Eastside Egg Cooperative at Zenger Farm
Portland, Ore
What's all the fuss about backyard chickens? Well, first, it is generally agreed that the eggs taste better and contain more nutrients than the mass produced kind at the grocery store. Second, you have the satisfaction of knowing that the hens are treated humanely and without antibiotics or hormones. Also, chickens are easier to keep than dogs and cats, have a high entertainment value, and get along well with people. And lastly, their poop provides valued nutrients for the garden!
Zenger Farm is home to the Eastside Egg Cooperative (EEC) and acts as one big backyard chicken coop for a group of 14 families. The EEC was manifested by Patrick Barber and Holly McGuire. Along with 13 other families, they share a once-a-week shift in taking care of the hens and gathering the eggs. The EEC's 30 hens lay more eggs than the 14 families can use, so extra eggs are shared with the farm or sold to the community.
A unique aspect of the EEC is the fact that its coop is mobile. The mobile coop, sometimes called a chicken tractor, is fitted with two custom made wheels which allow the hen house to be moved from plot to plot. A mobile, solar powered, electric fence is used to keep out predators. This mobile system allows the chickens to do a lot of the hard gardening work around the farm. They prep the land by eating pests and weeds, scratching up the dirt, and nourishing the soil with their poop.
I've learned so
many interesting facts while photographing chickens around Portland that including them all in this newsletter would make it too long. So if you
want to learn more about chickens and raising them, I encourage you to
view my galleries, which include facts along with the
photos. The first gallery of photos from my Eastside Egg Co-op visit is here.
|
Todd Peres' Backyard Coop
Portland, Ore
Todd Peres
is a backyard chickener who lives in Portland, Ore. He works in the Pearl District at Design
Within Reach, so I expected him to have a
well designed chicken coop - and he did not disappoint me. He purchased his chicken house
from someone on craigslist.com and then added his own touches: a
run, a walkway, and a stylish paint job. Chicken coop design has become quite a competition in Portland. You can even survey some of them in an event called the Tour de Coop.
Many cities, including Portland, allow up to 3 chickens per house without a permit. Todd has three Rhode Island Red chickens, known for their
hardiness and laying abilities. The hens lay a light to dark brown egg almost every day.
All you'll need to keep your own chickens is a 10' x 10' area in the backyard, a hen house,
a fence, feed, water, hay, and of course chickens. If you buy chicks tomorrow, you'll have laying hens in about five months. There is a plethora of
information on backyard chickens in books and on the web. If you're lucky, someone in your
town offers classes on how to build a coop or keep chickens.
More photos and facts about Todd and his hens are in this gallery of images.
|
Crippled Crow Farm
Sandy, Ore
The above photo shows Frank Eckstein's tattoo of a crow on his forearm. Frank named his farm Crippled Crow Farm in honor of the wildlife
rehabilitation he's fond of doing, like caring for injured birds until
they can be returned to the wild.
If you can't find an egg co-op or keep your own chickens, then you might be able to find a local backyard farmer like Frank Eckstein. With just three quarters of an acre he's able to provide his community with natural, pastured eggs and delicious, humanely raised meat chickens.
Frank's 48 hens yield about 75 dozen eggs a month. Farm fresh eggs usually
have more beta carotene (from the grass the chickens eat) and more
omega-3 fatty acids than the conventional eggs found at most grocery
stores. Their dark, orange colored yolk is a testament to the extra nutrients they contain.
My gallery of Frank's farm has more backyard chicken facts and also includes photos of his six turkeys, two roosters, and two pigs.
For those who are wondering, like I was, what kind of chickens produce conventional eggs – and what happens to them when they stop laying – I decided to share those rather unpleasant facts in my
blog. Wouldn't want to rain on anyone's Easter parade!
|
|
|
|
A Barred Plymouth Rock Chicken
Patrick Barber gathering eggs at the EEC
Custom wheels of the chicken tractor at the EEC
Todd Peres collects eggs from his own backyard
Velma says hello
Frank Eckstein's chickens roaming free in the back yard.
 This Light Brahma Hen even has feathers on his feet.
|
|
