Official BYC Poll: Why Do You Have Chickens - Select All That Apply

[marvun22]

i listed that i have them for pets, eggs, bug control, and fertilizer but i really only bought them for eggs and then they became my pets and the fertilizer and bug control are just added bonuses.

 

[goody]

Several on the list, but the main reason (my "other") is because my wife and kids said so.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

I forgot to click "other",

-but they are my therapy as well. They are full of so much personality, and birds are usually the happiest creatures i've ever met! It's hard to be upset when you have an armfull of a very happy bird ( Mine leap up into my lap when it's visiting time )

-I don't have kids either, so these have become my "kids".

-Also, they are part of my "fresh food" movement; store eggs are NOT fresh, and though i could buy eggs cheaper than having the birds I find that I can't imagine a "chickenless" life anymore; they are too much fun!

I never got into chickens for these reasons. I only wanted eggs, but got so much more...... I think that's why they are gaining so much popularity these days.

 

[wvchickenmama]

I love watching the chicken channel lol they are always doing something that makes me laugh

 

[binza1979]

What can I say...I LOVE math!

 

[scriptkiddie]

My original reasons were eggs, meat, and bug control. Until I got them, I had no idea how much they would teach my children to be responsible or how entertaining they would be for us or even how much of a calming effect they have especially at dusk when they finish pecking at whatever gems of food they found and slowly, one at a time, quietly climb in the coop and put themselves to bed.

 

[mkcolls]

We originally got chickens for eggs, meat, and bug control. It was a pleasant surprise to find that their entertainment antics were a huge bonus. That is one of our "other" reason for keeping chickens.

When we are out with them they are "helping" in the flower beds and vegetable garden. They love chasing the lawnmower and tractor as well as each other. They chase anything that moves - no squirrels allowed on our property. They race to be the first to reach a found treat, jump at loud sounds, and runfly (that is running while flapping their wings)

They are tender teachers. We have learned so much from them, and no paying a therapist - other than scratch and treats.

 

[CountryGeorge]

I just like chickens. I find them constantly interesting and find them just as personable as any other critter I've dealt with and working on farms for years I've run into quite a few. Birds are neat and chickens are birds that are easy to get next to.

 

[SerpentineFarm]

I bred horses for a decade until the recession put me out of business. I always had a few cluckers around for the eggs, though. After the last horse went down the road in 2011, and I was nearly broke and completely disheartened, I needed something to keep me afloat financially. I converted horse barns to henhouses, ordered 100 chicks and called up the local natural foods market, and a year and a half later I have a profitable 300+ hen egg business. The University Ag Extension expert told me that there is no way to be profitable with a small free-range egg operation, but I have proved him wrong. So another purpose for keeping chickens is financial recovery and rebuilding a sense of self-worth.

 

[April2013]

Sounds like you want to have a regular old "funny farm" like I do!

My OTHER would as a hobby (that gives back!).


My dream is to create a hobby farm complete with chickens, ducks, turkeys, milk goats, a couple of longhorns, maybe a couple pigs, a stocked tank and a large organic garden + small orchard.   ....pssst!  but don't tell my husband!   /img/smilies/wink.png