Twin Oaks Farm

On Saturdays I always see Renee at the Seaside Farmers Market. Her Twin Oaks Farm fresh organic eggs, chicken and duck, are very popular. On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a poultry workshop at her farm near Bonifay. Thinking I might like raising a couple of chickens in the backyard, it seemed prudent to seek the wisdom of someone with practical experience on the subject and I've always admired Renee so when the opportunity presented itself I was happy to participate. Sitting on her big porch, sipping strong coffee laced with fresh milk, I listened intently with several backyard farmers and several backyard farmers to be as Renee laid out all the details of raising organic chickens including details on how to deal with weather issues, predators, housing and feed. She was thorough and may I also add, served a wonderful lunch. What I decided is that while the chickens are very pretty and would make a lovely addition to the aesthetic texture of our yard, for me it will be much smarter to buy the eggs from Renee on Sunday's. Watching three of Renee's favorite chickens busily clucking at the steps of her porch, I could see myself getting very attached to these creatures and soon I'd become obsessed with their comfort and happiness; keeping the dog away from them would become a full-time job; and I'm guessing that building a simple chicken coup for their home would become an epic, on-going life event for me. So, for the near future anyhow, I'll still be buying our eggs at the market.