There are all sorts of home improvements to make your life better, and one that’s often overlooked is owning a chicken coop. Many students and teachers at Amador are owners of these birds, and many have chicken coops right in their backyards.

“My brother got three chicks which eventually became chickens. We wanted to be able to produce our own eggs, so my dad built a chicken coop. It’s also fun to have them for our personal joy. My little brother named them Cuddles, Apple, and Spikes,” said Imogen Rogers (‘22).

One of the most popular and tastiest benefits to having your own chicken coop are the eggs. Chickens lay eggs seasonally, typically in the warmer months. 

“We have three younger hens that produce at least one egg a day, and these eggs are tremendously different from the one’s you’ll find in the store. Flavor wise, they’re so delicious, and they keep for a lot longer than the ones in the stores,” said long term substitute teacher Steve Dady.

Eggs sold at the store are more often than not treated by factories in order to preserve flavor and shelf life. The benefit of chickens producing fresh eggs for you is that you know exactly what you’re getting on your plate.

“I just trust the eggs that my chickens make more, The reason a lot of people go vegan has to do with the way animal products are processed. People don’t like when eggs are produced with hormones and stuff,” said Rogers.

There’s also a good amount of eco-friendliness that comes with being a chicken owner. Chickens are always happy to eat the dinner scraps people usually throw away.

“They composted basically all of our scraps, they were really fun to watch and they grew really fast. They ate all the extra compost like salad, and things like that. It’s totally eco-friendly,” said Culinary teacher Judi Morton.

Chickens can do more than take care of your leftovers, and can also help take care of your garden. 

“If you compost it, the chicken manure is really great for fertilizing gardens,” said Dady.

Benefits aside, owning chickens can also be a lot of fun. They aren’t the most common pet, but many owners get easily attached to their loveable birds.

“We have six chickens. We adopted them right at the beginning of COVID and enjoyed having them so much that we got chicks that same year. They do have their personalities, and they’re fun to have as pets,” said Dady.