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Oh No! Your Husband is an enabler too! I told him there was a 2 week old duckling there, and he asked why I didn't get it. I guess he is liking it as much as us girls are (I have 2 daughters living at home that are as bad as me, if not worse in this addiction). I find myself spending most days in the backyard with the older chicks and later in the day in the garage with the younger ones. I am surprised I get anything done.
I love all of you chicken lovers! You keep me laughing, then when I finally stop laughing, I sigh because I know I'm not alone.
My DH initially told me that chickens were dirty and stinky and I didn't need any of "those things". I tried educating him, but he still seemed less than impressed by my chicken knowledge (what little I have). So last Thursday my 14 year old daughter and I stopped by the local farm store where we buy dog food, and they had a couple of bins of chickens and ducks. I told my daughter we couldn't get chickens yet because we weren't quite prepared to bring them home. After leaving the store and going to an appointment, I suddenly had this "urge" to go back to the store and buy some chickens. I mean, I don't know what it was, but those fuzzy butts must have been calling for me. My daughter and I went back and low and behold, there were only 3 pullets left out of the 25 or so that had been there just and hour earlier. We only wanted 2 chicks to start out, but we simply couldn't let one lone chick behind...could we? Of course not, we had to buy all 3, 2 Barred Plymouth Rocks, and 1 supposed Ameraucana (I think she is more likely an Easter Egger).
Since we weren't prepared at all, we rushed to the store and bought all of the supplies need to make a brooder, then off to take the babies home. My husband didn't say much, but later that evening, once we had the chicks settled into their new cozy home, I saw him sneak back the hallway to check on the girls. Every day since he has paid a bit more attention to them. Then today, I took the precious babies out back to the yard for an evening romp in the sun. I sat out there in the grass eating my dinner and the next thing I knew DH was sitting beside me talking to the chickens. Then I almost fell over when he started petting them! What, petting "dirty, stinky" chickens...yup, he sure was. He can say whatever he likes, but I know the truth...he is a chicken lover in denial!
I have 4 straight run silkies ordered from another local store, and I am hoping they will be in during the coming week. Then I need to locate one more Ameraucana, Araucana, or Easter Egger to round out the flock...at least for now.
Again, thanks to everyone for always making me smile!
My DH is in denial as well. Even though he's actually named one of them!! He was a little ticked off at me when I first brought them all home. He's warmed up to them really fast, though. He still calls them names but I can hear him chuckling under his breath when the chicks do something goofy. I brought home a new Ameraucana/EE today and our 5 y/o ran out the door of the house to let DH know I got another one. He wasn't upset that I added yet another one (up to 11 now!). He just laughed and told me that our son just tattled on me!
I feel so good...I am not alone! Thank you so much for the laughs. I really think these little guys bring so much happiness...I mean if my hubby can pet a chick, even with the neighbor standing there. Both men were out in the garage talking about how cute the chicks and duckling are. Trying to act manly... you know..."the man thing" at the same time, they were both smiling from ear to ear. Dh always has to add, to the end of the conversation, in his deep manly voice, "I will build the coops, runs, brooders, but I am not taking care of them". As he picks up and holds a duckling, so tenderly and scolds a chick for scratching the food all over the brooder. Smiling the entire time.
Gosh...men are just too funny. I know, even though he will never say it, he loves them as much as we do.
Now where is the next meeting? and please do not say at TSC!!! I am still too weak...
Our chicks will be arriving Tues or Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've already promised my husband that we'll name the one he doesn't like Pickles. Because (you guessed it!) he doesn't like pickles!! But I've also told him that we won't name them ALL Pickles! Can't wait to see him in the yard petting them..............NOT! I will eat my hat!
I live in the city with a 3 Hen limit...Im now trying to find ways to sneak in more w/o my neighbors knowing..
LOL! I can identify with that. We're in a 3 hen limit areas too and right now I've got four including a rooster right now. I'm planning to keep the roo and get one more hen this year from a friend when they get a little closer in size to mine... And I'm hoping to hatch a clutch next year if anybody goes broody (hence the reason I'm leaning toward one of my friend's silkie babies)
I think I have a problem... I just hope my neighbors don't!
Living in an area without a hen limit can be a problem as well. I live in an unrestricted area. We originally intended to raise about 5 or 6 hens. When we got our chicks last year we ended up getting 18. (Eventually we re-homed three of them). This year we are adding 25 more! At least that is the plan... We went to a feed store today to get a few specific chicks. We noticed that one of the bins had a single Buff Orpington chick in it. My wife and daughters all said that it looked so lonely. The store clerk agreed. It came home with us... One of my daughters asked me again on the way home how many chicks we are going to get this year. I told her about 25. My wife laughed and told her it could be as many as 50. I do believe we may go slightly more than 25 but I am really going to try to keep it to a max of 30. I am going to a local breeder tomorrow to pickup about a dozen chicks. I think I will try to go by myself do that I only come home with what we are planning on.
My hubby amazingly said we could have chickens--no convincing conversation needed. Hmm, not like him, I usually have to keep talking up what I want for a few weeks. OK, that's fine with me. Well now our fluffy butts arrive the end of April and he is sweating over our coop plans and announces " I think I will use tiles on the roof to match our house. The question is if we should stain the wood or paint it? I could also make an additional run and make a door for them to access it from their main coop." OK, sounds good right? Well then when I said "I hope we don't get a rooster because we'd have to find another home for him. Then after a quite moment he says "but what if we love him?" Good grief, my husband loves chickens!
