How'd you get your first chicken?

[lorrir]

Tractor Supply

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

I got my first 3 chickens as a way to control misquitos. My moms horse died of west nile (Fully vaccinated) and it was horrible. We did NOT want a repeat. So we got West, Nile, and Henry to keep the bugs down. The Creepiest part is that the three chickens were from a West Nile Test Flock!!

 

[ibpboo]

I got my first chicken when I was just a tot. My dad brought my sister and me each one. This was in the early 60's. Been hooked ever since!

 

[Phox01]

My DH and I had been talking about getting chickens for about a year. We walked into TSC during chick days , there were 2 galvinised tubs of chicks , he tells the guy "I want both of those tubs" He bought the tubs , chicks , lights , waterers and feeders . Plus he picked out some bantams from another tub and added them in. We came home with 48 chicks , no coop , no brooder , had to learn in a hurry.

 

[Sharons7]

I have had the law of attraction proven to me almost daily. It is how I got my chickens. We have lived in this house for 3 years now.2 acres of woods hill and creek with a pond at the edge of our property. I'm in city limits but at the edge of it. Only one next door neighbor that is nearly out of view. Behind us on the other side of the creek and up the other hill is a farm with a rooster or two, chickens goats, etc. I have been saying for a year or more that I want to have chickens, rabbits and goats. With them I can have eggs, meat, milk and fur if I wish. I own a day spa/salon. One of my clients asked me in the beginning of April if I wanted some chickens. I had nothing for them including knowledge or experience but I said yes to her and thank you to God/the universe. We started off with 13 leghorn chicks rescued from the factory chicken house that were to be culled. We have 7 remaining and doing well. After a few stinky weeks in the cardboard box in my kitchen, hubby and I built the coop mostly with materials I had laying around. We purchased some hinges and fencing and the rest is blood, sweat and tears history

Out of the 7 remaining 3 are roosters. I am anxious to get more hens now and want one of every variety! We have a couple of lawn chair in side the run area since we love to sit and watch them. They are so funny with each having their own personality. BYC has been a wonderful help to me so far and I hope I can return the favor! I have also finally started composting and expanding my garden and the chickens are helping that out too. My goal is to become self sufficient/ self sustaining. I am currently looking into wind turbine ideas and solar panels and digging a well. It is what we all need to do and sooner than later.
blessed be

 

[PeepsInc]

When I was 9 I road my bike 3 miles to the center of town. Offerd an old gent $4 a hen. I had $16 from my Bday. He said if you can catch them. He gave me 5 for the $16. Comets & reds. I walked 3 miles home with about 20 lbs of chicken in a pillow case while pushing my bike. Mom was to say the least surprised.(She's had a bird phobia her hole life) Thats how I got my first birds.

 

[SunAngel]

Friends of ours told DH he should get chickens for me, that I would really like them. She offered to have a catalog sent to us from McMurray (which is where she ordered her chicks from). When I got the catalog, that was all it took. I had the order all decided by the time DH got home from work that day lol. 2 months later we had 39 chicks and 3 ducklings. A year later I have more than tripled that original order and now have 3 coops and 3 duck houses lol.

 

[crait]

Quote:
I was driving home from work one day and was following a chicken truck full of sardine packed red hens. It was freezing and snowing in February. I followed the truck for like a half hour and felt just awful for those hens.

When the truck turned I decided to follow it. I dont even know why I did! But when it finally stopped it came to a huge warehouse and there were 4 more tractor trailer truck just like it all packed with hens. Guys in gas masks and hazard suits were roughly grabbing hens by their feet and throwing them into the warehouse, tossing the dead ones aside.

I felt so horrible I didnt know what I expected to see...happy hens pecking in a field of green grass....maybe in chicken heaven- but NOT at 'Grampa's Farm Fresh Eggs'. I couldnt just drive away...so I went up to one of the truck drivers and asked if I could buy a hen.

He said they werent his to sell, and they werent worth the $10 I had offered. As a gas masked worker was ready to toss another hen, he was motioned to stop and bring her to me. They said they could get in big trouble because it wasnt their chickens so told me to drive away fast.

I set her on the passenger seat beside me- I couldnt tell if the poor thing was frozen with FEAR or from the cold. She didnt budge the whole way. She was a factory replacement pullet- a red star I think.

I gave her a bath when I got home to get the caked feces and stench off her feathers and blowed her with the hair dryer- which she seemed to really enjoy.

I didnt have anywhere to keep her and I lived in the city, so I put her in a cozy dog crate for the night which I guess wasnt latched tight- because when I woke in the moring she was perched atop my husband's side fast asleep in bed with us!!!!!

Thats the story of 'Bunny' our rescued hen....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/uploads/27552_7_bunny_supervising.jpg

That has got to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard! I love that picture too!!


Quote:
Haha, those names are cute!!

 

[sondra]

Well my husband was trying to talk me into getting chickens for 3 years now, but I was always like no way. Well this last March I was driving past our local Orschelens and I saw a sign reading chick days. So I decided to stop in there. Wow the baby chicks were gorgeous and I couldn't resist so I bought 2 production red pullets. When I got home my husband was so excited that he started building a coop right away. Within an hour I found myself back at Orschelens so I could buy a rooster for the girls. Well after the coop was built we were thinking that we needed big girls for in there so we went to a farmers market and bought some layers and a big rooster. After that its just been a complete addiction cause now we have over 50 chickens ( not all laying yet), 3 coops (although we are taking away the 2 smallest and building a bigger one, so we will have 2 nice size coops). I can't believe it took me this long to get chickens because they are absolutely wonderful little furballs, and so sweet. I now love going to swaps just for the fun of it, although I usually bring at least one back home. My 3 kids even completely enjoy the chickens. We play with them daily.

 

[Atlchick]

My neighbors (6 acres away) had a dozen chickens. They moved suddenly and abandoned the chickens, so I started throwing out feed for them and leaving a trail of corn toward my house. It wasn't long before they started spending the day at our house and walking through the woods back home in the evening.

After they started getting picked off by predators, we decided to 'adopt' them and now they are ours full time. We've gotten hooked and added to the flock - there was 40 this weekend, but two new babies hatched this morning.