Birds are my Family

[WallyBirdie]

My favorite part of having little peeps and/or keets is watching them grow and play.
Their size, combs/wattles, feather patterns... It's a wonderful thing to witness.
As they grow older and learn to socialize and create boundaries and relations among the flock, it can be very entertaining and educational.

I don't process or eat any kind of poultry.
I collect eggs but do not eat them (unless I'm baking around the holidays).
I tend go give away my eggs when I have too many.

Watching and raising the birds... that is its own reward. They're an extension of the family.

 

[CatWhisperer]

I agree, they sure are fun to raise and watch.

 

[townchicks]

I find watching my birds to be very relaxing. I don't eat mine either, they are pets, but we do enjoy the eggs! So many reasons that the folks on here have chickens, but I'd venture to say the vast majority here get a lot of pleasure watching them, even if only for a moment.

 

[chickens really]

I guess my Birds are pets in a sense that we don't butcher them. Here for eggs and raising babies to sell. I don't hold any of my Birds but enjoy watching them interact and do Bird things.

 

[The Angry Hen]

Chickens have their pros and their cons- occasional aggression can be a road block, loss of a flock member can be rough, there is no money profit in the fertile egg/grocery egg business, and their food is a big cost...
But we haven't bought store eggs in 13 years! I love the experience of raising these birds to become a natural source of egg production - and you know what? Family!

I've witnessed so much with chickens (and Guinea keets) along with having some wonderful experiences in the whole new world of nature. The excitement of cross-breeding, the excitement of watching them grow, and the happiness of when you hold them, it's great.
Nature isn't being protected nearly enough in today's withering world. By teaching a child the importance of raising and being responsible for a little piece of life? What's a better way of grounding the next generation to support the world than that? It's actually WHOLESOME. (How many people remember that word?)

I love my chickens and I couldn't imagine not having my little friends around.

 

[JoCoKS]

Chickens have their pros and their cons- occasional aggression can be a road block, loss of a flock member can be rough, there is no money profit in the fertile egg/grocery egg business, and their food is a big cost...
But we haven't bought store eggs in 13 years! I love the experience of raising these birds to become a natural source of egg production - and you know what? Family!

I've witnessed so much with chickens (and Guinea keets) along with having some wonderful experiences in the whole new world of nature. The excitement of cross-breeding, the excitement of watching them grow, and the happiness of when you hold them, it's great.
Nature isn't being protected nearly enough in today's withering world. By teaching a child the importance of raising and being responsible for a little piece of life? What's a better way of grounding the next generation to support the world than that? It's actually WHOLESOME. (How many people remember that word?)

View attachment 1897222
I love my chickens and I couldn't imagine not having my little friends around.

I had Rhode Island Red hens that I raised from chicks for 3.5+ years and never had a sick chicken now I have nothing because some undocumented workers in the next yard saw my girls and stole them. My wife thinks it was because I cleaned the coop everyday and gave them fresh water, I even used soap to clean the water thing. I was permanently disabled by a drunk with a suspended license for drunken driving in 2015 and these 3 girls were my comfort pets as I fought depression and misery. I no longer have my girls flying or running to be with me and them raising hell if I do not feed them at a certain time. I would take a dish everyday of sunflower seeds, bread (not dried out), corn (what was left after my wife and I eat the corn because they would not eat corn on the cob), fruit, nuts, remains (leftovers), etc. to them. #1 hen would peck at my sweatpants when she wanted meal worms which they all loved and received everyday. I bought a plastic 3 drawer cabinet and fixed it to raise meal worms and now I have small meal worms that actually help depress me because I can no longer give them their "bugs". The empty coop I about killed myself to build is depressing me with it being empty. Now my wife of 42 years sees me getting more depressed everyday because she knew they kept me going thru my 7 surgeries and still a lot of pain. I have always wished the drunk killed me to get me out of all the surgeries, trips to the hospital were I got a pump put in my back to pump morphine into my spine. I had no health problems before the accident and now I worry about living another 20 to 30 years in hell.

I would like to buy 3 friendly pullet chickens, my wife would want to hang me if I tried to raise chicks in our hall bathroom again especially this time of year because she things they would be in the house till next spring. Another problem is no one near us sells chicks or pullets and the pullets for sale on the Internet are very expensive and shipping is out of this world. The drunk left us with 10's of thousands of dollars in the hole in medical bills. I bought my 3 girls at a local hardware store and they will never do that again for all the crap they got for selling them. I have called several places near Kansas City area (as far away as 40 miles, I longer can handle longer trips) about their chickens and I have never gotten a response. It would be nice if the would email me or call and say they sold them. My loving beautiful girls would have had a home as long as they lived even with no eggs because they were my pets.

 

[WallyBirdie]

I had Rhode Island Red hens that I raised from chicks for 3.5+ years and never had a sick chicken now I have nothing because some undocumented workers in the next yard saw my girls and stole them. My wife thinks it was because I cleaned the coop everyday and gave them fresh water, I even used soap to clean the water thing. I was permanently disabled by a drunk with a suspended license for drunken driving in 2015 and these 3 girls were my comfort pets as I fought depression and misery. I no longer have my girls flying or running to be with me and them raising hell if I do not feed them at a certain time. I would take a dish everyday of sunflower seeds, bread (not dried out), corn (what was left after my wife and I eat the corn because they would not eat corn on the cob), fruit, nuts, remains (leftovers), etc. to them. #1 hen would peck at my sweatpants when she wanted meal worms which they all loved and received everyday. I bought a plastic 3 drawer cabinet and fixed it to raise meal worms and now I have small meal worms that actually help depress me because I can no longer give them their "bugs". The empty coop I about killed myself to build is depressing me with it being empty. Now my wife of 42 years sees me getting more depressed everyday because she knew they kept me going thru my 7 surgeries and still a lot of pain. I have always wished the drunk killed me to get me out of all the surgeries, trips to the hospital were I got a pump put in my back to pump morphine into my spine. I had no health problems before the accident and now I worry about living another 20 to 30 years in hell.

I would like to buy 3 friendly pullet chickens, my wife would want to hang me if I tried to raise chicks in our hall bathroom again especially this time of year because she things they would be in the house till next spring. Another problem is no one near us sells chicks or pullets and the pullets for sale on the Internet are very expensive and shipping is out of this world. The drunk left us with 10's of thousands of dollars in the hole in medical bills. I bought my 3 girls at a local hardware store and they will never do that again for all the crap they got for selling them. I have called several places near Kansas City area (as far away as 40 miles, I longer can handle longer trips) about their chickens and I have never gotten a response. It would be nice if the would email me or call and say they sold them. My loving beautiful girls would have had a home as long as they lived even with no eggs because they were my pets.

Your hardships and dealings are terrible. Thank you for sharing your experience. The turn of events was quite a yoyo to read, between the accident and your recovery and how chickens have helped you; it's wonderful that you spoiled them so much.
It's horrible that such events have led to your disability and just as blasphemous that someone stole your source of comfort (your girls).
Factor in that chicks are not readily available nearby and the timing isn't ideal, it's a lot of obstacles.
You are strong for coming this far. I do not know the extent of your grief, but you obviously have pulled through some of the darkest days.
I do hope things get worked around to where you can potentially raise more girls. Maybe this site can provide a solution? There are some good people on here.

Glad to have you part of the community, and I'm sorry for your losses.

 

[JoCoKS]

Your hardships and dealings are terrible. Thank you for sharing your experience. The turn of events was quite a yoyo to read, between the accident and your recovery and how chickens have helped you; it's wonderful that you spoiled them so much.
It's horrible that such events have led to your disability and just as blasphemous that someone stole your source of comfort (your girls).
Factor in that chicks are not readily available nearby and the timing isn't ideal, it's a lot of obstacles.
You are strong for coming this far. I do not know the extent of your grief, but you obviously have pulled through some of the darkest days.
I do hope things get worked around to where you can potentially raise more girls. Maybe this site can provide a solution? There are some good people on here.

Glad to have you part of the community, and I'm sorry for your losses.

On top of all that my wife had a test today to see if she has breast cancer, she tried to keep it from me because of my suffering. It will be a long week before she gets the results which I pray she does not have cancer. I cannot imagine life without her after 42+ years, losing my girls would be nothing compared to losing her.

 

[N F C]

I had Rhode Island Red hens that I raised from chicks for 3.5+ years and never had a sick chicken now I have nothing because some undocumented workers in the next yard saw my girls and stole them. My wife thinks it was because I cleaned the coop everyday and gave them fresh water, I even used soap to clean the water thing. I was permanently disabled by a drunk with a suspended license for drunken driving in 2015 and these 3 girls were my comfort pets as I fought depression and misery. I no longer have my girls flying or running to be with me and them raising hell if I do not feed them at a certain time. I would take a dish everyday of sunflower seeds, bread (not dried out), corn (what was left after my wife and I eat the corn because they would not eat corn on the cob), fruit, nuts, remains (leftovers), etc. to them. #1 hen would peck at my sweatpants when she wanted meal worms which they all loved and received everyday. I bought a plastic 3 drawer cabinet and fixed it to raise meal worms and now I have small meal worms that actually help depress me because I can no longer give them their "bugs". The empty coop I about killed myself to build is depressing me with it being empty. Now my wife of 42 years sees me getting more depressed everyday because she knew they kept me going thru my 7 surgeries and still a lot of pain. I have always wished the drunk killed me to get me out of all the surgeries, trips to the hospital were I got a pump put in my back to pump morphine into my spine. I had no health problems before the accident and now I worry about living another 20 to 30 years in hell.

I would like to buy 3 friendly pullet chickens, my wife would want to hang me if I tried to raise chicks in our hall bathroom again especially this time of year because she things they would be in the house till next spring. Another problem is no one near us sells chicks or pullets and the pullets for sale on the Internet are very expensive and shipping is out of this world. The drunk left us with 10's of thousands of dollars in the hole in medical bills. I bought my 3 girls at a local hardware store and they will never do that again for all the crap they got for selling them. I have called several places near Kansas City area (as far away as 40 miles, I longer can handle longer trips) about their chickens and I have never gotten a response. It would be nice if the would email me or call and say they sold them. My loving beautiful girls would have had a home as long as they lived even with no eggs because they were my pets.

I'm sorry for all the hardships you've been dealing with and can understand how losing your flock would be devastating.

Have you posted on your state thread? There are a lot of caring and generous members on BYC and if you post on your KS thread (and maybe the MO thread too), you might be able to get some more birds. Here are links to both state threads:
Kansas
Missouri

Best of luck to you & your wife and take care!

 

[drumstick diva]

Hoping and praying for the best possible results