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

[Abriana]

I moved to the country four years ago and started keeping chickens less than a month after I moved—I got eight chicks on March 26, 2016. I have six from the original eight, and I cannot believe they are going to be four years old soon!

I started with two Colombian rocks (Henrietta and Napoleon), three Easter Eggers (Hailey, Lindsey, and Lucy, Lindsey passed six days after I got her, unfortunately), two Cuckoo Marans (Lily and Peaches), and one Dutch Bantam (Bantam, who has since passed as well).

Currently I have three Colombian Rocks (Henrietta, Napoleon, and Christina), two Easter Eggers (Lucy and Hailey), three EE x Colombian Rocks (Jaelyn, Marshmallow, and Kindle), two Cuckoo Marans (Lily and Peaches), two Cuckoo Maran x Colombian Rocks (Zara and Courage), and one mystery hen (Hope), whom I got for free because she was being pecked by the other chicks in the bin at the feed store, I thought she would be blind but she’s totally good except for some damage to her eyelids.

If this summer and the next weren’t going to be insanely busy I would be getting more chicks and maybe some ducklings!

 

[ASteelman]

I first got started with chickens five years ago. I ordered over a dozen day old female chicks from several breeds. Amazingly some of those girls still remain, namely two welsummers and a silver laced wyandotte.

Some things I learned the hard way, like how to construct a coop secure from predators. We've lost a few to illness here and there. I fell in love with incubating chicks and breeding. We've also raised meat birds a couple of times.

These days I have it narrowed down to blue ameraucanas, wheaten marans, and my olive egger crosses. Ultimately i'd like to produce birds that I'd be proud to take to exhibition.

I like to keep a few hens of other breeds around for variety in the egg basket - expecting a few speckled sussex and white leghorns in the mail later this spring.

 

[Waves]

loving your flock!

 

[Blueroanpainted]

View attachment 2009564​

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?

View attachment 2009564​

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've been raising bought chicks for probably closer to 10 years for my parents, but got into my own about 2 years ago with showgirls, and hatching/incubating for a little over a year now!

 

[Coopscraft]

Caught my first leghorn when I was two years old. I’m 41. I still have chickens, But I have occasionally been without for more than a decade. Chickens are quite often the perfect livestock for a small homestead where you just want to raise your own clean protein.

 

[BYC Project Manager]

I am loving the flow of this poll! Thank you for your helpful responses! Keep them going!

 

[JadeFarms]

For me it’s been about 6 years, I started with buff Orpington, light Sussex and a barred Plymouth Rock.

 

[Jedstar]

I've never heard of a Cornflakes before. What do the hens look like.

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

 

[NuggetTheChicken]

I've never heard of a Cornflakes before. What do the hens look like.

I named him Cornflakes because he likes corn and there is a rooster on the cornflakes box, odd name isn't it? But it suits him

 

[Jedstar]

Yeah nice name. What's breed is he. Leghorn