Backyard Chickens | #7
And a couple egg recipes.
Who here among us has not considered getting chickens this year? Ok, it may have been just fleetingly, or maybe you quickly dismissed the idea for lack of space or time. But the idea of having your own chickens is certainly alluring.
Chickens can provide eggs, make good pets, and they even turn food scraps and insects into valuable garden fertilizer. This past year when we’ve all spent more time at home, raising chickens reached the heights of popularity. And the trend doesn’t show signs of waning. Perhaps the highlight of Oprah’s recent interview with Meghan and Harry was getting a glimpse inside their charming chicken coop, complete with the sign “Archie’s Chick Inn.”
Spring is naturally the time to think about getting baby chicks. One of our writers, Helena Hill, wrote a piece about raising chickens that is still every bit as timely as it was when we published it years ago.
If you are contemplating the addition of chickens, Helena has practical information to impart as well as a touching account of how raising chickens has impacted her life.
Interested in Getting Started?
Order baby chicks and all the supplies you need at Island Feed & Seed in Goleta.
Dare 2 Dream Farms in Lompoc has chickens and supplies for sale. Or if you aren’t ready to raise your own chickens, you can buy eggs from their farm stand.
Order a personalized “Chick Inn” sign from this Etsy Shop.
Cooking Eggs
All this talk of chickens leads to cooking with eggs. If you have ever picked up some duck eggs or any other type of eggs and wondered how to substitute them in recipes for chicken eggs. Here’s a handy list of egg equivalents:
1 ostrich egg equals 18–24 chicken eggs
1 emu egg equals 10–12 chicken eggs
1 goose egg equals 4 chicken eggs
1 turkey egg equals 2 chicken eggs
1 duck egg equals 2 chicken eggs
3 quail eggs equal 1 chicken egg
Now you’re ready to make this Spring Vegetable Frittata, which works equally well with duck eggs or chicken eggs. You can use any spring greens you like, such as chard or spinach, but I like to use stinging nettles when I can find them at the farmers market. Be sure to use gloves when handling the raw nettles. Once they are cooked, they will not sting.
Or try this Egg Salad recipe served with roasted red peppers and arugula from Tried & True Kitchen (mother/daughter food bloggers Sarah Migliaccio and Janice Cook Knight).
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