OTIS POULTRY FARM SERIES

Locally Laid, our pasture-raised egg company, was born.Д«efore dashing out to buy a few, or several hundred, chicks, youвЂ™ll first need to determine how many your local zoning regulations permit and how many your property can accommodate, given a ratio of roughly one bird per 10square feet of pasture.

OTIS POULTRY FARM SERIES

In June, we took delivery of 900 pullets (young chickens on the verge of laying eggs) and housed them in a series of DIY hoop coops. We spent the next few months attending conferences and classes for beginning farmers, consulting state agencies about regulations, and finding the perfect 10-acre parcel for rent 35 miles outside of town. So when he was laid off that summer, and learned that no area stores carried pasture-raised eggs, my husband got to scheming.

Watching our happy hens scratch the earth, Jason felt a sense of accomplishment heвЂ™d never experienced in his day job as a grant writer.

And the eggs! Who knew that a backyard diet of grass and bugs, supplemented with quality chicken feed, could result in eggs with such bright flavors, robust yolks that stand up tall when fried, and whites that whisk into gorgeous meringues? The birds came when called and seemed to enjoy being petted by our two young children. We set the chicks up in a kiddie pool in the garage, eventually moving them to a coop Jason cobbled together from sheets of corrugated metal. In the spring of 2010, shortly after Duluth, Minnesota, passed an ordinance allowing residents to keep chickens, my husband, Jason, came home from the feed store bearing a couple of baby buff Orpingtons and three Rhode Island Reds. Letters to the Editor: oobserverletters yahoo.It started innocently enough. For consideration they must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publication.Д¬alendar listings: oobservercalendar We invite submissions, news tips, photos, comments and suggestions including letters to the editor. The Otis Observer and its principals, officers, staff and volunteers disclaim any liability whatsoever for inaccuracies found in its content. Statements and opinions in these articles are solely those of the author(s). Where possible, the author and the source are documented within each article. Many articles come from sources outside of our organization. The Observer provides news and opinion articles as a service to our readers. No portion of the Observer may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Mailed and Gift Subscriptions вЂ“ please complete & send us the form above. Donations are tax-deductible as this newspaper has 501(c)(3) status. Donations are needed to continue publication, and can be sent to Otis Observer, PO Box 533, Otis, MA 01253. The Otis Observer, staffed by volunteers and funded by individuals and businesses, is published 11 times a year with a combined January-February issue. And in LEE: the Library and in MONTEREY: the Library Also, in SANDISFIELD: Town Hall, the Library and New Boston Inn.

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Otis poultry farm