I first got layers about 35 years ago. I couldn't afford to buy a place of my own, so I was sharing a rented farmhouse with a friend or two. We could have dogs, cats, horses and any other livestock we wanted. Plus gardens. One roomie decided to raise pigs one year. It had one of those classic old hen houses, painted with the same red paint as the barn. So, we had chickens, too. They were white chickens.
I got into a variety of breeds around 20 years ago. That's when I first raised some for meat, too. I had a lot more chickens then, of many breeds and sold eggs. People enjoyed the different colors of eggs and knowing the chickens were running free on pasture, even back then.
There have been times when I didn't have chickens because of the circumstances I was in. I've had multiple flocks over the years, though. It's like having dogs. I like having dogs, so most of my adult life, I've had dogs. I just like having chickens. Sometimes I have more, sometimes less, sometimes I have more variety in breeds, sometimes less. I always like having chickens, though.
