Does your spouse or significant other support your chicken hobby?

[Wednesday]

Trying to focus on the positive and kind things my hubby has done for me such as helping me build coop and run even though we fought like crazy while doing it. I think he blames me for have predator losses since I let the chickens free ranged and stray dogs got them twice on our property.It has not been smooth sailing here. Wondering how it has been for the rest of you all? From ever growing chicken math to predator losses, what have been your experiences?

 

[satay]

Yes he does. He even drove 1 and half hours home from work in the middle of the day to help me bury a heap of ducks a neighbours dog killed many years ago. Great hubby mine

 

[donrae]

All my chicken keeping chores have fallen to my honey since I was diagnosed with leukemia in June. He's been wonderful! He's always been the builder and the predator control. Plus, when my bantam roo went unexpectedly mean, all I had to do was say "honey, can that rooster not be here when I come home" and that was that. The roo had kinda been my favorite and it was hard for me.

When I free ranged and had predator losses, he didn't really care, he wasn't emotionally invested in the birds. He willingly shoots raccoons. He encourages me to put eggs under a broody, even while I'm sick and I can't take care of them, because he knows chicks make me happy. He really doesn't like butchering, but he will. And he eats whatever I cook and tells me how great it is! I'm pretty blessed.

 

[newbie32]

My hubby really doesn't do much as far as the chickens go. I keep wanting more and so far he hasn't complained much. He bought me a sterling silver chicken pendant the other day for my birthday. My birthday isn't until November LMAO. He said it was the only thing he can think of that I would like for sure. Emeralds would've been nice -hehe just kidding-kinda!

But I can bet when the time comes for meat, or a mean rooster soup, he will probably begrudge me for having to do the killing for me. Until then I am happily doing what I want!!!

 

[farmgirlroots]

As long as I don't ask him to do much with them, my hubby is fine. He fought tooth and nail against chickens initially ( we are urban and can only have 5), but my persistence won out after about 2 years of talking about it. He grudgingly agreed to them (probably just to get me to shut up) as long as he didn't have to build the coop and clean up chicken poop. So my sister and I got out the power tools and did our best with building a small coop. My hubby did help frame the run because he had this weird idea I can't use a level and get things square. Bwahaha! Now our day old chicks are 21weeks old and have started laying little tiny "newbie" eggs. Hubby gets a kick out of the size. I assumed he ignored the chickens but the other day he told me they are kinda funny to watch, so he must pay some attention on the sly. I about fell on my butt in shock the other day when I was moving them by hand from our coop/run to a temporary fenced run I made on a garden bed, and he showed up to help. He actually carried a grown chicken 20 feet and then exclaimed "they are so soft!" I think he secretly likes them but doesn't want to let on to that since he was so against them in the beginning.

 

[newbie32]

LOL he secretly likes them but doesn't want to do chicken poo duty!!!!

 

[akelley]

My DH has been wonderful so far, and we don't even have our chicks yet! So far he has INSISTED on building an amazing brooder (I was just going to use a rubbermaid tub) and is researching our coop needs so he can start converting an old shed into a coop and run. He even offered to drive two hours in the middle of the week to go pick the chicks up from the hatchery. I said no to that one; he works that day, and will have to pick them up from the post office as it is since I work far away.

I will be undertaking their daily maintenance, but DH has been all over the prep work!

 

[lovie chick]

Other than collecting the eggs everyday my hubby has no interest, he sometimes feels the cost is too much but he realizes it is something I really enjoy so does put up with it. Doesn't understand that they are my pets and will not be going in the stew pot at anytime. But despite our differences of opinion we work it out.

 

[pipemum]

Short answer, no, not really. After 3 years of negotiation, I finally went ahead and built the coop and run and got myself some chickens this past spring. My husband is still not impressed with chicken keeping, especially since they are not quite laying eggs yet (any day now!!!).

 

[Clay Mudd]

Mrs. Mudd is very supportive and appreciative, and fairly helpful as well. I still do most of the work, but she likes to be involved. She understands that losses are part of the game. She went from thinking the six I originally bought were too many, to understanding why I bought another either, to wanting to help pick out the next eight. Now she'll point at one hen or another and say, "You need to hatch some of her eggs."