About This Place
Welcome to our little corner of Westport.
I'm Brett Cohen, and I live in Westport, Connecticut, with my wife, Hela, our kids, two dogs, our beloved goat Babka, and 30-something chickens that have completely transformed our backyard—and, in many ways, our lives.
People often ask how we ended up with a backyard full of farm animals in the middle of suburbia.
It all started in 2012 when my son came home from school after his class hatched chicks. He looked at me and asked, "Can we keep them?"
"I was the sucker who said yes."
What began as a few tiny chicks quickly grew into a passion for raising chickens, learning everything I could about caring for them, and creating a backyard that feels a little more connected to nature. Along the way, we discovered that the best stories often begin with the unexpected.
A trip to Scotland changed everything.
Years later, a family trip to Scotland introduced us to another love: goats. We couldn't stop talking about them, and before long Babka joined our family. She has been stealing hearts—and keeping us on our toes—ever since.
This blog is a place to share our journey: the joys of backyard chicken keeping, the adventures (and occasional misadventures) of life with Babka, coop projects, tips I've learned along the way, and a glimpse into what it's really like to bring a little farm life into suburban Westport.
Whether you're raising your first flock, dreaming about adding chickens to your backyard, or simply enjoy a good story about animals with outsized personalities, I'm glad you're here.