Chickens:

We attended a backyard chicken class tonight.  The class was put on by San Diego Sustainable Living Institute (http://sdsustainable.org/) and they have a ton of great classes.  We learned about chicken coops, feed, health, you name it!

I still can't decide if I want chickens or not.  These folks are really good at turning the chicken's bedding (which there is alot of) into compost.  And I'm not really good at compost yet.  I've tried two previous batches of compost and it never turned into compost.  I have a new batch now, and I'm following all the rules...  really hoping it turns into compost this time.

Our instructor had 5 chickens, all different types.  And they laid all colors of brown eggs. I asked alot of questions because I've read a handful of books and I seemed to know about everything that could go wrong when raising chickens. It was obvious that out of all the class attendees, I was the one asking all the "what about this" questions and the "what if this bad thing happens" questions. I seemed to know about all the health issues these birds can have, whereas he's been raising chickens for 10 years and has yet to encounter a health issue with his flock. So I thought that was good news, that they seem to be low maintenance.

Again, I just worry about the bedding/waste, and I worry about their nitrogen-rich poop burning holes in my yard (I have a lawn).  I was telling my husband that I don't want to lose the lawn, mostly because I'm concerned about the "look" of my house / its curb appeal, and its resale value.  So I don't really want to make drastic and semi-permanent changes to house.

I don't know, I guess I'll keep thinking about it.  The other thing is that I feel I should probably get 1) really good at growing my fruits and veggies and then 2) really good at making compost, and THEN I can think about chickens.  One thing at a time!

Anyway, really good class, only $35, and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking about chickens.