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

[castle6]

Originally wanted chickens for eggs for my family. Now my family including myself love them as pets. Also, It is calming to watch them hunt and peck all over the yard. Even when our Sixty was gobbling up our cover crop seeds she was just too precious. Plus I think I was always a chicken lover. My mother tells me when I was a toddler we used to live near someone who kept chickens. Every time she turned around I had escaped and was playing with the chickens.

 

[TheCrazyChick]

Truthfully, my initial reason was for stress relief. I have a very stressful job and needed something that felt rewarding. And I love physical labor, which a lot of chicken-keeping is. It certainly has worked! This winter would have sucked without my chickens.

 

[lilly1000]

It's like having a little flock of dinosaurs in the backyard! The kids love them-my daughter carries her favorite around like a baby, and said chicken, Sylvie, actually runs up to her for attention. We initially got them as a novelty and for eggs, but we enjoy them so much-our flock keeps growing : ) My husband recently had the idea to put them in our garden boxes while he was weeding-brilliant! They did all the work for him! Coolest pets! And fresh, FRESH, eggs cannot be beat. We own 6 different breeds, each with it's own personality.

 

[PBlanck]

I think they are fun to watch and it really relieves the stress. It also makes me feel good about all the table scraps and old food that are no longer be wasted.

 

[Frost Homestead]

I have chickens mostly as a hobby. I enjoy breeding them and working to improve the breeds. They're good for stress relief too.

 

[llandry]

I love animals and treated a chicken recently and fell in love with her. It wa the first time i saw a chicken up close. I spoke to the owners for awhile during her discharge from the hospital and she got me thinking. I though it would be cool to learn about another species i didn't know too much about. After joining BYC prior to even having chickens i learned so much. I didn't even realize there were different breeds! I basically made all of the comments on the city slicker thread

Anyway, i thought why not. I thought my kids would love them and we thought it would open us up to a whole new world. We live in a small shore community and our little flock is the hit of the block. Since ours there are two more homes with chickens in our neighborhood.

i know this answer of why i got them is kinda boring. Now if you asked me why i keep them or what i enjoy about them, that would take awhile!

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

I picked five of them!! lol

 

[3riverschick]

Hi ,
I raise pure English strain Light Sussex for their intrinsic beauty and to preserve this rare strain.
Karen
Waterford English Light Sussex
in western PA, USA

 

[oliviachicken]

They are also a great source of entertainment

 

[Dubya D]

They are also a great source of entertainment

When I get home from work around 3pm, I'll grab a cigar and and a drink, head outside, let the chickens out to eat grass and bugs. I'm entertained till sunset.