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From the age of three, I had always wanted to be a veterinarian. A few undergraduate classes in carcass evaluation, cattle judging and less than savory experiences in the University of Minnesota's numerous poultry barns quickly changed my mind. I attended Avian Sampler one day to find egg-laying hens as far and wide as the eye could see, each in its separate one by one foot wire crate. The barn smelled horribly and a walk to the end of the stack of cages as the professor lectured revealed a 20 year-old hen, it's neck drooping with a neurologic condition of some sort. It was clearly a matter of time before this hen starved to death for an inability to feed itself. This fact, combined with the ideas I had about helping animals simply didn't jive. I completed my major as a vegetarian and became a major source of comedy and entertainment for the so-called "farm kids". Years later, I decided I would right this small wrong the best way I knew how, by keeping three hens of my own for egg laying purposes in my backyard and as pets. I wasn't sure where to start or how to make them comfortable. I hope the information I have come across as a proud, urban, free-range egg farmer will be helpful to those who are interested in doing the same thing. Happy birds make for tasty eggs.

I live in a harsh climate and needed to know what breed of chicken would thrive in the harsh winters of the north. I recommend using a resource at www.mypetchicken.com called the "breed finder tool". You are able to select which breed will work best based on climate, whether or not you want a rare/endangered breed, importance of egg-laying frequency and if you would like a colorful egg basket. I chose a French breed of chicken called a Faverolle that is very hardy in the winter, has feathered feet, is very docile and quirky. Now that I knew which breed I preferred, I needed to choose a coop. City living requires a permit signed by all neighbors within a certain distance of your home (check with your local Animal Control agency for details) so I applied for the permit via Animal Care and Control. Amazingly, my neighbors were thrilled to be expecting new, feathered neighbors and most were easily persuaded when promised a few eggs! I looked at several coops on-line, including the ever popular, plastic, Eglu. I would not recommend this coop for the comfort of the chickens unless you are only planning on raising two hens with your child. It is made of a thick plastic and sits right on the ground so it is not designed well for cooler climates or easy cleaning. I even saw one site describe it as the IMac of chicken coops. I chose a nice coop to comfortably accommodate 3-5 hens from a website, www.greenchickencoop.com which uses recycled materials, local woodworkers and earth-friendly materials. They were friendly and inexpensive to deal with. My coop arrived in about 3-4 weeks and I chose to get my Faverolle chicks locally as they are proven to be much more healthy and long-lived than those bought from hatcheries, where diseases can be rampant and treatment ethically questionable. Most cities and towns have chicken rescue organizations as well.

For laying hens to be, I started my chicks on a 19% protein grower mix until they were large enough at about four months to reduce their protein to 18%. I had been feeding them grit all along because chickens lack a stomach and have a gizzard where food is deposited and mixed with small rocks and gravel (grit) to digest it. I just started adding oyster shell to their basic diet as well because it provides calcium when the hens are getting broody and old enough to lay eggs (around 6 months). The extra calcium is needed so the chickens body isn't depleted of it causing weak bones and/or

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