Bruceh: Goals? Well, we wanted to slow our hectic lives down and raise our own kids instead of them going to daycare or babysitters after school every day while we continued to toil away at never-ending jobs.
We want to instill a sense of responsibility to themselves, their family, their community, and feel that a family project helps us do that. We decided on raising and showing chickens. Each child has chosen a breed (or two) of chicken that they like, and we have helped them read all about them and discussed the pros and cons with them, and let them choose. Samantha, of course, is going strictly by looks and color (Mille Fleur d'Uccles and Golden Seabrites - bantams). She's 6, so the bantam size is good for her. BJ, though, is striving to get his grandmother's Dominiques back and continue with her heritage breed. He was so serious about this, that we contacted the man in Texarkanna who took her hens, and he has agreed to sell them back to us as well as a good, show quality rooster. We will meet halfway weekend after next. BJ will represent the 5th generation for these chickens!
Bryan and I showed rabbits before the kids came, and we enjoyed it very much. But I refused to have even a dog in the city. I just think they need at least as much attention as your kids, and when the kids came, there was no time left to dedicate to a pet. And so, we have moved to Kermit, with all this space, and will try to produce a garden, sell a few eggs, pick up the goat milk business again (Bryan grew up with milk goats, so it's old hat to him.), and try to make our lives efficient and purposeful. Our family activities will be the chickens, and we feel that showing them will help unify our family, instill responsibility in our kids, as well as being just downright FUN!