LOCAL YOLKS

I live on a small piece of land in Los Altos, CA, with my husband and three small children, amid the hustle and bustle of the Silicon Valley, the beauty of the Bay Area, and about a dozen chickens who roam freely, greeting visitors and tending the garden. In early 2012 after much research and with a little fear, my oldest daughter and I made our way to Mill Valley Chickens for what we thought would be 3 chicks. We brought home 6 and returned the next month for 3 more, and so it began - my obsession with all things chickens. 'The girls', as I call them, free range during the day and roost at night in a small coop. They are our 'pets with benefits' : they provide food, fertilizer, and garden help, and they also teach my children lessons about where their food comes from and about the responsibility of caring for them. Our gardens are completely organic, with a mixture of native plants, ornamentals, and edibles planted together in different beds and layers. Our girls rarely eat plants..

Also known as: patandcourtney