Official BYC Poll: How Long Have You Been Raising Chickens?

[Lipene]

We only bought our 4 girls yesterday, had chickens many years ago and now have the room to keep them again, they are Isa Brown and we are looking forward to having our own free range eggs again.

 

[Waves]

What got you interested in raising chickens?
Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?

The first time i touched a chicken was about the 25th of March, 2014. I was 11 years old. Only 6 years ago! And it seems me a life
Our parents decide to take chickens to have fresh eggs and some pets for our family..Firstly, i was a bit disappointed, i preferred little chicks, but the store had only 7months old pullets.

I clearly remember when they arrived at home, like it was today.
I was so excited!!!! i remeber that i putted one finger in the fence, and one of them pecked me! so funny! I had a little fear of them. That day, and some days next, i didn't touch them. I remember the day in which we choose some of the names of our hens.
The clearest hen was named Ambra (Amber), the darkest Ciocca (assonance with Chocolate), the one with the biggest comb Vania (foppish), the one with green eyes Giada (Jade), the one with the more orange eyes Arancina (Little Orange). Then, we named Pantaloncina (cause she always pecked my trousers) and Marina (i don't know why! it means "thing of the sea")
Then, i began to hug, to play, to talk with them... i have so much memories of that period. I remember that Amber feared to fly (i taught them to fly), Vania always found hidden food, Panta loved to be hug, Ara was the most panicking and smiling (cause of the shape of her beak) hen ive ever seen, Ciocca had the facial expression of a strict teacher, but she was a sweetie, and Giada was the most carismatic hen (boss of the flock even during her illness) i've ever seen, she always posed for my photos! a model! Marina is an headstrong chicken, rebel, and she overcomes Vania with the biggest comb!!! She's affectioning to me in the last period. She sits on my knees for minutes.. i would write a book, if i write all I get so attached to them. I loved them so much.

Of my first flock, now only Marina, remained with me, and thanks to God... She's the queen of the flock. She is 6 years old, they are many years for an Isa Brown.
Others one to one went away from this world because of dfferent reasons, sometimes i still sadly cry remembering them.

I added to my flock two black pullets (mì and Nuì, together Minuit in french that means Midnight) and a silkie couple. (Batù and Batì). I'm slowly attaching to them. it takes time, i think.. i haven't began to hug them already, they fear me and i don't want to traumathyze them..! But i sit in the coop, with Marina on my knees, loving to stay with me, and let the new chickens scratching on mt trousers, on my coat, pecking my fingers, my phone, my hairs. I feel so happy, when i realize that spring is coming even for my mad flock!


My Queen Marina

Mì and Nuì

Batù the roo

Batì the silkie

 

[Duckfarmer1]

We have been raising chickens for about a year now. We started with meat chickens..which were totally boring. They didn’t do much, didn’t have personalities, didn’t live long...but that was the whole goal, so not their fault. Then we moved to the layers...and that’s been much more fun! I have noticed tha5 the ones we’ve raised from chicks are sooo much more loving, will perch on my arm for a long time...but, the many we’ve bought as pull are coming around, it just takes longer. My husband seems to favOr chickens on our farm...he thinks they require the least maintenance..they go to bed on time..don’t make a fuss, never cause trouble...don’t cost much money, don’t require tons of daily work like my goats and other livestock....But, I like the chickens because they give back, they are have to see me...they are not real skittish, and the6 are very pretty with the beautiful feathering! I never knew how addicted I am to feathers!!we have BO, blue O, silver lace O, NHR, RIR, black sex link, Isa browns, EE...I’m forgetting a few breeds...

 

[Mimi13]

2 years in April.

What got you interested in raising chickens? I was browsing the lovely land of Craigslist, saw a weird fuzzy chicken, said "what the heck is that?/I need that", got chicks then found a coop.

Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens? Not yet.

What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share? I started with silkies, but now I have silkies and satins.

I love those two “showgirls” I guess they are. That second one is gorgeous. What is a Satin?

 

[Mimi13]

Wow...let me count the years! So far I'm at 25 years raising chickens.
I began with a trio of chickens from my uncle's flock. He had breeders for his fighting game birds...now outlawed.
But my trio had lovely personalities and were very gentle. We lived in OKC and my neighbors did not mind having a crowing rooster in our city neighborhood. We had 1/2 an acre lot and my birds freeranged in our backyard making us early proponents of backyard chickens. Sadly a hawk took the rooster.y

When we moved to our farm, I still had the two hens and added 10 hens...a variety of breeds including a Silver-laced Cochin hen we called Lacey...and a Rhode Island Red rooster...named Rhody...not the most creative of names.

Over the next 21 years my flock has had a number of different large fowl because I wanted a colorful flock of egg layers.
View attachment 2010281
I tried many breeds including Delaware, New Hampshire, Minorca (Buff and Black), Leghorn, Cochin, Marans, Orpington, Easter Eggers, Plymouth Rock, Buckeye, Polish, Sultan, Cornish, Jersey Giant, Wyandotte (Blue, Black, Barred, Columbian, BLR, Silver-Laced, White) and Sultan. Oh and the Naked Necks!
View attachment 2010266View attachment 2010267View attachment 2010272
And I wanted good broody moms.
My husband thought I was nuts when I told him about chicken math....and my first incubator.
And then I got my big cabinet incubator...hatching 108 eggs per tray...
View attachment 2010265
I almost became a chicken addict when I saw Bantams...
In Bantam breeds I've had d'Anvers, OEGB, Serama, Spangled Hamberg, Cochin, Rosecomb, Sebright, and Delaware.
View attachment 2010276View attachment 2010277View attachment 2010278View attachment 2010279View attachment 2010280
Then I experimented with other poultry breeds including quail, pheasant, turkey, geese and ducks.
View attachment 2010264View attachment 2010268
View attachment 2010269View attachment 2010270

My flock now numbers 109 and consists mainly of my favorite the Columbian Wyandotte, a few Black, Blue and White Wyandotte with a couple of Cochin, two Orpington, some cross breeds and a huge Blue rooster named Barney ( Wyandotte X Australorp) and a duck named Daisy. Daisy is here because she was hiding on a nest when I sold the other 41 in the duck flock early this month.
Here are a few of my Columbian.
View attachment 2010273View attachment 2010274View attachment 2010275View attachment 2010271

I'm one of seven breeders for Columbian Wyandotte registered with the Wyandotte Breeders of America. These birds are a Heritage breed bred for dual purpose (meat and eggs). I am pretty proud of my flock.....can you tell?

I would love to see more pictures of your setup. It looks absolutely amazing.

 

[Mimi13]

I’ve been raining chickens for 11 1/2 years! I got my first 5 Red Star chickens in August 2008 as a present from friends. I guess I was imprinted as a little girl when I went to see my dad at work and in they had baby chicks and ducklings in the spring.

I actually haven’t been on BYC recently but a fellow BYC’r was at my job this evening and recognized me from a Chickenstock meetup 3 years ago! So we got talking about chickens and then I saw this email about the poll when I got home!

Well welcome back to BYC.

 

[Duckfarmer1]

I would love to see more pictures of your setup. It looks absolutely amazing.

I’m absolutely jealous of your beautiful farm!

 

[knurse1]

View attachment 2009564​

How many of our peeps are really new to raising chickens and how many are old-timers?

In addition to answering the poll, please reply with some fun details, like:

What got you interested in raising chickens?
Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?

We currently have golden comets. We love them. They produce a lot of eggs. They're very docile. We've had Barr rocks before, also buff orpingtons, Waynotte, Americana, Rhode island reds. We got in the eggs having because I eat lots of eggs and wanted my own. We raise our strictly organic. And they are the best tasting eggs.

 

[Kluk-Kluk]

What got you interested in raising chickens?
Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?

We had goats in our backyard. One day after running errands, I came home and found 4 Red Sex-Links in the pen with our goats. They'd been dropped off by a fellow church member who had too many chickens, purchased from a production farm, and he was giving some away. So we started with these four clip-beaked birds.

Since then we've had many, many breeds, some hatched in incubators (Silkies), some under broody hens (mixed breeds), some purchased as day-olds, and other purchased as half-grown pullets. We've had Cohins, Brahmas, Easter Eggers, Wyandottes, Polish, Japanese bantams, Plymouth Rocks, Leghorns, Australorpes, Minorcas, Orpingtons, Cream Legbars, and surely more that I've forgotten. We got rid of the goats 8 years ago, but still have chickens, and have not had any break in having chickens. I have, however, automated so many things to make life easier: the lights are on a timer; the coop door opens and closes automatically in the morning and evening (also on a built-in timer); there's a water heater that keeps water from icing over, and I have a food dispenser. I can visit my chickens when I have time and I'm not bound to to sunrises and sunsets to let the chickens out or close them up to keep them safe.

Love, love, love my chickens! Thanks for asking about them! I could go on and on, as my family knows, but I'll end with a few pics of the early hens that we had:

 

[CowGirlMomma]

View attachment 2009564​

How many of our peeps are really new to raising chickens and how many are old-timers?

In addition to answering the poll, please reply with some fun details, like:

What got you interested in raising chickens?
Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?

Been raising chickens 5 years. It all started with wanting real eggs with yellow yolks. It seemed all the eggs I bought, when scrambled had no colour. Last year was my 1st 2 attempts hatching eggs... I got 5/7 and 7/7. I started with 6 red sex links, then a friend needed to rehome 2 of his... so I had 8. 2 years ago I bought a couple blue easter eggers... now after hatching last year, I have 2 red sex link hens (from my originals), 2 black sex links, blue easter eggers, black copper marans, some polish, silkies & 2 silkie crosses