Official BYC Poll: How Long Have You Been Keeping Chickens?

[swimmy44]

Keeping chickens is not only fun and easy but extremely beneficial! Chickens can be an amazing resource for food and entertainment, and keeping chickens is an effective step towards self-sufficiency.

So: How Long Have You Been Keeping Chickens?

Please place your vote above, and elaborate in a reply below if you used to keep chickens but no longer do.

View attachment 2786854

Further Reading:

• How To Raise Chickens
• Why Chickens? 10 Quick Facts On the Benefits of Raising Chickens
• The Pros and Cons of Raising Chickens

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[Chickle2014]

Keeping chickens is not only fun and easy but extremely beneficial! Chickens can be an amazing resource for food and entertainment, and keeping chickens is an effective step towards self-sufficiency.

So: How Long Have You Been Keeping Chickens? 7 years

Please place your vote above, and elaborate in a reply below if you used to keep chickens but no longer do.

View attachment 2786854

Further Reading:

• How To Raise Chickens
• Why Chickens? 10 Quick Facts On the Benefits of Raising Chickens
• The Pros and Cons of Raising Chickens

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

 

[Borders3]

3 1/2 years now but had a flock from 1976 to 1985 love my fresh free range eggs.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Wow

What breed is he?

Game[mama]/game bantam[dad]

 

[mattnamy23]

8 yrs. We still have 2 from our very first batch.

 

[Dharmachick]

I have been doing this since my son built me a coop for his senior project 6 years ago. I also have my first hen and I love that so many others do too!

 

[Sueg4332]

9 1/2 years. I still have my first hen, and she still lays about once a month.

One of my oldest hens lived until she was 13 and she laid eggs too. Plus she had only a stump for a leg. Got under a horse and the foot was popped off. We taped a popsicle stick on it until it healed. PS we renamed her Peg Leg. She was a red cross link hen.

 

[garlandchickens]

2 years this month! I can't say it's been easy, we have had lots of loss of various kinds. Even if we don't have each girl for very long, it's been fun to get to know them. Currently only have 2, but hoping to get 2 more babies soon!

 

[sewingkitty1170]

10 years now and I cannot fathom my life without them! They’re wonderful pets with big personalities!!! All it took was watching my neighbor’s flock for 6 months and to taste one of their fried eggs and I was hooked! A week later I had two chicks, then went back and got two more a couple weeks later! Now I have a new flock of 6 and one 10 year old chicken queen of the yard and I’m happy!

 

[DatCampG]

I've had birds my whole life. My very 1st chicken fell off of one of those trucks headed for the slaughter house. I kept the white chicken in my garage, I was 8 yrs old & named her Fluff. She was so sweet, put up with me giving her a bath, drying her off, even sitting on my lap to be fussed over and hugged. She was very active and even played roll the ball with me. Her favorite game was find the crickets of course. Unfortunately, a month later, instead of laying eggs, SHE turned out to be a HE & began crowing. In that neighborhood that was a big No No, so we found Mr. Fluff a farm home. Many decades later, I moved to a place with the proper zoning, where I could finally have chickens! I'd wanted chickens for a long, long time, so this was wonderful & very exciting! My dad & I built a coop together & I cherish those memories, because we didn't know at that time it would be the last thing he'd build. Those beloved chickens & my pigeons kept me grounded during a difficult time, during my father's illness. They've given me unconditional love & affection, wanting to sit on my lap or be fussed over & hugged. They've made smile & laugh every single day. During a time of grief & then pandemic, they've been my constant, my best friends. During Covid19 shut down, their eggs became a source of income, allowing me to buy food, who could've thought a fun hobby could sustain us?Pandemic also gave me time to hatch 10 eggs, what precious little fuzz puffs! I love them so much still! I started with 2 Barred Rocks & have had up to 40, a mix of RIR, Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, Ameracaunas, Comet & Red Star, White Rock, a few rescued mixes, one sweetheart looks like Buff Delaware. All have names, some were older rescues, they will all live good lives & die of old age. I've only had chickens for about 7 yrs, but I can't imagine my life without them. ❤

I enjoyed reading you post "memories".
You have some pretty chickens.