Community Egg Co-op
Have you ever thought about raising chickens? Have you given much thought to the difference between a freshly gathered egg and one from the store? You may want to after meeting Patrick and Holly, and watching this story. They had raised chickens themselves in the past and wanted to again, but this time they wanted to raise more of them for themselves and through their local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to provide directly to others. Through serendipity and the community coming together, they were able to pull together a team of 14 people to take care of 30 chickens to form Eastside Egg Co-op.
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There are so many benefits to raising chickens. They are a great addition to any garden, they clear out whatever area of land defines their boundary, and they also leave their nitrogen rich manure for the next round of plantings. The eggs from these naturally raised chickens are higher in the good omega-3 fatty acids than eggs produced from factory farms, not to mention being fresher. Typically, eggs from the supermarket are at least 2 weeks old before they even reach the shelf.
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If this is something you think you’d like to try, find out first if chickens are allowed where you live. If yes, like Patrick says, make it happen!
If you have some tips to share, I’m all ears! This is something I’m considering doing myself.
—Rebecca
Related: Henwaller (Patrick and Holly’s Blog); Eastside Egg Co-op
March 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 am [...] A CSA in the Pacific Northwest worked with their farmer to make eggs happen for the group. It’s great to see some really creative solutions and I love the idea of cooperating to take care of animals. From Cooking Up A Story > [...]
March 6th, 2008 at 9:11 am Rebecca, I absolutely just loved this!
March 6th, 2008 at 4:01 pm Thanks, Moni! I’m with you, I love what these folks are doing. And the fact that this idea could be started in many other communities. Very beneficial to many…to the volunteers, to the farmer/grower, and to the CSA.
March 25th, 2008 at 3:04 am Rebecca, you can tell by their energy and their expressions it’s a very good deal indeed! Wins in all directions, I agree with you totally. Wow, just loved it!
April 9th, 2008 at 3:52 pm [...] Or check out this video about them by Cooking Up A Story. [...]
July 28th, 2008 at 1:20 pm [...] also went to the egg co-op out at Zenger Farm. It was really [...]
September 24th, 2008 at 12:51 pm [...] takes me to the farmer, who may grow fresh fruits, vegetables, or raise chickens (& eggs!), pasture feed their cattle, pigs, and maybe make cheese or pickles too. There’s a good chance, [...]
January 8th, 2009 at 10:25 am Nice story! You asked for tips… There’s a fun website called “The City Chicken” that will help you get started. “Chicken tractors” for even just a couple of hens are feasible for almost anyone. There’s another website, “Henspa” that makes a “stealth” mobile coop that looks like a trash can, if you really want to go rogue.
January 12th, 2009 at 10:57 am Thanks, Wendy. Patti Moreno, over at GardenGirlTV, shares a step-by-step video how to make a chicken tractor that fits over your raised bed…In between crop rotation, let the chickens do their part to ‘clean’ it out and leave manure behind! Great idea, I thought.
Bring on more tips…we all learn from each other! =)
January 14th, 2009 at 1:43 pm [...] vegetable garden systems into their designs. If you’re not ready for Food not Lawns or a neighborhood egg co-op these are the people you want to call on. Posted in [...]
February 16th, 2009 at 6:09 pm [...] is a group of folks who have launched a chicken co-op at Zenger Farm, on the urban outskirts. They share tasks with weekly shifts, and do joint projects and just generally get their eggs really [...]
June 7th, 2009 at 1:26 pm [...] Check out the related video story: Community Egg Co-op [...]
June 7th, 2009 at 1:30 pm [...] Garden Greens Quiche « From the episode: Community Egg Co-op [...]