Just wondering--what got you started into raising chickens?

[Puck-Puck]

I got tired of hearing about battery chickens (whose eggs and meat I had been buying), and realizing that there was nothing stopping me from raising chickens, besides my own doubts, I ordered 25...split the order with a neighbour...suddenly other neighbours are getting interested in raising chickens, too. Raising consciousness by accident!

 

[Q9]

With us, it came from a number of reasons. Some of our friends have a ton of hens, and we thought it was neat. Nothing else. Then with the economy... We visited a local nursery and saw the chicks, and when we got home my sister promptly said, "Can we get chickens?" I rolled my eyes, until I heard my dad's response: "I'm all for being as self-sufficient as possible." What the heck?! My sister found this site and I started researching chickens. I got obsessed, joined this forum and found the Catawba Converticoop. Finally downloaded plans. Coop construction will begin as soon as possible. Then we get 4 hens!

 

[joanie_maine]

I moved from a town an hour north of Boston to a farm in Maine.

There was a chicken house, long neglected in the shed, next to the (believe it or not) two hole privy room!

I was an Ebay person and I saw that there were hatching eggs for sale on Ebay.

So I bid on a few lots of eggs, hatched them in a still air incubator and suddenly....

I was a chicken lady!!

After a few years, a divorce, another house and a move further out into the woods...

I settled on Bantam Cochins as my breed of choice.

 

[tomato lady]

We had chickens when I was a little girl about 5 years old. I remember my mother sent me to check for eggs and this big, mean old broody hen wouldn't let me have them. I went crying in the house so Mom went out with me and said, "You just shoo her off the nest like this." Looked scary to me.

Then, this spring (60 years later) my son-in-law said we both should get some chickens. I built a coop and went to the feed store to get some chicks. And I went back to the feed store to get some more chicks. And I went back to the feed store to get even more chicks.

I now have 31 chicks from 4 weeks to about 9 weeks old. My grandkids, great grandkids and I all love them. The rest of the family just think I'm a little crazy. They made me say I would not get any more, but I lie.

 

[joanie_maine]

Quote:
Hahaha, great story!!

 

[rittert3]

I got my start in bobwhite quail and pigeons then started buying eggs from local farmers and selling chicks locally to who ever i knew wanted some. I would buy a dozen eggs for 1$ and sell them as 4-5 week old at $20 for 6 and ussually threw a pound of starter in (at that time it was only $6 for a 50lb bag now it's $11)

 

[rinnith]

This is a fun one! we had a pet shop selling baby bob whites, i fell in love, witch isn't abnormal. I looked up info on them and finally convinced my parents to allow me to have one. I was moving out soon (getting married does that) anyway, long story short, we named her Joanna, ended up calling HIM Critter. he would follow me around the house, and was very found of affection and fighting peoples white socks... i miss him.... i need another bobwhite!!!

 

[AK Michelle]

I sent my husband (A Lifelong City-Boy) to the feed store for goat food. The guy at the feed store sold him a dozen fresh eggs "Off the farm just this mornin".

As soon as he tasted the eggs he had to have more, so he decided we should have chickens. Fine with me I love all critters and caring for them is relaxing and theraputic to me not a chore.

So, 2 years later he's still talking about it, but hasn't built my coop yet. I got visiting with Tori (aka Mrs. Ak Bird-Brain) in Sterling and decided I should get some chicks from her. So I placed an order for easter weekend so the kids could have real chicks for easter.

I read on BYC about building an incubator out of a styrofoam cooler, my 9-year old and I built it one evening after work.

Well you can't have an incubator without eggs in it, pretty sure I saw that in the rules section on here somewhere.... Anyway I called someone I know with chickens and picked up a dozen eggs. A week later, another friend called with some eggs I just had to incubate cause they were from her chickens that my kids love. Fine, more eggs in the bator.

Then it was easter so I picked up my chicks from Tori (19 of them, day old to 3 weeks) Had to make a brooder. Eggs started hatching, such cute little fuz balls.

Accidently found more eggs to incubate.

Incubating is a little addictive.

Finally bought a shed for a coop cause hubby still hadn't made me one.

Hubby was miffed because he wanted to order the ornamental layer collection from McMurray's because he wanted variety (never mind that we already had like 10 different types of chicks) so I ordered the collection for him.

Then Margie decided I needed these 4 chicks she just hatched cause I had liked the parents. And I tried to hatch some blue eggs but my bator was having issues so none hatched. Fortunately for me a preschool teacher had hatched some from the same eggs but didn't have a home for the chicks, so now I have those too.

So I have 3 Mille Fleur D'Uccle's, 8 silkies (3 white, 1 blue, 2 splash, & 2 SQ Blacks) 5 Dorkings, 6 EE's, 4 dutch bantams (Ninja Chickens) and 1 marans, 1 leghorn, 1 RIR, 16 polish, 4 buff orps, 3 that I am still trying to ID (the ornamental layers is all pullets but you don't know what you're getting till they get here)

So, now I have chickens. I really enjoy them more than I thought I would. They are so funny and have such different ppersonalities.

Michelle

 

[rinnith]

Quote:
I like this!

 

[Junkmanme]

I grew up in a "Trading Post/ Wrecker Business in town here in New Mexico. The only animal we had any time for was a "super-intelligent" Boxer dog, who was my "best friend".

On a visit to North Carolina to visit his Mother, my Father spat his "tobacco juice" into a rooster's eye. I don't recall how it killed the rooster (scratching or poison???), but it killed the rooster. Dad's Mother "gave him "the dickens" for killin' the rooster!

I recall him saying, "Aw Hell, Ma, I'll buy you a hunnerd of 'em!" with his charming smile! I know he gave her a chunk of money that he was going to do anyway.

I didn't get into chickens until I was retired and occasionally helped take care of a neighbor's farm animals when he needed to go out of town for a few days. He let me have the eggs I collected as payment for feedin' all his critters: Pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, and a horse and jackass.

I thought the chickens and rabbits might be ok to raise, so I started looking into it on the Internet.

Another neighbor (renter) moved out and left me the 4' square doghouse ( I have 2 boxers). My dogs sleep in the house, so I spent some time "remodeling the doghouse into a chicken coop".

When I had finished, my neighbor with the "critters" gave me 4 Buff Orpington pullets and a Red Sex-Link Rooster (all about 6 months old.)

Now, I have 21 chickens. They are "good tenants" and some of them pay their rent!

I'm gonna have enough eggs come Thanksgiving or Christmas to sell some (help with feed bill) or make the world's BIGGEST Quiche!

(REAL Men DO eat quiche......., IF they make it themselves.....Lotsa Hot peppers, home-grown tomatoes, and venison/elk sausage (homemade)..............