Coop Dreams
A ragtag flock of heritage-breed hens named after TV characters lived in my childhood yard. Wilma and Betty, Lucy and Ethel, and Alice and Trixie supplied our family with great eggs—recipe ideas for which you’ll find on page 36. They also offered our golden retrievers much entertainment. Ever since, I’ve had a soft spot for chickens. By law, they’re the only farm animal allowed at my suburban home, and on lazy afternoons, I design a backyard coop in my head while staring at an open patch of grass. But that’s as far as it gets. My exuberant pup would stress them out. So I’ll raise chickens vicariously through this issue with you. We’ll watch their antics with Becky Sernett, who writes on page 56 about how keeping hens is theraputic. Let’s find…