Official BYC Poll: Why Do You Have Chickens?

[Liz Birdlover]

Here's my rather long story, if you like reading (skip to the end for my reason)...

My neighbors had chickens and did not take care of them. They had 20-30 chickens in a rather small enclosure. Something got in there and killed all but 6. 5 of those chickens got out of the enclosure and were wandering around their yard as well as mine. The sixth chicken was left in there with the dead ones, sick or injured. We let the sick chicken out and never saw her again, she probably died somewhere. Those 20-25ish dead chickens laid there all winter, and my neighbors didn't care to clean them up. They had 2 ducks as well, and their pool was almost empty and had dead chickens in them, and what water was left was disgusting. The remaining 5 chickens and 2 ducks I took care of, since my neighbors didn't. 3 roosters and 2 hens. I got chicken scratch (not the most nutritious, I know, but I knew nothing about chickens at the time) and fed the chickens twice a day. I gave some to the ducks as well, who were on the other side of the fence. I put a pizza pan in their yard and would fill it with warm water. They loved it. When the water froze I would weave my hands through the chain link fence and break the ice out, then fill it back up. The chickens would roost in my trees. One hen even started laying and we got an egg everyday or every other day (I assume she got enough calcium from foraging). She was very sweet and I named her Ally. I wanted more chickens to go along with them, so we started building a chicken coop. About that time my neighbors cleaned up the dead chickens and took back their 5. This likely happened because we called the sheriff or the animal control about their dog being in small (and I mean small) cage outside the whole day (they didn't take care of their dogs either, their shelter through the winter was terrible). Honestly this broke my heart because I knew they would die. And they did. My neighbors then decided to give up chickens and get a cow and 3 goats, and they just stuck them in there in the chicken coop and run, which was already small for their chickens. The cow had something wrong with it and couldn't walk right. One of the goats died, too, and it just laid there and decomposed. They have since moved out (THANK GOD) but the chicken bones and goat skeleton remain.

I got chickens because I loved taking care of my neighbor's chickens, especially Ally because she was so sweet. Maybe it was also partly because I wanted to do better than my neighbors in the sense that I wanted to see my chickens be healthy and happy and thrive. So in the end a positive thing came out of a negative thing.

What horrid neighbors they were, I hope they never have animals again.
What a blessing you are!
The world needs more like you!

 

[ackie]

Pets that maybe one day will give me eggs if I'm lucky lol

 

[fuentemoon]

I have them first because one showed up at my house and I had always wanted them. Then eggs, fertilizer and pest control are simply benefits.

 

[ackie]

I have them first because one showed up at my house and I had always wanted them. Then eggs, fertilizer and pest control are simply benefits.

okay i guess the real reason I have chickens is because there were 2 chickens already here + coops + supplies, so I went with it.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Growing up my parents loved animals & we had a dog & parakeets. I remember stopping to rescue turtles off of roads many times, so they would not get run over. I liked drawing & remember my favorite subjects were birds, the details of beautiful feathers. I saw chickens for the 1st time when I was about 7 on a farm that offered a strawberry picking outing. I spent a lot of time feeding those chickens, it was so fun! I saw they liked certain plants, chickweed & clover. I always enjoyed time with animals, whether drawing or painting wildlife, grooming horses or being with birds. When I bought my 1st house, I immediately got a dog and a few Cockatiels. Somehow lost animals would always find their way to my doorstep. I think some of them had help, in other words I believe they may have been dropped off. It's funny how news travels that you are an animal lover. Before long I had my own avian rescue & was also involved with other animal rescues with transport or as a stopping point. At times there were animals in every room of my little house...cats, dogs, rabbits, chinchillas, bearded dragons, turtles, but mostly I had birds, from Finches to Macaws, running a companion bird rescue for 20 years. People would bring me wild birds so inevitably I got involved with Tri-state bird rescue as well. I've rescued swans, owls, songbirds, quite the variety, they are all so very beautiful. I lived in a neighborhood with restrictions so while I was able to have Homing Pigeons there's no way I could have chickens, but believe me they were on my mind. My entire kitchen décor had a rooster theme lol.
The birds in life were always my family.
Always there to greet, make me smile after a rough day, be my inspiration & purpose, my strength when I fought cancer 3x. When I relocated to a property zoned for chickens, a friend of my dad's gave me a pair, Barred Rock Roo & Hen. Dad & I built a coop & my love of Chickens began! Another friend of a friend gave me 2 Red Star hens. I later went to a place selling various breeds of hens to check them out, but when I got there I was very shocked at the conditions. Instead of getting 2 hens I "rescued" 10 hens & 2 Roos.

Fast forward to now...I've lost several loved ones, including Mom & Dad, to cancer. My chickens have been my therapeutic healers, keeping me busy & grounded with purpose. I have built a 2nd larger coop & plan to remodel & enlarge the 1st coop as I've learned what works better & what doesn't.
I have 29 Hens & 11 Roos!
10 of them were hatched this past spring by 2 broody hens...what wonderful mama hens they were!
How sweet the chicks were & what a joy it was every day, I looked forward to seeing them & how much they grew. This past year with the pandemic, they've pretty much been my only bright spot. Beautiful chunky Wyandottes, Big egg Marans, Zany Rhode Island Reds, Huggable Buff Orpingtons, Sweet Lovebug Ameracaunas, Ornery Barred Rocks & 1 Crazy Comet.
So, what can I say...how much have they enriched my life!
Companionship, good cheer, moral support, clucking & listening, nestling on my lap for some pets, laugh out loud entertainment, gardening buddies, eggs, great art & photo subjects...I can't imagine life without them! I love them!

 

[SerrarGett]

I found my chickens in a canal. My soft heart couldn't leave them there.

 

[Ladies of the Forest]

Two heart-rending stories. Two people with big hearts! You deserve to have chickens . Best of health to you all

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I found my chickens in a canal. My soft heart couldn't leave them there.

Omg someone dumped them? Were they in the water or floating, stuck on a piece of wood?

 

[SerrarGett]

Omg someone dumped them? Were they in the water or floating, stuck on a piece of wood?

No, they were on the barrier of a fenced-in canal. I think someone dumped them on the side of the road and they made their way into the canal. They walked up to me while I was dumping trash. I managed to get them onto my side of the fence and scooped them up with a net. Luckily, they were very friendly.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Started out just for the eggs, now, well if you ask my husband I have a problem, lmao! They are awesome! Who would have known that chickens could bring so much peace and happiness to your life, so of course now I need more! LOL
Certified chicken junkie