How to get spouse on board about chickens

[barbieszoo]

Hi y'all. I had black cochin bantams when I was a kid, and have not had any chickens during my 15 years of married life. I miss them. I love holding them, feeding them, watching them peck and scratch, and just hearing them sing softly as they go about their day. My husband is a city guy all the way, and although he graciously puts up with my animal crew - (3 dogs and 2 cats in the house, and a horse boarded 5 min away), it is because he loves me, not because he would have them/care for them on his own. They are all "mine", although he will feed them for me when I go for a visit to my mom's overnight etc.
I really want to get 2 silkie bantams in a small portable run in the backyard. We live in a neighborhood but do have an acre yard, with a tall fence so neighbors would not even see the chickens (they'll have to be hens so nobody could hear crowing either). The trouble is he thinks (probably rightly so) that I already have plenty of animals - and I am going to have to do a lot of convincing that 2 little hens would not be an added "burden". I think I can win him over, but I wish we could be in this together and enjoy it together. Has anyone else had to win over a spouse to the idea of chickens and then their spouse got into it too? Or does anyone have any ideas for good persuasive tactics for making this sound like a great thing? Thanks for any input!

 

[silkieroo]

I don't know about your DH but i know that lots of guys like animals that do something for THEM... I would Gush about how good fresh eggs are and how often they lay (he doesn't need to know how many breeds out lay them)

Good Luck!

Maddie

 

[chickenzoo]

Tell him you are seriously considering either getting an emu or 2 small chickens.... which one should you choose......

 

[itsachicken]

This isn't always the best relationship advice, but---just do it! I talked and discussed and debated with my partner for almost two years. We talked and planned so much, the neighbor overheard and bought chickens of her own a year before we ended up doing it. My DP still wasn't entirely enamored of the idea and he wouldn't offer any opinion regarding type or number of chickens--he just seemed resigned. So, I dragged him to a poultry festival and found some chicks that I liked from a person that I liked. As we were handing over the money, he asked, one last time, "Are you really sure about this?" Well, of course, I was and we transferred the chicks to our pet carrier (which just happened to be in the back of the SUV, even though it hadn't been used in years). We stopped at the feed store to pick up supplies and equipment, and he was already so besotted with the little darlings that nothing but the best would do. I know for a fact that he snuck outside several times over the next couple of nights to make sure they were all doing ok. Now, he's as proud of them as if they were his own idea and likes to brag that sometimes we have eggs for dinner because there are just so darn many of them.

edited for spelling

 

[Moxiechick]

It took me several months to win my Partner over.
If we were out driving around, I'd point out various sheds as we drove by... "Now that would make a nice chicken coop!"
Do you have a garden? Mention what good garden helpers chickens are. How they eat bugs, ticks, weed seeds, and provide compost.
Mention the health benefits to having your own eggs that haven't been factory farmed. Tell him you'll feel more ethical eating eggs from raising chickens in a normal environment as opposed to battery cages.
I didn't even know I had won her over until she got me a subscription to "Backyard Poultry" for Christmas! This summer, we got our first order of chicks.

Now, I catch her slipping away with a handful of cherry tomatoes, or the like, to give them for treats. She talks to them and fusses over them as much as I do. We are both enamored of our girls!

 

[mommyofthreewithchicks]

Well for mine- we were talking about pheasants and raising them to let go. For me that was going to be a trial run into if I wanted to keep poultry- He managed to botch up the pheasant idea and so I was sick of talking about it anymore and ordered some (ok More than I needed) and here we are. Ducks he wanted all summer and I have been telling him no- on a weak moment I thought about it and ordered them for his birthday. I am still thinking that was a bad move as they are a lot more work- fun but a lot more work and the work is falling on me

As far as getting hubby to enjoy them

Not sure on how to do that as mine is ok with them and will feed them if he has to but he thinks of all of these animals as mine. I think he is enjoying them through the kids and I.

 

[TipsyDog]

Just go get them. When I got my flock, I told my DH that if we didn't like them, we'd just eat them! What a great "pet" that is - so much less work than the dogs!

Also, have your DH read the front page of the newspaper - with this economy, he may be happy to have a meal in the yard, should it come to that!

 

[sfw2]

My husband isn't thrilled about the chickens (or the quail . . . or the guineas . . .), but he knows they make me happy. He also knows that he can buy pretty much any power tool he wants, because he uses them to build whatever coop, pen, hutch, etc. I need.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

With the salmonella scare, tell your spouse that if they care about the kids, they will get chickens that provide safe eggs.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

Cook him a totaly "homemade" chicken dinner.... Remember the old saying that a way to a man's heart is thru his stomach.

Steve