Six laying hens morph into a backyard full of Little Cluckers

Chickens are addicting. At least that’s the view of Menlo Park resident Sarah Wright, who introduced six laying hens to her backyard last fall and has watched the hen house numbers grow to now include as many as 10 different varieties.

“I fell in love with chickens,” she says. “We got the first six – who are still the friendliest – and I had so much fun with them that I expanded to other breeds.  They’re amazingly addictive to sit and watch – like a little soap opera.”

With help from partner Doug Heilman, who runs Garden Rain Landscaping and is pictured with two Barred Plymouth rock hens, Sarah has turned the backyard hobby into Little Cluckers, selling chicks and eggs, and an occasional hen. She just launched a new website, Total Drama Coop, to keep customers up to date about availability. “I have a pretty good turnover,” she says. “Ideally, we have 10 in our laying flock. That’s plenty. I’ve been trying to figure out ways to make a real business out of this – moving behind our backyard.”

With that in mind Sarah and Doug  are looking for appropriate land that’s someone’s not using. As they’re both Bay Area natives, they’re hoping to stay local. She’s been told about the Klebe Egg Farm that operated only a few blocks away in west Menlo through the 50s and would like to continue the tradition of local egg producers.

If you have available land or want farm fresh eggs or chicks to start your own backyard laying operation, feel free to contact sarah[at]littlecluckers.com.

Photo by Chris Gulker