South Wildwood is an urban homestead that houses chickens with a talent for producing rainbow eggs. The Dallas-situated venture is the brainchild of Stephanie Webb, who remembers her grandfather always having a chicken catalog around the house while she was growing up.
“They had a small little chicken house that they kept here in Dallas that was still here when we moved here in 2015,” Webb recalls. “My husband integrated my papaw’s nesting boxes into the coop he built. It’s pretty special.”
We spoke to Webb about the rewarding nature of raising chickens and how being around poultry can be a stress reliever. We also got into how egg color genetics work.
Tending to Urban Chickens
What about caring for chickens on a daily basis? Webb says that “it’s as demanding as you make it be.”
She adds that when working in an urban setting, “I think someone can absolutely make it work with a good system in place that streamlines their workload. Things like automatic doors and feed auto-delivered take a lot of your workload and makes it automated.”
The Joys of Raising Chickens
“For us, it’s definitely not just knowing where our food comes from but also how it was treated,” says Webb when asked about the most rewarding aspect of adding chickens to your homestead.
“[It’s] shortening your supply chain. It gives you a much bigger appreciation for the work that goes into what is sitting on your plate.”
Webb adds that she appreciates how her children “are being raised with this level of responsibility.” She adds that “with the changing times, I think it is so important to have some level of self-reliance.
“It’s better to know how to and be able to before it’s a necessity.”
The Wonderful World of Rainbow Eggs
If you check out South Wildwood’s Instagram account, it’s a given that the array of striking rainbow eggs will catch your eye.
“I’m loving the grey tones some some of our girls lay,” says Webb, citing her current favorite shade of egg. “It’s like a new surprise every day when you check the nesting boxes.”
How Rainbow Eggs Work
Wondering exactly how you can produce such a range of different colored eggs?
As a basic explanation, Webb says, “Blue eggs deposit color in the actual shell, whereas with brown eggs coloring is painted on the outside. In the case of our Olive Eggers, it is a blue egg layer with two blue genes bred with a dark brown egg layer. When you take the blue egg and paint the outside with the dark brown, that is where you get the olive colored eggs.”
In short, Webb says that “the more paint, the darker they get.”
Sign Up for the Urban Chicken Movement
Weighing up the pros and cons of adding some chickens to your property? Webb says that you shouldn’t overthink it: “As long as you understand that it is a life and they are a commitment, take the plunge.”
Webb adds that the benefits of raising chickens are multiple.
“Sitting on our back patio and watching our girls forage and relax is the best stress reliever,” she says. “It’s right up there with gardening. I haven’t found one chicken person that doesn’t agree, too.
“If you haven’t tried fresh pasture-raised eggs before and are still on the fence, give them a try, then see if you’re still torn. You’ll never want to go back. No comparison.”
Follow South Wildwood at Instagram.
