chicken
Описание книги
With more and more city dwellers and suburbanites embracing the notion of getting back to basics and living simpler, more rustic lives, it’s no surprise that the popularity of backyard chicken keeping has skyrocketed in recent years. Whether for enjoyment as pets or for the convenience of farm-fresh eggs right outside your door, chicken keeping can be an easy and fun step on the road to more sustainable, ecologically friendly living.Written by Kristina Mercedes Urquhart, The Suburban Chicken shares the author’s knowledge on general chicken husbandry, profiles of 20 suitable breeds for suburban living, how to provide your birds with optimal accommodations, and the healthcare needs of chickens, among other important topics about which prospective chicken owners should be familiar.INSIDE SUBURBAN CHICKEN:•The benefits and enjoyment of keeping chickens as pets.•Considerations for would-be chicken keepers, including local ordinances, space requirements, initial and ongoing expenses, and preparing the home and family.•Favorite standard-size, bantam, and egg-laying breeds for metropolitan and family living.•Hatching eggs and raising chicks.•Coop styles and descriptions of all equipment that a budding chicken keeper needs, as well as a chapter dedicated to keeping chickens safe from predators. •Preventive care and optimal diets for healthy, hardy birds. •Raising chickens for eggs: the science behind egg production, how to properly handle and store fresh eggs, and the differences between store-bought and homegrown eggs, as well as some exciting recipes for your bounty.
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I grew up with these birds quite literally in my backyard, entirely unintentionally. They were always underfoot, roosting overhead, or, at their best, blocking traffic across town as the proverbial chicken crossing the road. My grandmother, on the other hand, having grown up in Key West as well, intentionally raised these very birds. Learning from her mother, she helped care for the flocks of chickens and pigeons that provided the family with meat and eggs. As a girl, my grandmother was entrusted with the chores of plucking the processed pigeons and egg collecting. Raising your own food was sustainable. It was healthy eating close to home. It was a way of life. And after all these years, it’s a way of life that I’m aiming for as well.
Fast-forward many years and I’m 25, sitting on the couch watching television. I’m living in Brooklyn, New York, with my husband, paying all too much in rent for our tiny ground-floor apartment. I’m watching a home improvement show geared toward sustainability, taking mental notes of what I want to include in our dream house, when the homeowner leads the show’s host out to the backyard. Here she has a small triangular structure on the grass with a few chickens pecking around inside. She describes her birds (naming each one, of course) and how they fertilize her soil as she moves her “tractor” around the yard.
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Tales from the Coop
A life with animals was one I had long known well. The responsibility of their care came naturally and always held joy for me. For the most part, the change in routine that came with keeping chickens felt seamless for my husband and me, city slickers though we used to be. Overall, they fit right into our homebody lifestyle.
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