My husband (M) and I have been talking about moving to the country. But the reality is that we can't yet afford to leave our city jobs with their city salaries behind. So as I result I have been vaguely craving chickens for close to a year. Not chicken, as in roasted, fried or grilled. But chicken as in hens to lay me eggs, to do their quirky hen things, to squawk and cluck and squabble. In other words, chickens in a chicken coop.
Now, I know this is a trendy thing to do right now, this idea of city chickens. But I grew up on a farm with horses and sheep, ducks, chickens and turkeys, a couple of goats, a potbelly pig, and whatever else we had taken in that year. We always had a flock of laying hens in a stall in the barn. We must have had 15-20 most of the time. So I know chickens, I understand chickens. And, even though we live just south of downtown Everett, I have decided to get me some.
Turns out that the Everett city codes allow up to 5 hens without a permit, but no roosters. Works for me - my feelings about roosters are mixed. We always had one when I was a kid. Sometimes they were nice, and sometimes they were really, really mean and aggressive. So, no skin off my teeth not to have one.
The next step was to talk M into it. He's not so fond of live birds. He's okay with the ducks he shoots, as long as they're already dead. But, after much negotiation, we have struck a deal. He's willing to feed and water them and collect the eggs when I have to travel for work, as long as he doesn't have to touch them. Deal.
Now to decide what kind of coop to build.
