Interesting stories ... I liked reading them! Ours is a bit different...
I never liked birds -- not in the least -- and while my husband and I both grew up in a rural area, neither of us owned farm animals. We never wanted chickens. My daughters were allowed to tend and milk a friend's goat, so they started begging for a dairy goat. They argued that they could show it in the fair for a 4h project. Knowing my girls, I suggested they start with something smaller and simpler. Knowing the amount of money we spend on pet supplies, my husband wanted something that would earn its own keep. That led us to rabbits or chickens -- but my tender-hearted daughter would not allow us to butcher the rabbits once she'd named and raised them. That meant rabbits were out.
Last year we hesitantly bought 5 RIR hens from a hatchery and we've all discovered how much fun they are! Our chickens have remarkable personalities, funny idiosyncrasies and they've made wonderful pets. We've had them to a couple of petting zoos where they are a hit with so many kids! They keep us all entertained with their antics*, and they lay enough eggs to keep us happy and a few more to sell -- just enough to keep them in feed and treats. Plus, they've gotten rid of the grubs, garden snakes, ticks and many of the mosquitoes in the yard and they do a great job of aerating and fertilizing the lawn (we have a chicken tractor and free range them when we're home).
So what do we do with all this happiness? We buy more.
This spring we bought 6 more RIR hens with even funnier personalities. Now we need a bigger coop. And a bigger run. And we need to start growing our own sunflower seeds, millet and mealworms. How this chicken math keeps catching up with people who didn't even want chickens in the first place ... that, I'll never know
* Just this morning, one of the biggest girls tried to perch on the edge of a cardboard box. Box flipped over, chicken went tailfeathers over teakettle, chicken got up with such an indignant look that I almost spit out my coffee laughing...
I never liked birds -- not in the least -- and while my husband and I both grew up in a rural area, neither of us owned farm animals. We never wanted chickens. My daughters were allowed to tend and milk a friend's goat, so they started begging for a dairy goat. They argued that they could show it in the fair for a 4h project. Knowing my girls, I suggested they start with something smaller and simpler. Knowing the amount of money we spend on pet supplies, my husband wanted something that would earn its own keep. That led us to rabbits or chickens -- but my tender-hearted daughter would not allow us to butcher the rabbits once she'd named and raised them. That meant rabbits were out.
Last year we hesitantly bought 5 RIR hens from a hatchery and we've all discovered how much fun they are! Our chickens have remarkable personalities, funny idiosyncrasies and they've made wonderful pets. We've had them to a couple of petting zoos where they are a hit with so many kids! They keep us all entertained with their antics*, and they lay enough eggs to keep us happy and a few more to sell -- just enough to keep them in feed and treats. Plus, they've gotten rid of the grubs, garden snakes, ticks and many of the mosquitoes in the yard and they do a great job of aerating and fertilizing the lawn (we have a chicken tractor and free range them when we're home).
So what do we do with all this happiness? We buy more.
This spring we bought 6 more RIR hens with even funnier personalities. Now we need a bigger coop. And a bigger run. And we need to start growing our own sunflower seeds, millet and mealworms. How this chicken math keeps catching up with people who didn't even want chickens in the first place ... that, I'll never know
* Just this morning, one of the biggest girls tried to perch on the edge of a cardboard box. Box flipped over, chicken went tailfeathers over teakettle, chicken got up with such an indignant look that I almost spit out my coffee laughing...
