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

[Cheep]

My 2 grandchildren got 6 chicks which they raised, mostly in their garage & house, cos they were born in March 2010, & it was cold.

Then, they had to move to a place with no yard, & they asked me if I could take them. After I got used to the idea, it sounded good, & now I love them.

I love puttering around outside with them, I love collecting their beautiful multi-colored eggs, & I love taking pictures of them so I can share them with fellow BYCers, who can be counted on to tell me how beeauutiful they are

. I also like to blow up the pictures real big & study them, to see which ones have yellow legs, what sort of comb, etc, etc. (they don't stay still long enough for me to do it live).

I am not much of a carpenter, so building is always a challenge. However, I inherited a half-built coop, & have gotten help to make it acceptable & they seem happy to sleep in there. They freerange in my back yard during the day (fenced yard), & seem quite happy & healthy. People LOVE my eggs.

Anyway, it is a wonderful hobby for a wannabe country girl like me.

 

[BWKatz]

Started out to be self sufficient for the deteriorating economy, but couldn't resist them as Pets.

 

[funnybirds]

Really worried about the way animals are being handled and treated on the large scale and really sick of food recalls . Would have a cow too, if we could.

 

[dldolan]

You can't be one of the cool kids

if you don't raise your own chickens up here in Winelandia.

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I got chickens because I wanted to become more self-reliant. In recent years, I've begun to grow alot of the food my family eats, and after a few years of growing vegetables and fruits, chickens just seemed like the logical next step...

 

[Tamara K]

I've always found chickens to be hilarious--the way they walk and chase each other for a found bug. Only recently have I moved to the country and had the opportunity to actually have them. I've grown so attached to them and also find it very relaxing to sit out in the chicken yard and watch them do their thing. Their eggs are a bonus. I'll keep them even after they stop laying. Mine are Rosie (my favorite), Clara, Maribelle, Betsey, Daisy, Millie, Opal, Ruby and Tina. Love 'em!

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Quote:
I enjoyed reading your story and know just how you feel when I started the DW and I were only going to have 6 to 8 hens well we got 6 chickens and three turned out to be roos fast forward to today we have 30 hens 4 roos 3 babies and a momma set on 8 more and we JUST HAD TO GO TO THE FEED STORE!!! *shakes head* so now we have 4 Butter cups and 4 more BO....... So come join us at the deep end of that pool just make sure that you have the space because once you start you just can't stop.......Oh I almost forgot the 5 guineas we also have and she has her spring chicks already picked out as well.

My reason was for eggs and meat now it's for the relaxtion and pleasure I get from watching them pack the ground and run around the yard as I throw grain to them as for when did I know I knew the minute I moved to the country I wanted chickens Because I eat alot of chicken and eggs plus in this day and age you never do know when we may end up being like our grandparents and have to stock a freezer full of meat from the back yard.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Quote:
I've past many a weekend afternoon watching the girls forage and fly up to the deck we're having cold drinks on in the sun looking for treats. Oh, and the girls I nanny for (4 of em) really adore them when they're small. Not so much now that they are hens but fight over who's going to collect the eggs for the day

We'll be hatching next spring and culling out this flock come next fall. I get the best egg laying year, get to play with different breeds on limited lot space and the girls have new fluffy playmates to terrorize.

 

[quinkerton]

I have always wanted chickens but my parents would never let me get them. Now that I am out on my own I have had them for 8 years now and they never get old. I find it to be so relaxing to just watch them. I often find myself just standing in the middle of them getting lost in their activity. So nice getting the new baby's in the spring and watching them grow up. Watching the roo's trying to figure out how to be a roo. And it's also nice to be self sufficient. We also have a huge garden and put a lot of food away for the winter months. Hoping next year to add cow's and goats to the mix.

 

[WhoopiePie]

they were FREE

my brother and father were doing construction work at a kid's camp upstate and the caretaker of the petting zoo/farm(?) said we could have a few... they said "what the hell, why not?". at first i thought it would be weird seeing as how i don't really like/touch animals in general, but they turned out to be my favorite pet so far (we've had parakeets, a hamster for a very short time and my close second fave, fish and sea monkeys).

they are also the only pet that can pay rent (other poultry are not legal here).