Official BYC Poll: How Did You Get Into Chickens?

[ChickNanny13]

I was on CL "looking" when I saw someone giving away a chick that was being pecked on. It turned out to be a cockerel, which I couldn't keep in my area so I rehired him. But then I was hooked, asked the person if she had chicks which she did. They turned out to be a pair so rehome...to a 4H member. Called the lady again & she made me an offer ... Raise chicks for her until they're 8wks, pick what I want and we're even.

It worked but then she had enough confidence in my ability so I started raising hatchlings until there were 8wks then they'd go back to her. I did this for a bit (2013 - 2016) it was fun and learned so much & joined BYC.

Hubby built several coops and a brooder, the last Chicken House he build (2016) is my favorite (sold the others) 8x12x7 walk in. My brooder is in the patio 3x8x2 which I can section off depending how much space I need. It fills in as my emergency housing when we have severe storms.

I've tried "quitting" chickens several times but always return

 

[getreal]

My husband drove me crazy wanting chickens. I finally gave in. Guess who got tired of the chickens? Now they are mine.

 

[AfiafiAfi]

I loved chickens my entire life,well I like all animals including tarantulas,but my family was not so keen to have chickens,(my mother hated them)so I had to plead and beg and sometimes secretly raised them in my grans,I’ve had 13-16 by now,(altogether)but no matter what I did,none of them survived,(7 chicks eaten by stray cats,rest dead and one gone)I was so depressed,I gave up chicken farming or ever trying to raise them and decided to raise 6 little ducklings,( I raised other ducks long ago) instead I got 5,one infertile and just two hatched.So now I’m currently on the duck sides with my two raised and two store bought Rouens.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I raised chickens growing up. Then as a young adult I had a flock of chickens. Then we moved around and had kids. Then when my kids were small I got chickens for them. Then we started to hatch chicks, then I discovered the eggs feathering blue, then I discovered other colored eggs, then I discovered NN, then I discovered frizzle, then I discovered BCM....shall I go on?

 

[african chickens]

my teacher hatched eggs and i fell in love with one little chick now I have 3 hens

Amber (the red hen / the chick i fell in love with)
Lacy (the black laced )
Whitney (the white hen)

 

[DiPolloAmante]

I got my first chickens 2 years ago through 4-h and i can not live without chickens anymore! I started with 7, and now i have 16 and am about to get more.

 

[BantammChick]

I first got chickens in 2015, my grandpa got me an incubator and some game bird eggs, I only hatched one, a rooster, and then I got 3 barred rock hens from the farm store, and that was my very first flock!

 

[igorsMistress]

I researched and flip flopped between getting them and not for years. Finally decided to take the plunge when we couldn’t get a regular supply from a gal at work.

 

[tn_artist]

I was 19, newly married and grew up in a pretty big city. My husband grew up rurally and took me to my first state fair. I fell in love with chickens, particularly bantams! We bought a few from the fair and the golden sebright pullet became my first pet chicken. We eventually ended up with bantam cochins, OEGB and a few other random birds.
I have now had birds off and on for 34 years. Our oldest birds now are little over 5 years old and I will likely never be without birds again. They are my happy place.

 

[Pmadden327]

Chickens really are the simplest and most rewarding animals to rear. From eggs to free therapy to learning about self-sustainability, there are a variety of reasons to keep your own backyard chickens. Whatever the reason, we would like to find out: How Did You Get Into Chickens?

Place your vote above, and please elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

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Further Reading:

• Top 5 Reasons People Have Chickens
• Common Mistakes Poultry Keepers Make (And How to Fix Them)
• Keeping Chickens Without Free Ranging

(Check out more exciting Official BYC Polls HERE!)

I was working for the electric company in upstate NY, inspecting the power lines, and I came upon many backyard flocks and I learned how easy they are to keep. When I retired last year, I remembered the beautiful chickens I had seen, and looked into the laws in my town of Poughkeepsie NY and found I can keep 6 hens, so this past summer I went to Tractor Supply during chick days and picked out my flock. They’re now 9 weeks old, and I never get tired of fussing around with them, babysitting them while they free range in my yard.