A Brief Backyard Bird Farming Manifesto
Urban living has its perks. Living closer to cultural hubs and in dense city centers offers more possibilities for meaningful connections to other human beings, and even has certain environmental benefits over being spread out over a large area.
However, we lose something important when we let go of our connection to the land and its bounty. There is value in seeing how food is produced and participating in the act of growing what you eat.
Most people are constrained by demanding jobs, and too little time, money, and space to make backyard farming practical. I, for one, have never been able to tend a garden long-term, and the little veggies my planter boxes have yielded usually tasted worse than what I could buy at the grocery store. While I hope to someday work my way up to a thriving urban homestead, I am a pragmatist and an incrementalist. I want to start with something that is satisfying and that makes sense from an economic standpoint. As with all things, there is a balance – a yin and a yang.
Enter the backyard chicken coop. Chickens can comfortably live with just a few square feet. To use a somewhat unfortunate metaphor, they are some of the most efficient machines for turning photosynthetic growth (plants) into high-quality protein (eggs). Build the coop, buy the feed, and you get a steady supply of delicious eggs that are fresher and tastier than the store-bought variety – even the expensive ones that sell for $10/dozen.
For most, chickens are the best entry point into the distributed food movement. They are much less work than house pets but provide much of the same satisfaction. You can name them, pet them, and even train them. Your friends will all think you are cool and generous when you gift them with your surplus eggs. Chickens will even up-cycle your compost and food scraps. The more you give them, the brighter the yolks and the happier the chickens.
For all of these reasons, I believe it's time for a new movement – a revolution, even. I'm no expert builder, but I've built a few coops, and know what it takes to make a sturdy, bandit-proof home for our winged egg-laying friends. Otie's is an experiment in building a network of urban and suburban homesteaders. I hope to make a buck by making my customers into healthier, more ecologically conscious people. I won't go into the arguments against factory farming here. Suffice it to say, there's too much cruelty and waste in the status quo.
Whaddaya say we work together to eliminate some of that cruelty and waste, and start up right in your own backyard? Get a quote and give us a holler.
However, we lose something important when we let go of our connection to the land and its bounty. There is value in seeing how food is produced and participating in the act of growing what you eat.
Most people are constrained by demanding jobs, and too little time, money, and space to make backyard farming practical. I, for one, have never been able to tend a garden long-term, and the little veggies my planter boxes have yielded usually tasted worse than what I could buy at the grocery store. While I hope to someday work my way up to a thriving urban homestead, I am a pragmatist and an incrementalist. I want to start with something that is satisfying and that makes sense from an economic standpoint. As with all things, there is a balance – a yin and a yang.Enter the backyard chicken coop. Chickens can comfortably live with just a few square feet. To use a somewhat unfortunate metaphor, they are some of the most efficient machines for turning photosynthetic growth (plants) into high-quality protein (eggs). Build the coop, buy the feed, and you get a steady supply of delicious eggs that are fresher and tastier than the store-bought variety – even the expensive ones that sell for $10/dozen.
For most, chickens are the best entry point into the distributed food movement. They are much less work than house pets but provide much of the same satisfaction. You can name them, pet them, and even train them. Your friends will all think you are cool and generous when you gift them with your surplus eggs. Chickens will even up-cycle your compost and food scraps. The more you give them, the brighter the yolks and the happier the chickens.
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| Happier chickens mean happier chicken owners. |
For all of these reasons, I believe it's time for a new movement – a revolution, even. I'm no expert builder, but I've built a few coops, and know what it takes to make a sturdy, bandit-proof home for our winged egg-laying friends. Otie's is an experiment in building a network of urban and suburban homesteaders. I hope to make a buck by making my customers into healthier, more ecologically conscious people. I won't go into the arguments against factory farming here. Suffice it to say, there's too much cruelty and waste in the status quo.
Whaddaya say we work together to eliminate some of that cruelty and waste, and start up right in your own backyard? Get a quote and give us a holler.
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