Our family of four started our journey in chickens thanks to our daughter who has been wanting to hatch chickens for a very long time. It started with her taking an egg from the fridge and trying to incubate it in her top bunk around the age of six. Thankfully it did not break and by the time I found it it rattled. We finally were able to give it a go with hatching chicks two summers ago. We gave all those chickens away but were kinda hooked so we built a coop. We have a Rhode Island Red name of Foxy, an Easter Egger by the name of Sammy, a Black Astrolorp by the name of Black Jewel, and Red Speckled Sussex by the names of Big Mama, Eden, & Mae. We special ordered the sussex but got the rest from the Fleet store. Our chicken happy daughter is now 12 and wants to be a farmer when she grows up. Our son is 10 and mostly wants to build with legos but is happy to collect eggs. The chickens are a happy addition to our lives and work well with our philosophy of local organic food. I love being able to run out to the coop when I am short an egg for a recipe, instead of a ride to the Co-op! Our two inside cats love it when we let the chickens roam the yard and watch them avidly with twitching tails. When a cat got out of the house and thought about a closer encounter Sammy ran him off!
Hello and welcome to BYC from Ohio! So glad you've gotten the kids involved with the chickens. Mine really like them too. My kids are older, and my 18 year old will help me clean the coops and he just loves them. It's such an enriching experience and I think it's good for kids to see where those eggs come from. Take care, and glad you joined, Sharon
Welcome to BYC and congratulations on the hens. It is so worth it to pass on the chicken experience to the next generation. We are just a few miles (20) southish of you. We have found that chicken math has run its course at our house. Started with 11 chickens and I think we now have 50. Many different breeds that we've hatched. Most of our kids like the experience, but I find that I don't have as many ready helpers in the winter.
