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

[mowin]

I'll update.. 2nd current yr, but several yrs in the 70's that kept the fire burning.

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

4 years old doesn't mean you must replace them.

Yes, but I sell all my eggs or hatch them for people. I basically have a hatchery and I need optimal laying hens. And I am not getting rid of them in case you missed that. I'm just getting more hens and still keeping the old ones!

 

[CHlCKEN]

4 years old doesn't mean you must replace them.

X2. What gave you that idea ChloeSilkie?

 

[mowin]

X2. What gave you that idea ChloeSilkie?

I've got two that haven't paid rent in 5 months. Chicken soup sounds great.

 

[64peeps]

Two years last time, just beginning again with hatched chicks five weeks ago. Moving them to the new coop tomorrow.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I've always enjoyed chickens, since I was introduced to them as a kid. I spent a lot of time in the chicken coop and it was my job to care for them and collect their eggs. I wasn't able to have them when I went to college because I didn't have my own place, and my parents didn't want to take care of them without me there so they got rid of them all . I briefly had a flock when I purchased my first home, but we lost access to water and had to abandon the place (LONG STORY) so they got rehomed as well. I finally have space again and am a home owner so hell yeah I've got chickens.

The first kind of chickens I had were some kind of black sex link I think. They were black with red on their faces and chests. My Pops let me order some Silver Phoenixes when I was 12 or so...1 male and 4 females. They were lovely little birds but not super personable. I wish I had pictures of them--the rooster's tale got quite long and he was just gorgeous and an all around nice guy to his ladies. He just didn't like being handled.

When I was able to get some on my own I got a mixed flock of Silver Campines, Silver Lakenvelders, some EEs, and a couple of d'Uccles for fun. They free ranged on my 7 acres. I have a picture of the flock leader, Boss Man:

He was the best rooster I've ever had. Fathered many children and kept everybody safe for the most part. His sons were jerks though, I had to rehome every single male he fathered. We had another rooster named Scarface, a Mille Fleur d'Uccle, who started out a jerk but after a run in with some of Bossman's boys he became so tame he'd ride around on your shoulder. Unfortunately he also liked to sleep on a post outside of the coop, and an owl got him one night when I missed him in the head count.

Here's Bossman with his favorite trio of hens (a Buff d'Uccle and two EEs):

Apparently this is the only time I really took pictures of my chickens...probably cause I was amused by their antics in the snow.

It would be over 12 years before I'd get to have chickens again (though I had a friend with a flock so I got to live vicariously). I currently have a Brahma, Cochins, Australorps, Silkies, Leghorns, RSLs, BCMs, an Olive Egger, an Orpington, 2 "Bresse", a non-standard color Ameraucana, and 8 Cochin crosses (w/ SLW and Welsummer). There are pictures from my main flock on my profile. Its members will likely change here soon, as I'm going to be rehoming breeds I don't want, and the bullies (if I don't eat them).

 

[Geckolady]

Got mine at the end of October, so about 4 1/2 months.

 

[wolfinator]

I acquired my original bantam flock on July 6, 2015.

A person acquainted with my boys had a flock of bantams and had 3 days to rehome all due to in city limits so I got a call offering them including all accessories for a reasonable fee. First day two small coops and all the chickens were delivered. Turned out they were living in very deplorable conditions. There were 18 of them in a 4x8 area of a 8x10 coop. that hadn't been cleaned in weeks, no eggs were collected and several dead were rotting on the floor. They were filthy and smelled awful and worse, it rained on them while being transported. Former owner put them in a large tote with wire over them. My boys had to do all the tear down, delivery and setup as part of me taking them. We didn't know how many would make it and I did lose almost half within 6 months. There also ended up being 9 pullets/hens and 9 cockerels/roosters so I was glad for the 2 smaller coops. My last bantam passed January 26, 2020. Now all I have are standard breeds and crossed breeds (15 different), about 60 (8 roosters). Plus 10 Runner ducks, 2 Runner drakes, 2 khaki Campbell drakes and 4 guineas.

Some of my original 18 bantams. The cat in 2nd photo always had to visit too, he was fantastic with them. Sadly he has passed too.

Some of my current flocks.

My youngest when they were 2-3 months old, it was in the teens outside. They now are 6-7 months old and starting to lay. I rehomed several cockerels, kept 1 EE and 2 RIR need rehomed still. 7 of 16 were male.

My current coops next to our garden last summer. Blue coop is for youngsters.

 

[LoneOak]

I moved into this house in 1996 and wondered for a few years what I should do with the chicken coop that had been modified into a dog kennel. Finally in 2003, I decided to get some chicks and a few months later started selling eggs to my neighbors and all the pretty girls that stopped by wanting some. I had a sign out on the road. I've had chickens ever since with a pause when I was sick in the hospital a few years back, gave them all away to a good friend.
I just this past week moved all the birds in my current flock into the barn and I am going to completely rebuild the coop and run and make it much nicer than it currently is after nearly 20 years of continuous use. It has all worked well for years but a crazy dog got on top of my coop and run and messed up the roof and wire I had on the top. It is time to rebuild better than ever.
Hopefully I can keep raising 25 or 30 birds at a time to keep my customers happy for many years to come.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

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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?

I am relatively new. I got some about 6 months ago. I lived in the suburbs for the past 14 years and FINALLY moved out to the country. Best decision ever. I quickly got chickens after weeks of research while selling my house. I started with 5 hens, thinking that was all I needed and wanted (no rooster as well). Now I have 10 and 4 ducks, *had* a bunch of quail until yesterday morning (butcher day), goats, rabbits, eggs in the incubator, and hopefully geese soon. I am loving the homestead life. I started with a cream leghorn, buff orpington, barred rock, cuckoo Maran (which was sold to me as a barred rock but later after her death I learned she was a Maran - my favorite), and a Rhode Island Red. Now I have more breeds than I new existed before I started my research.