3 Ideas to Feed Your Family Healthier Foods

It seems like today's world is filled with news stories about unsafe food, movies about how food has become immoral and mechanized, economic hardship making it difficult to feed our families, and a confusing array of products that may or may not help any of these situations. Rather than navigate grocery store aisles deliberating between cage-free or organic eggs, locally grown, seasonal or year-round shipped produce, many people are taking their food into their own hands. From small-scale vegetable patches to backyard chickens, the options for growing and harvesting your own food has become an increasingly popular and smart way to take back your family's food.

Regardless if you have a tiny patio or acres of land, here are some ideas to get you thinking about ways to begin providing your very own food. 

Mmm... fresh peppers
for salsa and casseroles

Grow a vegetable garden. Often the afterthought of a landscape plan, vegetables can be beautiful and functional. Free plans from Better Homes and Gardens make it easy to plan and plant something that will feed your family healthy food and be a joy to look at. Since we've talked so much about the importance of play with your children, it shouldn't come as a surprise that there's even vegetable gardens are a great place to involve your kids. This plan offers a simple children's vegetable garden with plants that will continue to produce and require minimal upkeep. Think of the fun and lessons after an entire summer of growing and eating from your very own garden. 

Keep backyard chickens. Eggs from backyard chickens are different from the eggs you buy at the store. The fresh yolks are tastier and colored bright orange, thanks to the hens' access to greens and the bugs and other goodies they snatch up in their scratching. Needless to say, even when fenced out of the garden itself, they keep pest populations down. At season's end, you can turn your chickens loose in the garden for a time-honored solution to clean it your garden and prevent pests from overwintering. If you're concerned neighbors may not like chickens are much as you do, try ducks. Ducks lay delicious eggs without making such a ruckus. You do not, contrary to popular belief, need to provide them with a pond. Their manure is less conspicuous than that of a chicken's, sinking effectively into your increasingly green, well-fed lawn. Finally, your coop can serve double duty to enhance your landscape and house your egg-producing darlings. 

Grafting can make one apple tree
bear several varieties of fruit

Plant a fruit tree. While it will take a few years for your tree to bear fruit, you'll be rewarded with a remarkable supply of fruit for twenty to fifty years to come. Dwarf and semi-dwarf trees make it possible for anyone with an average-sized yard to grow fruit trees. Plant trees in the spring or fall and begin to enjoy the fruits of your labors in three to five years.

Visit www.fancybuilder.com for pictures and pricing on playful outbuildings to enhance your landscape including coops, gazebos, playhouses, and more.

Featured Project: Kendall's Coop

Kendall's Coop

Even chickens need a fun place to live, right?

Fancy Builder was contacted by a retired Idaho couple who wanted a chicken coop, but not just any chicken coop. For the outside, they wanted nice-looking building that would be an enhancement to their property. They also wanted a sturdy wood floor that could handle being moved and a barn-look for the structure.  For the inside, they wanted ten nesting boxes. Five on each side with identical nests on both sides of the coop so it could be separated down the middle.

As a sidenote to anyone considering a chicken coop, it can be handy to isolate a group of newly purchased chicks from older chickens who may peck at strange newcomers. It's nice to have a barrier but keep the chickens where they can see and hear and get used to each other.  Eventually, when the chickens are all friendly, the barrier is no longer needed.

Inside of Kendall's Coop

Based on all the family's requests, we developed plans for a chicken coop. The coop was designed more like a shed, complete with enough height for an adult to stand up. For the outside, we used vintage barns as our inspiration, complete with red siding and white trim.

Ready for delivery

The family loved the plans so we set to work on the project.

One of the requests for the design was a door with a window on it. I called around and managed to find this French door which everyone liked better than the original door. 

Once the structure was complete, we loaded it up for delivery and headed to the coop's new home in Idaho. 

Sergei and I never get time alone together, so the delivery was almost like a date for us. When we arrived, the family had invited about 20 friends and family members to watch the delivery.  

Complete chicken coop

When Sergei climbed up onto the roof and attached the cupola and weather vane everyone cheered.  Everyone said it was too fancy for chickens but they seemed to appreciate the quality of their new "Fancy Coop."

Considering Backyard Chickens? Read This.

A hen nesting

One of the most common questions asked by people who are new to the urban chicken concept is, "Why would people in a city area want chickens?" The answer is surprising a sympathetic combination of two ideas: to bring back a simpler time with healthier food. This great article from the Examiner discusses some of the education needed to convince city-dwellers that backyard chickens are not a crazy fad. In fact, chickens fit pretty well with a busy lifestyle and a smaller yard. They are inexpensive to keep and can provide endless entertainment for a family with a sense of humor.

So you're ready to try it? This helpful guide offers a good overview of the steps involved, but make sure you're ready by asking yourself some important questions.

-Supplies. Am I willing to invest in the tools I need to raise chickens healthfully and successfully? You'll need chickens (of course! Be sure to check out the "Henderson's Handy Dandy Chicken Chart" to research what breeds to buy), a coop (we like ours quite a bit!) to house them in, and quality feed. You may want time-saving tools like egg washers. Are you ready to purchase all of these supplies to get your backyard chicken adventure off to a great start?
-Time. Just like the family dog or cat, your chickens need you for food and water. This article in CNN Money even profiled chicken babysitters for people taking summer vacations. Your chickens will likely be fine for a weekend if you leave them food and water (they don't need human companionship), but you might need some help for a week-long trip.
-Goals. Are you being realistic about what your backyard chickens will be providing? If you're picturing them as the final piece of of your idyllic farm life just like living in the South of France, you might need to adjust your expectations. Chickens can be comical, economical, and fun. They can provide manure for your gardens and eggs for your kitchen. They also can be noisy and messy. Make sure you're going into things with your eyes wide open.

Still game? You'll love it! Now allow me to introduce you to a great resource, the so-called Chicken Whisperer. He is a great resource for education, entertainment, and community.

Drop us a comment and let us know your thoughts on the backyard chicken phenomenon!