Do you have chickens for pretty fundamental reasons?

[AnKa]

I am finding myself trying to change my life for the better, in the green sense. By that I don't mean buying $300 bamboo bed sheets (and throwing out my old, prefectly good ones) but truly trying to reduce my life more to the basics: Family, food, the home, making things I need rather than buying stuff I don't. That sort of thing.
I know it's fashionable right now to say you simplify but really that means to some people buying an organizer so they can keep track of the stuff in the trunk of their giant SUV....
I am being so jaded because I live in an affluent suburb and I think I stick out like a sore thumb because my kids wear second hand, I drive a tiny little Honda and now - the worst!!! - I have chickens in my backyard.

I was hoping for some likeminded people on here? Being a new mom, I have trouble finding people like me. Everyone seems to be all convenience is king, and shopping all the time...

 

[JennsPeeps]

Welcome to BYC.

You're not alone! Many of us have chickens to simplify our lives, to refuse to allow caged hens' eggs to come to our tables, and to live closer to our roots.

One of my neighbors has a vegetable garden in his front yard. This summer, so will I.

 

[lisahaschickens]

Anka! You are not alone! It is very fashionable these days to live greener and live a less-is-more lifestyle. I moved away from my hometown in the Bay Area to buy a couple of affordable acres and my first house just outside of Portland, OR. We have planted fruit trees, and building a big veggie garden and we are starting our first flock of chickens so that we can have fresh, homegrown, organic, free-range eggs, and someday - meat too. I compost as much as possible and I also vermicompost - recycle what I can't compost and I strive to minimize my actual garbage that goes in a landfill. I grow as much of my own food as possible, I like to can and pickle foods for the winter months. I like to buy local and from farmers' markets whenever possible. My neighbors have sheep and they share the meat with us, though they got them first just to eat down the grass on their 2.5 acres without using a lawnmower.

I will admit that I do have a pickup truck, but I have it because I have large dogs and we use it to haul lumber and trees, etc, when doing work here at the house. Otherwise, we both work from home with no commute and our other vehicle is mid-size 8-year-old honda. Also, I look forward to having children someday and minimizing plastics in their lives - cloth diapers, glass bottles, wooden toys, etc.

I think you will find quite a few like-minded people here on this site. Backyard and even urban chickens are a very popular trend right now, all around the country. Also, check out my blog (link in my signature below). On there, I have links to other blogs from people who are striving to live the same way. I think you will particularly enjoy "Dig This Chick."

Good luck to you and don't feel alone! Consumerism, prepackaged food, and the elctronic age may seem to be ever-encroaching, but there is a growing group of us who want to live another way. Good luck to you!!! Also, if you have not read it, I think you may really enjoy Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

 

[Pepperwolfe]

Ditto!!! We're from rural and I do mean rural SW Pa. Over 20 years ago Mom and Dad moved all of us down to FL. After being here for so long I really miss the farm. We've been growing our own garden for the past few years and it slowly gets bigger each time. We now have about 17 chickens and Mom wants Goats!!
With the way things are going in the world, its time to simplify our lives and get back to the basics.

 

[selinagil]

Quote:
I love IT There are many of us on here just like you--when you can stop thinking all the "stuff" will make you happy you will find real happiness.

 

[AnKa]

I am building up my garden also! I have a farm share in a local farm where I get lots of tomatos and leafy greens, so this year I will just put in my own canning tomatoes, and some perennials such as strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus. Last year we planted 2 blueberries, 2 raspberries and 2 blackberries. I am hoping for some harvest this year and then lots and lots the coming years! It's in a spot where there were wild blackberries thus far, that we've cleared, so I hope they will do well.
I can't wait. I love starting seedlings - almost as much as raising baby chicks LOL

 

[Bettacreek]

I guess I'm what you would call frugal. I'm not looking to really go green (shame on me, I know), but I like to save money, it's torture to spend money for me. We're building a small flock of hens, as pets and to produce eggs. Probably end up with one hen of each breed that we like, since we're honestly not big egg eaters. We're also starting a garden, peppers and such. My family thinks that we're weird to an extent. They'll buy stuff on sale and everything, but I can't even bring myself to buy new clothes, unless it's a HUGE sale and you're paying $2 for a skirt at Walmart (I love my ankle length skirts). We can afford brand new things for the most part, now that we're both working again, but, you can get things that are just as nice at a thrift store. We're trying to do more homemade, again, mostly to save money. It's not a necessity to be frugal for us, it's just, well, nice. We're hoping to get into canning and such too, more out of convenience than anything, how easy is it to pull a few jars out of the pantry and heat them, versus having to defrost a big ham or something, making noodles from scratch, opening cans of green beans and slicing and dicing up a ton of potatoes... (Yes, I'm hoping that I can make batches of ham pot pie (Dutch style) and can them)

 

[happyhensny]

I live in an area where there are MANY Escalades, BMWs and McMansions. My husbands family bought our property when all around was apple farms and cows. I LOVE MY CHICKENS! My neighbors are not so hot on my lovely, handsome Rooster Otis though. Oh well. I listen to their dogs barking at 2am, Otis only crows during daylight hours. I have fresh eggs that my 3 kids love to gather, a wonderful garden in the summer. They know where at least some of their food comes from and aren't afraid to do the chores that go with it. Balance is key. We have Wii, 4-wheelers, kayaks and lots of chickens. Kids are better off understanding and loving their environment and knowing that someone or something has to make whatever they need to survive.

 

[hoosiergal]

nothing wrong at all with being a farm girl and trying to improve you eating habits. the food nowadays in the markets are so scary. i commend you.

 

[Chickenmaven]

AnKa - Go on & be jaded! You know in your heart, when you are at some event & someone starts babbling on about their $200 sunglasses or their new purse, you know that those people are shallow & their priorities are nonsense. There is something very REAL about caring for a flock of chickens or a garden. I spent Sunday shovelling out my coop. It was in vile shape, but I worked hard and it felt good. I could have been at the mall. But, why?