PARKER, Colo. — Which came first, the chicken or the dream?
“We got chickens in college,” recalled Parker resident Nick Shor.
He and his wife, Cate, may have been winging it then, but an idea soon took flight.
“It's kind of like a gateway drug. When you get chickens, you just kind of get more and more and more,” he laughed.
Fast-forward to now and the Shors are the proud owners of Sher Farms, which sits on a dirt road in Parker.
The farm boasts goats, pigs, ducks, turkeys, and, of course, lots of chickens.
As first-time farm owners, the Shors said their main mission is to educate the public.
“There's a great disconnect between how food works and where it comes from,” said Nick Shor.
So, in addition to producing food and other goods for local markets, it’s also the headquarters for their new "rent-a-chick" program. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
“I send you home with this package right here. It comes with the incubator, hatching eggs, the feed, the bedding, everything you would need, and an instruction manual on how to take care of them,” explained Nick Shor. "Take that package home, wait about 21 days, then after that, you'll keep them for one to two weeks, or until you're tired of them, and then you can bring them back to the farm. I call it my no commitment pet!”
Even through the fun and excitement, Nick Shor said he hopes that the community takes away a newfound appreciation for where their food comes from.
“They see how much work goes into making the food. I feel like they're finishing their dinner plates a little bit more now, after seeing this," he said.
The Shors will soon open Sher Farms' doors to the public for tours, which will provide an even more in-depth look into the food production process.
