“My clients are quite shocked when they find out I raise hens. Everyone wants to see them,” says Megan Gollop, owner of Nails by Megan in Portugal Cove, Newfoundland, Canada. Gollop is the proud owner of six laying hens: three white and three brown. Getting the hens was not her idea. “My fiancé loves eggs and decided to get some laying hens. He has since had to move for work, so now I care for the hens while he’s away,” she says. “I have to be honest. At first I was overwhelmed with the thought of caring for the hens and I was kind of scared of them. But now I’m not at all scared and I find them so funny and quirky. They have lots of personality.”

The hens are housed in a chicken coop in the garage for the winter and an outdoor coop for the summer and spring. “They are not too hard to care for,” she says. “Each day I need to change their water and food and turn the shavings in the bottom of their coop.” As a result of her efforts, the chickens produce four to six eggs a day.

“It’s a great way to show my young daughter where eggs come from and how to care for other types of animals — we also have two dogs and two cats,” she says. “We have a small garden as well, so it’s nice that she can understand not everything comes from a grocery store.

“I have grown to really like these little birds. It’s so rewarding that they produce something we can use every day. And my clients are super excited when I offer them a dozen fresh eggs. They love it.”

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