Mom will not let me get chickens

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chickmomma03 said:
It really does! I spend a lot of fresh produce for them. I've tried to find local grocers who have stuff they can't use, but more often than not it's no (they have a local waterfowl rescue that picks up which is awesome). I'm about to add oyster shells into my expenses since I have a roo and it's a bad idea to switch to laying feed from what I was told.
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My birds eat pretty much anything. If you're feeding a varied diet and or free ranging, I feel the switch of food isn't a big deal.

I agree with time and costs. If you're winning shows it would help, but it's a big investment getting there. If you are selling eggs, it could help with money, but again it's an investment and more birds.

The best information given though is about research and knowledge. Get books from the library that your mom can thumb through too. Make lists of pros, cons, and household benefits. If your mom gardens maybe she'll like the access to manure, maybe she'll appreciate a decrease in food waste? There are many benefits to owning a chicken that aren't obvious ones, you can research to make your case. Be patient and thorough, take the time to prove you're dedicated, whatever you do don't argue with your mom. Invite her to learn with you.
 
Quote: Unfortunately free ranging isn't an option. Hawks, and just to reinforce that feeling one got the neighbor's male duck the other day, then 2 days ago went after my chickens (which thankfully was a failed attempt). I throw some clover from the yard and a few other things in there. They enjoy my bug and snake kills too lol.
 
MeepBeep said:
Even a bare minimum coop and run will set you back hundreds when it's all said and done... Cost will also vary by the amount of birds and your upkeep schedule...

I have quite a few birds and if I wasn't lucky enough to get free day old and expired food from a local grocery store, my feed bill for the week would jump from about $20 to $60 or more easily several hundred a month... I also have a large coop with lots of litter, I use the deep litter method so I rarely change the littler but when I do it's about $200 to do so... That $5 a pop for pine shavings adds up quick...

Now of course if you only have 2 or 3 birds it's a lot less overhead, but all the nickles and dimes still add up and so does your time...
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Oh yes, a coop and run can be spendy. My family's lucky enough to live on a third generation farm, complete with a 90 year old, solid log chicken coop. We've done some work to the coop, (right now we're re-doing the roof) but the total we've spent on it is between only $20-$25. (Including the roof re-model, because we have all the lumber on hand, so all we had to buy was the tar paper) We were able to build a huge run made out of steel fence posts and 6 foot high chain link fencing for a grand total of about $90. We had the steel fence posts and much of the chain link fencing on hand, so that kept the costs down. I estimated that if we would have not had the fence posts and fencing on hand, the grand total wold have been $400+. So you just have to be thrifty.
 
Maybe suggest to her you guys try one of those "rent a coop" site that will provide a coop and a few hens for a few months? That way there is no long term commitment (that should be reasonable to mom), you learn from he experience, and most importantly you can prove that you are indeed responsible. After a few month you and mom and can have a conversation about having chickens permanently and you and she both will have data to support your decision together. The data will help you, always does. Good luck!
 
Good Luck. Maybe one day you can own your own chickens.
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