How did you get into the chicken hobby?

[Wally]

My wife got cancer and I wanted a source for good protien that was hormone free so I decided to raise chickens for eggs. I did a lot of reserch and was astounded by all the different breeds. I ordered 20 birds from McMurray and have been hooked ever since. My wife did recover from the cancer and I'm sure the eggs had a lot to do with it

 

[okiechick57]

I was given my first chickens for my birthday from my new hubby at that time...been hooked ever since.I actually loved the thought of chickens free range all over my property...... I was born and raised in Los Angeles.and all that time I had NO clue chickens were pets..........thought they all came in packages at the store..... I married and moved to a small town on 5 acres.........if anything causes me to leave EVER I WILL take my chickens above all else...........well.cept for my human family.........

 

[okiechick57]

Quote:
That is an awesome story.........so happy to hear she survived,recovered from cancer.I have been there........blessings to you both

 

[Mac in Wisco]

I grew up in rural Wisconsin but not on a farm, in a small village of 700. My grandfather had a farm, but no chickens. Most were dairy or stock farms in the area, but I don't recall ever seeing a chicken.

My wife grew up in Kentucky, in the city, just outside of Cincinnati. When we moved to Abilene a couple years ago we bought a house out in the county in a small subdivision. I noticed a few of the neighbors had horses, goats, llamas and such. Although we live just ten minutes outside of the city, my wife was making comments about being so far out in the country. I started kidding her that I'd have to get her a pig and a flock of chickens. Before we even moved into our new home, I bought her a book on raising chickens for Christmas as somewhat of a joke.

The more I kidded her about it, the more I started reading about chickens on the internet.

My oldest son, fifteen at the time started school here and wanted to take shop classes, but the local high school only offered an ag course. He took it so at the very least he could learn ag welding. He would come home grumbling that the only thing they learned about in ag that day was chickens. They wouldn't get to weld until the end of the year.

One day he and I are driving past the feed store and they have their sign out "Spring Chicks Are Here". I looked at him and and asked if he wanted to get some chicks. "Yeah" he says.

So we brought home 14 chicks and built a brooder in the garage. The following weekend we built an 8x8 coop in the backyard. We lost one to an accident, one to a neighbor dog, I culled two of them, one was born this past winter, so we still have 11...

 

[herechickchick]

My friend had chickens as a child in the city and she took me to a feed store outside of town "to look at plants

" she told me. We got one chick out and that was it I was hooked, to date I have ordered and bought over 100 babies (We found homes for most only keeping our favorites) and I love every minute of it. I am going to purchase an incubator and hatch next spring for the first time

. I cant wait!

 

[jackiedon]

Hi, I'm new. Growing up my grandparents had free range chickens and as a child I hated stepping in chicken poop barfooted. But I also loved gathering eggs. When our girls got older my youngest was an animal person. We went to a flee market to get her a rabbit and my husband bought 2 RR. The varmits got them. So fixed the fence better and got more. Finally he got fence and coop varmit proof and son-in-law gave him a few more. I really didn't care about them.

This spring I borrowed some incubators and my daughter's 5th grade class was going to hatch eggs. I ordered eggs from McMurray and Fed Ex wouldn't deliver them so we had to pick them up and they were very cold. The nice lady at McMurray just sent 40 more just in case. So the 6th Grade class hatched some too. The first chick hatched and I was hooked. We had a webcam on them so the whole class could watch them. They are polish chickens. I have been hooked every since. We ended up with 33 chicks we gave some away so now we have 20 polish chickens that are about 12 weeks old.

I have some polish frizzles coming in the mail tomorrow and I can't wait.

jackie

 

[65browneyes]

I'm still shocked at how much I cherish my little flock. As a kid, I always thought chickens were gross, dirty, smelly creatures that just pooped all over and .......ugh.......ate bugs. Until mom would lay the strap of baseboard across their necks. Then they became part of a dish involving homemade noodles.

Flash forward a day or two (million). When we bought our little peice of heaven two years ago, my 13 yo boy and I decided we wanted a few (5) chickens for eggs, 10 yo girl wanted a horse (of course).

Well........5 turned into a flock of 16 (including 5-15 week old pullets) and a roo. The last year has been MOST difficult for our family, wrought with illness, death and such. My girls have saved me hundreds of $$ at the shrink!!! No matter what was happening elsewhere in my world, I always had the girls to remind me that I'd get through it all.

We don't have the horse, the mule, the goat, or any of the numerous other farm animals we've since decided we want. But.....I got my girls!!!!

 

[Rafter 7 Paint Horses]

Every one has such interesting stories!

Mine is this:
DH had a few hens left free ranging when we got together. (4 1/2 years ago)
He would bring in fresh eggs every day, and I loved the flavor!

I was scared to death of chickens, I was raised on a farm & my Mom would order 500 roosters every year for meat. My brother would catch them & hold as many as he could in his hands by their feet & chase me with them. They would peck & pinch me. I would have to feed & water them as chicks, but when they got their feathers I refused to go anywhere near the chicken house.

DH said he used to pay for his chicken feed by selling eggs, & wanted me to get some chickens. I told him he was crazy if he thought I was going to tend to chickens.
Well, he talked me into Ameraucana's, cause I thought the blue eggs were so neat. We went to TSC & he picked out some Black Sex Link pullets & a few EE's. I wouldn't touch them, but I would take care of them. I would sit & watch them for hours, they were just so cute. I still wouldn't pick one up. Finally if he would pick it up, I would hold one. After they started to grow, & since I was the one tending to them, they started to fly up on me, which scared me to death.
He almost had to replace the door to the brooder room the first time they did this. It took me awhile to get it through my mind that they were not going to hurt me. I started to get over my fear, and now I keep around 150 to 200 laying age hens, sell eggs, & last year we hatched over 3000 chicks.
I have had 20 different breeds of standards & 42 breeds of bantams at one time that I was hatching eggs from.
I quit my job & stay home & tend to the livestock.
I have sold most of the bantams now, and am trying to cut back to 4 or 5 breeds of standards. It was taking me 8 hours just to do my chickens chores every day.

I won't tolerate a mean rooster, though. We had 2, a mixed standard & a Cochin bantam. They do not live here anymore!!!

I can say I have gotten over my fear of chickens, and can't imagine being without them anymore.

Jean

 

[momoftwinsinwi]

EGGS!!! I have twin boys that are almost 17 and are 6' 5" and usually have a buddy or two stay over on the weekends, between them, my hubby, and stepdaughter, it was nothing for me to go thru an 18 pack of eggs for breakfast on a Saturday morning....and my son's got sick of me waking them up to run to the store for eggs for me LOL!! I told my hubby I wanted a cow for the milk, a few steers for the meat along with a couple of hogs and of course chickens!! AND of course, Geneva wants her pony!! and I say - HER PONY NEEDS COMPANY!! LOL!! Well, we have a black lab, a cat w/3 2-wk old kittens, the cockatiel and now the chicks, I work 12 hour night shifts 3 or 4 days a week and with the house, the kids, the animals, bills, shopping, cleaning, etc....I've got enough for now

I ordered 16 chicks from a local hatchery (8 CA whites & 8 reds) they are 9 days old today and getting so big so quick, I can't believe it!! Hubby is just about done with the chicken house and now we just have to move it and build the pen.....The chicks are a blast to watch!!

 

[livestock101]

Bought a small farm. Told husband I wanted some animals. I decided to start with chicks. He said I could get 5. Ordered from a local feed store. Order came in, they sent 11. A few weeks go bye. Went to another feed store that had chicks. Kids with us. We decided to pick out one for each of us. By end of summer I had 20 or so. Next year, built another coop. Added 50. I have 100 or so right now. I still dont have enough eggs to keep up with demand and I have had several requests for chickens.

And it all started with, "Honey, I think we could handle 5 chicks."