Longtime client of mine called and wanted me to build them a Chicken Coop. She was raised on a farm, her family raised chickens commercially and just wanted to have a few layers for family and friends.

Turning out to be a pretty darn nice chicken coop. 10'x20' run on the side, coyotes are too thick to have them free range. Dutch door for the main door and 3 small doors on the side for the laying box.

Her chicks arrive Thursday and will be inside for a few weeks before being placed in the coop.

By the time you figure the cost of the building and feed I figure about $10.00 an egg for the next couple of years, hope they are good!

Nice Coop.

You're right about the cost of the eggs though. The way I figure it, if I ignore all the startup costs, I break even.

I started raising chickens 2 springs ago (this spring will be the 3rd). They aren't the cheapest route to go but I know where they come from, how they've been treated, and yes...they are good.

It's been awesome for the kids too.

Hopefully I will get a few eggs from time to time. Do you find them that much better than store bought eggs?

There is a difference. I don't think it's huge but I think they're better. A big deal to me is the conditions the industrial egg farms are run in. Not good for things that are alive in my opinions.

Store eggs are also not as fresh by the time you get them to the kitchen. Store eggs have been pasteurized typically. Home grown eggs really don't need to be unless you're keeping the chickens in unsanitary conditions.

Really fresh eggs have very strong yokes. In fact, really fresh eggs aren't any good for boiled eggs. The proteins aren't broken down enough so they are really hard to shell and often bust apart when your pealing them. Fresh eggs will keep in the icebox a month, no problem.

I'm building a new coop this spring. I'll post it when it's done.