Hello from Suisun City California!

[Truevalentine]

I have been fantasizing about keeping a couple of chickens for a few years now and started lurking here a couple of weeks ago when the opportunity came up for me to rehome 3 chickens to my backyard (legal limit). I have a small home daycare and one of the daycare families was moving where they couldn't keep their chickens so I adopted them and bartered some daycare hours for their coop! There was an article in the local paper about backyard chickens in the area and it mentioned this site just a week before I acquired my girls, so I started lurking and learning!
So far I am loving having the chickens in the backyard, love that they eat the food that the kids would otherwise waste AND give me yummy eggs in return! The kids love standing at the fence and calling the chickens and my daughter is convinced that there are going to be little baby chicks hatching in our fridge! I am officially addicted to the forum and decided to join... it was the recipe section that was the real clincher! Gonna have to fix up an incubator soon and try hatching a couple more just so the kids can watch the whole process!

 

[teach1rusl]

from Indiana! Hope you guys (and your chickies) are staying DRY in your area!!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. You will need a rooster if you want to hatch some of your own eggs, or just buy someone else's fertile eggs to hatch. Chickens can be quite fascinating.

 

[Muscovies]

from North Carolina

 

[mississippifarmboy]

from Mississippi. So glad you joined us.

 

[Truevalentine]

I don't think I'm allowed to have a rooster in the suburbs

Plan to obtain someone else's fertile eggs for the bator. I know a couple of people who keep flocks with roosters that will probably be willing to give me a few for the sake of pre-school education.

 

[K9Carrie]

I know you will love it! Fair warning...it is addicting!! This site as well as owning chickens...then adding ducks, now getting a bigger incubator to hatch more babies....well, you get the idea. Have fun and enjoy your new girls.

 

[annaraven]

Welcome! Glad you were able to start your flock.

This also gives you the opportunity to teach the little ones the importance of good hygiene. Washing hands and all that after gathering the eggs... And I love the idea of doing a hatch to show them where the babies come from. Have you decided what you'll do with the chicks afterward yet?

 

[Truevalentine]

No, I haven't figured out what I'll do with the chicks after. I will have to either find homes for them or do something with the current flock because I just can't keep them all :-(. Don't see the current flock going to the pot anytime soon, they are all good layers.