Okay... BYCers are brilliant with this... I have 7 lovely Black Jersey Giant hens, the promise of a new coop because I enjoy them so much, two egg customers (and counting, but my girls can't work THAT hard) and a fairly softhearted but very German DH who is VERY reluctant to expand the flock. I need help swaying him... I need one liners! I need great justifications for babies and/or bators - Anyone have any good ideas?
I also am married to a German. My line would be "Wiel eich dem will" which translates to "Because I want them"! Quite simple. Pronounce the w's as v's. It would sound to us like vile eek dem vill.
I'm a Polack married to a German. My trick is to let him think it's his idea. It takes some patience and cunning but it works very well. DH wanted a cochin after seeing one of a friend. I found a cochin rooster on craiglist and told him I was going out to get it. He went with me to check out the rooster and to keep me from bringing back a bunch of chickens. After a few weeks, he mentioned that he wanted to get some cochin hens. We haven't had any luck finding hens so he asked what would happen if he mated with our sex link hens. I told him that they weren't broody. He wants to get an incubator now. It took 2 months, but it worked!
What about if you just get more and look innocent when he notices and tell him you have NO idea where they came from?
michickenwrangler has it right. Have to let that thick headed lovable Deutscher think its his idea. Or "just because I want to"! I so have to try that. It took 3 years of talking about his sister having them, IN THE CITY, in Germany - and - him being laid up from the hospital (hey, I said he needed something to take his mind off it) for us to get the five chicks.
So you don't end up like me, with tons of egg customers banging on your door for eggs and only 13 hens doing the work. Now I have to wait till spring for more chicks and then wait for them to grow up....
Tell him you want something really expensive then when he says no wait a few days and you can bring up the cheaper and more economical incubator.
My husband is from good old fashioned PA German stock. In March I casually mentioned how nice it would be to have our own fresh eggs. Every other day or so, I'd mention a little fact about raising chickens, you know, all the benefits, insect control in the garden, fertilizer for the garden. Then waited. I had my initial 5 by mid-May. 4 pullets and 1 Rooster. I then had to mention, that Roosters needed at least 8 - 12 hens to keep him busy. Then waited, but not for long. To make a long story short, by the end of July I had two coops and 34 chickens. And it all started with a little seed being planted in the mind of a good old-fashioned PA German man.
I don't believe I ever asked Phil. Just told him I was going to get some or just bought eggs. It's my hobby. He has his hobbies and I have mine.
