When we moved to Portland from Los Angeles, my husband and I looked forward to having outside space to call our own. Having a garden or an area to read with our feet in the grass was going to feel almost as good as living somewhere that didn't feel like a shoebox. Even though I had not had a pet since high school, I dreamed of having backyard chickens. It seemed like a great hands-on way to learn about sustainable living.

I admit that I'm a city girl at heart. Raising chickens would be a serious commitment, but I was willing to thoroughly educate myself. After doing the research, I realized I wasn't quite ready for the urban chicken experience. We have some serious predators - raccoons, red-tailed hawks, and coyotes - where we live so our chicken coop would have to be secured like Fort Knox. I also didn't have the time to be a full time mother to the chicks during the important first two months they would be in my care. (I'm using "I" here because while my husband was interested, he wasn't as committed to trying this experiment as I was). Then I got pregnant and all thoughts of being a mother hen turned to my own little chick.

This doesn't mean I've given up! Having backyard chickens seems like a great opportunity to teach kids all kinds of lessons, like responsibility and animal behavior. Chickens are also a great addition to your composting efforts.  They can eat things like vegetable and fruit peels and their droppings are great for your compost bin. It's also the ultimate way to assure you know exactly where your food comes from and how it was raised.