For my story on chickens in suburbia, I stopped by to have a look with two local chicken growers: Liz Sinnott in Pound Ridge and Clara Zander in Somers.

The Sinnotts got their first chickens in May as day-old chicks. They’ve just begun to lay eggs in the last few weeks.

They recently got a few White Cochins from another family.

I love the feathered feet. They’re supposed to be good layers and very gentle.

All the girls seemed very curious.

Lots of good stuff under the birdfeeder.

This rooster in front is now in charge. Unfortunately, he’s stuck with “Dottie” for a moniker—everyone thought he was a hen.

“Rooey,” his louder and more aggressive “brother,” was getting out of hand and was shipped off last week to a 60-acre farm in Orange County. He’s now got 26 hens under his supervision.

I had no idea the chickens would be so pretty—really beautiful feather patterns, especially on the Black Stars.

I think this is one of the Araucanas, well known for the pastel-colored eggs they produce.

Check out Liz’s blog —some of the video is hilarious.

Clara Zander has been raising chickens since she was 8, starting with six Barred Rocks. At 13 now, she’s won tons of prizes for the chickens and ducks she breeds and shows at county fairs and poultry shows. A very impressive young woman.

Clara gets up at 6:15 every morning to tend to her flock of 50 to 60 birds.

She’s raised many of the birds by hand and they’ve totally bonded with her. That’s “Lady” on the left, with “Tris,” who thinks he’s part chicken and part human, Clara says. These two birds go everywhere together.

The birds put themselves to bed every night and come when Clara calls them. And produce lots of compost for the many garden beds tended by her mom, Nancy.

Nice coop that her dad, Peter, built. The overhead netting protects the birds from hawks.

Say hello to “Thanksgiving.” Apparently, he’s not the brightest bird on the planet.

Here’s Clara with “Cirrus,” her first rooster. He’s 5 now and totally rules the roost.

Handsome fellow—and quite the crower.

And those eggs? Delicious! And look at the way they sit up in the pan.

An orange yolk is a sure sign of a happy and healthy chicken, Clara says.