Official BYC Poll: Why Do You Have Chickens - Select All That Apply

[chixcoop]

I also would like to sell their eggs!

 

[bitsy hens]

I am enjoying our chickens. Proud of our eggs! Love to watch them. I never would have thought I would be a chicken rancher!

 

[tehunamama]

Here's a new one, maybe: My older son had a physics project at school, requiring him to create a contraption to protect an egg launched across the blacktop with a giant slingshot operated by the teacher. He worked hard on it, and his work totally inspired my younger son, who promptly requested chickens. Not thinking he could do it, I told him we'd get them if he would improve his grades. The grades went up, and now I had to keep my promise, so 3 chicks came to our house that summer. My son raised them in his room and we listened to peeping all summer. We even took them on vacation with us, smuggling them into a fancy resort and assigning one of the bathrooms just to them.

That wasn't very hard, but building the pen was a major adventure. My woeful efforts led to the worst moment in my marriage as my frustrated husband shouted, "You're just a goddam hillbilly hippie!" at me when the rickety pen was leaning badly. (Our kindly neighbor overheard and came over and fixed it. I was mortified at the time, but can't think about it without laughing now. That good neighbor got some of our first eggs, of course!)

In spite of their dilapidated housing, the chickens fared quite well. When they began laying, son # 2 started giving them a little extra calcium with their feed. Result: hard to open egg shells, which was all part of his plan for success on the physics project. When it was finally his turn to take that physics class, 3 years after his brother had, the teacher said, "Oh, we don't do that project anymore." He was crushed. I wrote to her and told her his nefarious plan. She actually resurrected the lesson for the whole grade so that he could test out his egg in his egg launch project, which was super nice of her. It did not break. Then the teacher said, "Great! Now try my egg from the store..."

So the reason we have chickens is so my son could get an A in science.

 

[Luella2u]

I have chickens primarily because of the eggs. I do name my chickens, so I guess they are pets. I like that they control bugs and provide fertilizer, but they also weed and till my flower and vegetable beds and some places in my yard. I enjoy their personalities too.

I currently have 2 hens (a California Grey and a Cinnamon Queen, Callie and Queenie) and a rooster (an Americauna, Armando Grande) and 3 Magpie ducks (Larry, Moe and Curley). Moe and Curley are hens. All the hens have just begun laying. They are about 5 1/2 months old.

 

[Bernadine503]

I've always had a fascination with chick's since my 3rd grade teacher hatched eggs in our classroom. Last year at the age of 48 my new husband , knowing my long time fascination and adoration of chick's, surprised me with a chicken coop! Soon after I bought 5 Silkie chicks from our local feed and garden store. And so grew my love for chickens! I've never owned chickens because circumstances never allowed. I'm so happy that I finally got my chicks! Now three of my girls are broody and sitting on fertilized Silkie eggs I bought locally. I can't wait to experience chicks hatching naturally at home very soon! I never realized chickens would bring me so much joy. They are funny, relaxing, sweet, and so entertaining!

 

[sylviecolin]

at first we started bying fresh local eggs. then we talked about having our own. 10 white ones we bought from a co-op, 3 brown were given to us, then 7 more[6brown 1 white] needed a home , and then we were given a rooster. i abosutley love them. we get fresh eggs, we know everything they eat so we are not worried about chemicals and hormones ... we have 5 children and love animals. we even had the coop and fence all done a week before we could even find any chickens.

 

[Miss Lydia]

at first we started bying fresh local eggs. then we talked about having our own. 10 white ones we bought from a co-op, 3 brown were given to us, then 7 more[6brown 1 white] needed a home , and then we were given a rooster. i abosutley love them. we get fresh eggs, we know everything they eat so we are not worried about chemicals and hormones ... we have 5 children and love animals. we even had the coop and fence all done a week before we could even find any chickens.

@sylviecolin Welcome to BYC!

 

[Miss Lydia]

I've always had a fascination with chick's since my 3rd grade teacher hatched eggs in our classroom. Last year at the age of 48 my new husband , knowing my long time fascination and adoration of chick's, surprised me with a chicken coop! Soon after I bought 5 Silkie chicks from our local feed and garden store. And so grew my love for chickens! I've never owned chickens because circumstances never allowed. I'm so happy that I finally got my chicks! Now three of my girls are broody and sitting on fertilized Silkie eggs I bought locally. I can't wait to experience chicks hatching naturally at home very soon! I never realized chickens would bring me so much joy. They are funny, relaxing, sweet, and so entertaining!

I love sitting and watching mama hen with her chicks .

 

[z8hannah]

My grandkids love them as pets. They play with them constantly, then if the chickens turn out to be too noisy for their neighborhood, they give them to us, and I like it that they are such tame chickens. Kids make great chicken wranglers.

 

[Miss Lydia]

My grandkids love them as pets. They play with them constantly, then if the chickens turn out to be too noisy for their neighborhood, they give them to us, and I like it that they are such tame chickens. Kids make great chicken wranglers.

@z8hannah Welcome to BYC