While soul searching for something more to write about it is always good to go back to the things you know. After all, what kind of authority on any subject are we if we write about things we don’t know. It’s as if the world has gone toward the web in order to report on things that they only seem to know a little about and make up the rest.
We moved to this Sherburne County back road the week of the tragedy of 9/11. Quite quickly upon arrival I proclaimed that I wanted to raise chickens. While I was not necessarily ridiculed by my friends and family, they probably though this was another one of my “hair brained” ideas. Incidentally, I think of it as divine creative inspiration but other do not. That next summer we built the 12×16 shed that was needed for storage and more importantly a coop.That was the beginning of one of my most peaceful hobbies and flash point that ignited my desire for a more self-sufficient lifestyle.
Fast forward to January 2011. Now it’s over eight years into this “hobby”, which pays for itself and provides us and our extended family all the eggs they need. It also has provided us with a little side business when eggs are available that goes back into providing our chickens with food, heat in the winter, and a great home… oh, and it gives me something to do that brings me peace. That will suffice for a prologue as I share our experiences and thoughts about our agrarian lifestyle.