Today is World Egg Day, so I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate my pet chickens. At first when the fiancé said he wanted to have chickens on our little urban farm, I was very much against it. I had already started reducing my consumption of animal products, and I had read that chickens were pretty smelly.

But their silly antics have won me over, and I can’t imagine life without my two chickens. Meet Wile E and Roadrunner!

I love having chickens because I hate waste. It pains me to throw away veggie scraps, but now I can just scoop it all into a bowl and let the chickens have at it. They help to complete the cycle on our little urban farm, since we eat the veggies and feed the scraps to the birds, and through their droppings, the birds return the nutrients back to the soil for growing more veggies!

The finacé built them a cute little coop (not pictured) where they usually roost, but they have free reign of the entire yard. When I come out into the garden, the two of them always come running out at full speed to greet me.

Wile E is the bigger of the two. She prefers to eat fresh veggies and will go crazy any kind of fruit. Wile E lays these beautiful  pale seafoam green colored eggs. She’s more timid around people, but don’t be fooled – she’s at the top of the pecking order!

Roadrunner is the smaller of the two chickens. She’s not afraid of people, but if you’re trying to catch her, be prepared to zig-zag around the yard! Roadrunner is a protein-lover and prefers to spend her time digging around for bugs. Her eggs are a cream color.

Since our chickens work so hard to produce these eggs, I like to use them in ways that celebrate the eggs’ natural flavor, like in my perfect boiled egg recipe.

Owning chickens is not for everyone, but I highly recommend it if your city allows backyard chickens and if you’re in the market for some wacky companions!