Trading clicks for clucks in the Silicon Valley

Backyard chicken keeping has taken off in the Bay Area as residents seek ways to disconnect from technology. Most people spend a grand or less on their birds and coops, but a wealthier subset of chicken owners have gotten really into it — in some cases sinking $20,000 or more into fancy heritage chickens and ornate homes for them.

Reporter Laura Newberry interviewed a South Bay woman who designed her own gingerbread-style coop; a so-called chicken broker; and a sociologist who says fancy flocks and the colorful eggs they produce has become a form of cultural cachet in some communities.