Big question, why did all of you new chicken owners get chickens?

[7L Farm]

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O forgot to mention hard times are here.

 

[trunkman]

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And besides, they were so cute and peeping in TSC, now I'm hooked! I have 3 roosters and 5 hens and get 5 eggs a day. One rooster is with the girls, one is in the time out bachelor pen, on his way to freezer camp, and one is in a crate because he can't walk, giving him a few more days to decide if he wants to live or not.

Going to build a proper chicken coop this winter and get at least 15 laying hens in spring.

I also bought from TSC and ended up with two Roos, one made it to freezer camp and one was given to a good home with lots of hens. The freezer camp one was a bit aggressive with the hens so we had great soup..

 

[trunkman]

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O forgot to mention hard times are here.

Hope they aren't to hard for you! Things are still ok here for now..

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

Tried for 3 years to get my DH to get chickens. I hoped to improve the quality of food we eat; we already grow veggies and fruits but wanted to be setup in case of hard times that may be down the road. Never dreamed what great therapists they are; we spend lots of time in the run with them. DH wishes now he had listened to me years ago!

 

[buildingmyark]

At first it was all about becoming self-sufficient. Now I'm in LOVE and it's a small obsession!!!

 

[Nhbluebird]

I was told in Jan of 2009 that our company was going to be sold. The first thing I did was pay off my truck and when Agway put up the sign for chicks I bought 15- 5 RIR, 5 white rocks and 5 NHR. I ended up with 13 hens and 2 roos. The eggs started coming in just about the time the company shut us down. I also had bought 3 piglets to raise figuring that with the economy and unemployment being the way it was the least I could do was feed my mother and myself if nothing else. Still out of work and out of unemployment benefits but have become more self-sufficient. Now have 32 chickens and pullets which pay for their own feed and sometimes my gas when needed. Mother likes having me home-I like being home and absolutely love that my chickens help me to stay home. The roos made it to the freezer/stew pot and this past summer tried my hand at some meat birds and did ok for a beginner. Sold a few of the birds and one of the pigs. Am loving life on my little farm and am planning my chicken mansion. Of course my family thinks I've lost it, but chicken therapy is the best. By the Grace of God I shall continue to work my little farm and be content. My father and mother were both raised on farms and dad had pigs when I was growing up. He got chickens after I had gone out on my own but I remember visiting and how he loved his birds. My youngest sister had to clean out the coop and to this day she hates chickens. I keep trying to win her over. Her 3yr old son loves to help Auntie with the chickens. This summer he wanted to pet one well they wouldn't stay still, so he grabbed one by the leg and came a running with flapping chicken, yelling look auntie I caught you a chicken to pet. :0) Instructions in chicken petting and handling were given out very quickly. Ooops sorry for the digress, I bought my birds wanting to be more self-sufficient, learning to enjoy and love them was an added bonus!

 

[Parrotchick]

I've always liked birds and have had parrots for years. When I finally got a spit of land in the country, it seemed like the right time to try chickens (after the all clear from my friend at Fish and Wildlife, who wanted to be relatively certain that the avian flu threat was not going to pan out in a big way). I really just wanted them as outside pets, with eggs as a fringe benefit. They are soooooo much cheaper than parrots but just as fun in a different sort of way. After I got a few peeps, I broke down and got a couple baby ducks as I'm convinced there is nothing in the world cuter. I just got my first geese this week. My yard is so full of life and joy with these birds. Friends and acquaintances love to come visit my "farm" (all 1 1/2 acres of it) to share in the pleasure the animals bring. They are enlightened to the different personalities and they may learn something about where food comes from (though I haven't eaten poultry in over ten years and my birds will be happily supported by me until the end of their hopefully long lives). Nobody is allowed to leave my home without at least one carton of yummy eggs.

I'm an umpteenth generation city girl, but pined for years for a place in the country until I was able to make my dream a reality. I know backyard farming is all the rage now but I don't care if that makes me seem trendy. To me that just makes information and supplies more available and I think it's great that others are able to pursue their ambitions as well.

 

[Cat Water]

My story is kind of long, but I will keep it short. It started out at my grandparents' house in Delaware visiting for spring break. I saw three wild Canadian Geese sitting on six eggs each. I got the bright idea to build an incubator, take one egg, and hatch it out myself. Let's say that didn't end well. My dad said he wouldn't let me get a goose, but he said maybe chickens to fill that spot in my heart I was saving for my pet goose. I hopped on the computer and looked up "chickens as pets," "how to care for chickens," "breeds of chickens," and finally, "how to build a chicken coop." I put a proposal together, and after about two months of asking at timed intervals, in the JC Penny's parking lot, I asked for the last time. My mother said yes! I picked out my favorite breeds, silkies, Buff Orpingtons, and Jersey Giants, and looked forever on craigslist. However, living in the middle of nowhere, nobody has Buff Orps or JGs(I found some silkies). So I went online. Again, I did plenty of research, and found My Pet Chicken. I ordered three Orpingtons, a Jersey Giant, and on an impulse, a Polish and a Wyandotte. I ended up giving away one Orp and the Wyandotte because I didn't have the room for them. We also got four very young silkies from a breeder that lived about 2 hours away from us. We built a 10 by 7 foot coop for them and we have a large run. We also got a pair of Cayuga ducks for my younger sister, who just loves ducks.

So the answer is for pets, eggs, and they were too darn cute to not have!

 

[trunkman]

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Hahahaha, I love to see kids take to chickens, and little ones take such interest, my grandchildren love to visit and chase the chickens...

 

[undergroundchickens]

I have always loved to see chickens running around when I would drive the back roads and thought it would be cool to have one or two. With the harder times and looking/thinking about what a depression like the 30's could bring about I decided to take the plunge and have a way to get eggs/meat if needed to add to all the veggies/fruit that I grow. As I look at the state of our nation/world today I could see an inflationary depression hitting pretty easy with how things are going. I guess that is what pushed me to finally get some.

It sure turned out to be a much more pleasurable experience than I had expected. The joy of raising your own chickens from day old/or self hatched eggs to mature, beautiful hens laying beautiful and tasty eggs is very fulfilling to me. I also really like knowing what my girls are eating and that they are well cared for, healthy and happy. I sure love my chicken girls. I wish I had gotten chickens a long time ago. Some people just don't know what they are missing.