How did your chicken adventure start?

[TinkyFeathers]

It's interesting to hear how everyone got started!!

I went to my dad's one day and he had some chickens running around and I just loved them. They were so interesting so I begged my mom and we ended up building a coop and so on from there!

 

[Zany Chick]

Sorry, I am way to longwinded!

When I was small my grandfather had chickens. To tell you the truth, I remember fighting cousins over checking the coop for eggs than I remember the actual chickens.

When my kids started school and had fieldtrips to farms and pumpkin patches I was always mesmerized by the chickens. Something about their behavior just relaxed me, I could have parked a chair and watched for hours. I never seriously considered having my own though. Fast forward 10 plus years and I had a new career and a new job, one of my friends had chickens and I found myself jealous.

I did home visiting and a few of my clients had chickens. At one house I climbed a long stairway to a deck that led into the house. One early evening I arrived, climbed the stairs and found myself face to face with a chicken in a tree. I walked in and said "There is a chicken in your tree!" She just said yes. I had no idea about chicken behavior and roosting and to me it was the most absurd thing I had ever seen. More and more people seemed to be getting chickens, another nurse I worked with, neighbors down the road. Still I didn't think of it as something I could do.

A couple of years ago I, like many people, I came across the subject of chicken tractors either in a magazine or online. The idea intrigued me. My husband said no. The next year when my coworker was getting more chickens, my husband said no. Last year my husband said no. In the past year one of my cats got very ill, a beautiful calico, and I had to have her put down. About 6 months later our "senior" dog could barely stand anymore and had to be put down, I stayed with both of them. In the past year I became unable to work and I have more time and two less pets to care for. This year he pointed out that if I got chickens we would have to find someone to take care of them while we went on vacation in June. I quietly plotted to get chickens after vacation. The next month our Boxer developed a cancerous tumor. I didn't think I could handle losing another pet so soon. We spent our vacation "fund" on surgery and thankfully they were able to remove it all and it hadn't spread. My logical brain reasoned, no vacation, no reason to not get chickens. I knew exactly what I wanted a small coop with an attached run - chicken tractor. I wanted to Rhode Island Red hens and one Barred rock hen. He still wasn't on board with the idea. At the beginning of the month we made a stop in Tractor Supply while waiting for take out pizza. DH picked up the dog supplies we needed and I was drawn to the center of the store where there were hundreds of chicks in tubs. It was "chick days." I stood watching the chicks until he came and led me out of the store. By the time we were out the door I had tears running down my face. I went to the car and he went to get the pizza. When he got back to the car he asked if we were going back to Tractor Supply, but I told him no because I couldn't just get chicks and not have things ready.

I went back to Tractor Supply one or two days left and there wasn't even a feather in the bins. I bought a brooder lamp and bulb and food and was told their last shipment was coming in the following Monday. When I came home I set up a cardboard box and plugged in the brooder light and it tripped my circut. In the meantime I found out a local feed store had chicks, I called and they said they had barred rocks so I drove out on Monday morning planning to buy two and then get the others at TSC. When I got there all they had were Cornish rock. I got a feeder and waterer and was told they would have both breeds I wanted on Thursday. I drove to Tractor Supply to see what they got in. They had Cornish Rock and Buff Orpingtons, both straight run. I asked to buy 2 Buff Orpington only knowing that they were a dual purpose breed. I figured if I ended up with 1 of them being a rooster that would be ok. They told me I had to buy 6. I said no thank you and resigned myself to waiting until Thursday to get any chicks. A "helpful" man piped up that 6 was just as easy as two and I told him that I was getting 4 more on Thursday and asked what I would do if I ended up with all roosters. He asked if I ate chicken and said he could process them for me. It all sounded very reasonable at the time and he gave me a business card. So my 2 RIR and 1 Barred rock hen became 6 Buff Orpington chicks. Thursday came and I went to the feedstore. I planned to get 2 each of RIR and BR unless they told me I needed to get 6, then I would get 3 each. They hadn't gotten any barred rock in so I bought 3 RIR and brought them home. The next morning I decided I was done buying chickens. Now I needed a bigger coop and a plan for whatever roosters I ended up with. It's been 3 weeks and I'm fairly certain I ended up with 4 roosters. So I have 2 Buff Orpington pullets, 3 Rhode Island (maybe) Red pullets and 4 Buff Orpington cockerels. I just learned this week is the result of a common affliction called chicken math.

We started the coop this past weekend. My chicks are in the spare bedroom and I am loving them. I found someone who will take the extra boys, but not sure how to choose who will stay.

I'm excited that I can share the whole experience with my 3 year old granddaughter and my 2 new grandsons. I can't wait until they start laying and my 10 year old son and my granddaughter can collect the eggs (if I don't get them first!)

 

[hondo58]

We have horses so my wife has been going to the local feed and grain store forever. Each spring they have tons of chicks for sale all crowded into layered brooders. Hundreds of them all peeping away. Each spring for over twenty years she has threatened to bring some home and each spring for twenty years I would tell her that I needed to do some research on chickens and coops and everything else that goes with it. Of course that always bought me enough time until all the chicks were sold and then the next year it would happen the same way all over again....until last year....when I got a text..."I got 6 chicks so get ready"...

 

[theoldchick]

Yeah, blame the horses!

 

[hondo58]

Yeah, blame the horses!

Exactly!

 

[shadow rabbit10]

Very interesting stories everyone! It seems like a lot of people don't really plan to get chickens these days, rather they buy them on a whim. How can you resist those peeping fur balls? Well, let's face it, chickens are that cool!

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Well, i had LOVED my grandma's chickens, even though they were skiddish .So i convinced my mom to get me a chicken, and we got a laying hen (orpington i think) and she was WONDERFUL, but that doesnt count cause we only had 2. So one day after vacation i find a trail of buff feathers and my chicken gone. It was horrible, but i got over it. About 2 years later, i begged, and showed her how much i knew, so we got a bunch of chicks! That also doesnt count cause we never kept them over winter. Well we did that 2 years in a row, then had a year without chickens, and this year i BEGGED and my mom got a coop (a GOOD one..) and we got PERMANANT chickens!!!

 

[onebigglo1]

I learned my lesson about buying straight run at TSC. I bought 5 BO's and 4 were roosters. Next time I will buy them from the feed store where they are sexed. I still have 2 roo's to get rid of.

 

[KimKimWilliamso]

I have always loved animals, and have focused most of my free time and my career on interacting with them.
Primarily over the last decade I have focused on dogs, becoming certified and educated as best I can on the subject, LOL
Then, when I was 8 months pregnant with my second child I got the idea in my head that Id love to get a couple of Budgies to watch whlie sitting at home with the babies all day! Always loved the noises!
Months later, I had 6 Budgies, 8 Finch and the bird bug. A year later I brought home my first parrot, and then another year later I had two more, LOL I was really addicted to birds all of a sudden!! THEN, we were fortunate enough to finally be financially stable enough for me to stay home from work as a full time mom and pet caregiver, LOL We moved to the country (I had grown up on a farm but lived in the city most of my adult life) and got ourselves a 10 Acre parcel close to a cute little town in Southern Alberta, Canada. Since arriving here, the farm animal bug has hit, but hubby isnt nearly as interested as me, LOL (Darn City Boy with a French-Canadian Temper!)
We agreed t board some horses here for the people we bought the house from, and that has been fun even though Im not much of a horse person.

I have a list of animals Id love to live on our hobby farm in the next few years, and chickens was at the top of the list! I loved the idea of watching them and hearing them, etc plus I LOVE LOVE LOVE birds! Plus, it made me feel happy to think that by having them here, I would no longer be contributing to the commecial egg industry, and Id know exactly where my eggs had come from prior to eating them. But mostly, I wanted them to enjoy thier companionship.
Luckily, 8 weeks ago I somehow convinced the cranky husband to go along with this plan, and now we have a small flock of three (originally four, but one sadly passed) chicks and this Sat Im grabbing a couple more. Hubby wants the number to stay small, but I have a feeling I will be affected by chicken math just like everyone else! LOL
(Next on the list : (after i convince the husband) is some peafowl, a turkey and maybe some geese. Then an Alpaca, a Mini Donkey and maybe a Pig. LOL)

But thats how I got into chickens!!!

 

[TonySorrento]

So, this is what I want to know, how did all of you people get into chickens? Wether it's a simple story, or an interesting one, I would like to hear it, and I'm sure many other chicken owners would!

So, whats your story?

If you really want to know, click on the link in my sig and you will see mine .... full of twists and turns as my journey began and where it is now ... I.need.help!