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

[Kiki]

How many of our peeps are really new to raising chickens and how many are old-timers?

In addition to answering the poll, please reply with some fun details, like:

What got you interested in raising chickens?
Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?

 

[Love my chickens 25]

Originals

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Technically I am in between 1 and 2 yrs but closer to the 2 yr mark so that is what I chose. I started out with 6 Australorp chickens and now have a variety of 16 chickens and 7 ducks.

 

[Molpet]

Had chickens as a kid a couple of times... opossums and dog got them. 5 yrs ago bought some as a retirement project. Built a predator proof coop.

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

I got interested in raising chickens when my dad would tell us stories from when he was a kid, how he had chickens and pigeons. We moved to a more rural part of town, which had no restrictions on what animals or how many you could have, a very farm friendly town, I am surrounded by farms. My family decided to get chickens. We picked winter hardy breeds that would lay a decent amount of eggs, barred rocks, rhode island reds, jersey giants. We later added in light brahmas and welsummers. Don't have any recent pics, but have a pic of one of my boys, a red sex link, Cornflakes and some of the hens

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

This is fantastic, thanks for starting it!!!

 

[Folly's place]

My first were Belgian d'Uccles and Silkies from a neighbor, before this site, and before there was much information at all about 'backyard chickens'.
I did know about poultry, but made many many mistakes along the way as far as predator protection is concerned.
Once our coop was set up, things went way better, and it's been a lot of fun.
I still have decendants of those first d'Uccles! And other standard breeds, and now an interest in white Chanteclers and bantam Easter Eggers too.
Mary

 

[grayjay11o]

I've been raising chicken for 12 years, I started out with Mille Fleur D'Uccles and the last one just died a couple of months ago. Now I have 2 nankins, 3 Nankin Xs, 1 Silkie X, 1 Red Pyle OEGB, 1 Crele OEGB, and 1 Golden? Dutch. This spring I will hopefully be adding 2 Appenzeller Spitzhaubens, 3 Silver-laced Orpingtons, and 3 Blue-Laced Red Wyandottes.

Picture of one of my original D'Uccles, Peeka taken last year.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

When I was 11 we moved to the country. There was a huge chicken house and some old hens the previous owner had left. My dad and I weren't close but we had a love for birds that bonded us. He started incubating eggs and it was my responsibility to fill the water and take care of the birds. When my husband and I moved to our farm and my middle son was 1 year old (13 years ago) I picked out my first chickens. 25 Black Astralorps, to this day I always have to have some in my flock.

 

[Love my chickens 25]