Page 16 - Reedley Exponent 3-21-19 E-edition

ABOVE: The chicken coop and brooder on the Torres property that houses plenty of chicks and chickens.
ABOVE RIGHT: A "Barred Rock and an "Isa Brown" chicken roam the property. MeredithTorreswasabletosellplentyofeggslastsum- mer to attend camp.
RIGHT: A newly arrived baby chick is brought out into the sunlight.
Photos by Juanita Adame / The Exponent
The Reedley Exponent B8 Thursday, March 21, 2019 CHICKENS
Continued from page B1
a growing trend across the country. Raising chickens for their eggs.
Just steps from the brooder stands a tall chicken coop.
"Daniel built this whole coop," said Julie. "He built the shed, the boxes, everything."
Julie added that they like to have a variety of chickens because they lay a variety of eggs.
"Well, they lay almost every single day," said Julie. "So right now, we have about 16 chickens that are of laying age. We collect anywhere be- tween ten and 16 eggs every single day, and yea that's a lot of eggs."
"We never have an egg shortage over here," Julie continued. "We are trying to give them away most of the time."
According to backyard- chickens.com, Keeping a backyard flock can be a re- warding and enjoyable hobby, one that is rising in popular- ity as more people recognize the many benefits of having a
backyard flock.
The article also sates that
the added benefits to owning "a pet that makes you break- fast" (by providing you with fresh eggs) you'll quickly ex- perience how fun it is to have chickens as pets.
Meredith couldn't agree more.
"Honestly, I just like see- ing how they are," she said. "How they act and how they are with the environment."
She said they make good companions and even has a favorite.
"Our sapphire [chicken], she's not over here right now, but she's like a blue grey, and
she's just super sweet."
The sapphire chicken is known for being a good layer of large brown eggs who do
well in warm climates. "She'll go onto the wheel-
barrow in the morning and I'll hold my arm out and she'll just jump on that and she'll just stay there for a while," said Meredith. "And she's just got a really funky per- sonality, she's really fun. I've seen them jump on our goats that we use to have, that was pretty funny."
Julie said the eggs they obtain from their chickens taste much better than store bought eggs and the family doubts they will ever go back to buying commercial eggs.
"These types of organic eggs, it's a much more mild and natural flavor and then
the yolk is just so much rich- er," she said.
Unfortunately, Julie said they have lost a few of their chickens to coyotes over the winter.
"We have been thinking of getting an enclosure for them so that they're more protected, during the summer it's not as much of a problem," said Julie. "During the winter is where it's more a problem, because the coyotes are short on food."
The Torres family lives just outside the city limits where poultry is allowed. Ex- perts agree that anyone in- terested in raising chickens needs to make sure their city ordinances allows it.
For more information on city code ordinances for rais- ing chickens in town, visit, Reedley.com.
"She'll go on the wheelbarrow in the morning, I'll my arm out and she'll jump on it."
- Meredith Torres
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Cheers To
100 Years!
If you see this Feisty Young Lady around town, please wish her a very
Happy 100th
Birthday
March 23rd, 2019
or mail birthday cards to P.O. Box 624, Reedley CA 93654
02336
Private Medical Consultant
You have my full attention.
- Welcoming uncommon, dif cult, and non-resolving problems. - Offering the focused time and attention to detail you need.
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