The other day, as I was returning to Wilton from Lyndborough’s Maple Lane Farm after picking up a pie, I was struck by the many signs that announce “fresh eggs.” But it wasn’t the signs that grabbed my full attention. It was an elaborate chicken coop that appeared to be a chicken’s housing dream.

It made me think about our many neighbors who raise or have raised chickens over the years. With this in mind, I decided to look into what it takes to make a success of raising chickens and gathering eggs. And why do some let their flocks dwindle? I thought, who better to talk to than our neighbors?

I first wanted to meet the person who had the chicken coop that started my research. That person turned out to be Lauren Provost. I had lots of questions, and began with “What prompted you to raise chickens and is it rewarding?" I followed that with “What would you suggest for those just starting out raising chickens?"

She answered, “I’m fulfilling my childhood dream of raising chickens now that I have my own house. They are so friendly and I let them roam when we’re outside, but they never roam too far. I like having eggs for the community, and that means I get to meet a lot of people. The eggs go quickly, and our customers are very disappointed when we’re out. But don’t expect to make a lot of money selling eggs. We almost break even paying for their feed."

When I asked about the coop, Lauren told me her boyfriend, Steven Julius, designed and constructed this caged domicile for luxurious living and explained, “It houses 13 chickens, roosting boxes and feeders that hold quite a bit of food."

They have a watering system that recycles rainwater by collecting the runoff from the coop’s roof, and the sides are made of hardware cloth that is strong enough to keep both the chickens in and predators out. I learned chicken wire doesn’t keep predators out. On that note, Lauren continued, “We built a fortress to protect them with the side wire buried at least eight inches into the ground so nothing can burrow underneath. I grow plants and herbs on the side of their coop so they will have natural treats. Keeping them dry and safe from predators, with plenty of fresh water, are the most important things when raising chickens. You always hear of others’ horror stories about predators."

I thought, “I need to follow up on this wild predator bit and see where it leads."

Lauren’s coop is a far cry from the space once blocked off by chicken wire in Jennifer Beck’s kitchen after she rescued a wandering hen that moved into her backyard. Fearing the natural instincts of a bear who frequently visited her deck, Jennifer thought it best to provide a more-secure haven for her fowl friend at night, and the kitchen became her initial domain.

As all became more familiar with each other, the hen was allowed free range of the house. Her favorite spots to roost for the night were either a feather pillow or on an antique fainting couch when she wasn’t cuddling with Jennifer in her bed. This is one happy ending to a predator story. Other stories, I’ve learned, don’t have such happy endings.

Other neighbors, Sara and Rob Spittel, used to raise chickens close to their house. After several successful seasons, Norway rats took over and not only attacked the chickens, they invaded their home, followed shortly thereafter by an ermine who was only shooed out of the house through a bathroom window they had to break to give it egress. Now, the mice that have returned don’t seem so bad. Besides, they’re much easier to deal with. Sara told me, while they loved having the chickens, they will only get more after they build a coop further away from the house. She added, “Chickens can be sweet, low-maintenance companions who are one of the few pets that give a usable byproduct."

Another neighborhood family kept chickens in their barn for many years. They purchased some and raised others from eggs. They had a brooding box and an incubator where the chicks could safely grow. Once grown, foxes became a constant danger. Their rooster was as useful as a guard dog, chasing foxes away from his hens, until one day a fox outsmarted him.

I personally witnessed another predator in action -- our dog. One of the trails we used to walk took us behind their barn, and once he sighted their agitated running, he couldn’t resist. The result was a few detached feathers and general terror. We stopped taking that trail. Through age and predation, the family no longer has any chickens, but they plan on building a coop closer to their garden and will start again.

The Falk family on Isaac Frye Highway raised 12 chickens in a pen attached to their barn, giving them both outdoor and indoor space to commune and roost. That was until a family of wily raccoons gathered atop the pen’s wire roof and plunged through, killing all the chickens. Steve said, “We’ll raise them again, but this time I’ll reinforce that roof." He then told me that he had also raised free-range ducks. One year, he made certain a brood of ducklings hatched. That family of six used to follow Steve around the yard, and he even oversaw their swims in the marsh behind their house. This venture ended when Steve found the mallard in the beak of a hawk. His mate died soon after.

Shannon Linn and Michael Boggs have raised chickens for over a decade and most had names. They only have a rooster and a hen now, but will soon build their flock back to its former size of up to 35 chickens. Shannon announced, “We had the best eggs ever!" I learned the trick for great eggs is organic pellets and free-range feeding, especially near the compost heap.

I asked what happened to all their chickens. She replied, “You always lose some to predators. That’s nature’s way and you have to accept it, no matter how hard you try to keep them all safe. We do our very best to ‘fail proof’ our pens with electric fences, regular fences, in-and-out areas for safety and our dogs are always around, but things change and new predators move into the neighborhood. Baby chicks are the most vulnerable. One of our ponies lived for a while with our chickens and that seemed to work. We think multiple animals living together helps and we will be adding another companion to our chicken flock once we get more."

A sign on Wilton Center Road announces “Evergreen Acres – Rainbow Eggs." Down the driveway and a bit to the right, you’ll see a shed with a long chicken run behind it that has been reinforced every few feet with planks across the top and strong wire on all sides. Before this run was built, the previous holding pen was penetrated by a bobcat that killed one-third of the 30-plus chickens who had called it home. The replacement chickens and those that remained now live in relative safety.

As I was talking to owner, Rebecca, a customer stopped by for eggs and was disappointed that none were available. She said the chickens are finally producing enough eggs to keep most customers happy, but she’s never certain how many there will be each day. I asked about the cost of feeding her flock, and she admitted that with the cost of organic grain, egg sales don’t keep up with what they need to pay out, but they do it for the love of having chicken companions as neighbors. This response seems to be pretty universal among those who raise chickens.

Even Rhonda Watts-Hettinger, who I recently wrote about, told me that her chickens live in a strong cage up the hill from their barn that has so far withstood all attempts by local bears to grab a quick meal. Other than building a fort, perhaps housing a chicken in the kitchen makes some sense.