Official BYC Poll: Why Do You Have Chickens?

[City Farmer Jim]

We have chickens for fertilizer,eggs,pest(spiders)control but the biggest and unknown to us when we started keeping chickens is the therapeutic/distressing quality they have on us. They are always happy to see you...treats or no treats and just so calming when craziness is all around. Our plan is to have an egg producing,fertilizer making, bug eating flock when we retire and just enjoy the girls daily activities.

 

[Christia]

I have rescue chickens, which would have been culled or died.

 

[chrissynemetz]

I had to raise chickens... it's in my genes. Along with blonde hair, green eyes, and thick ankles.

 

[Birdie mom]

My dad got our family our first flock of chicks whenever I was 3 yrs old. We have had them on and off since. I have grown to love them. --

 

[JennyHeidewald]

My mom had chickens for years before I moved back home (she got them after I moved away), and then, when I was living there, I got a few because I wanted to pet them and all of hers would run off when I tried! We were fine for a year, then I started getting into all the different breeds and different egg colors... I never knew there were so many kinds of chickens! We were only going to get 8 in 2019, I told my mom that meant we could each get five... I had a carefully constructed list....
Then All Chicken Math broke loose... and we ended up with over 80 chickens at one point... because we were trying to get particular ones, but would mistake one chick color for the other, and then TSC would have a sale, and then there was this really cute one... and then if I get this chicken and this one, I can make my own olive eggers next year...

I have to say 2018 was really good, but 2019 it seemed we had a lot of chicken issues, health and two predator. We got the flock down to reasonable size, and I was doing really well, and then..well, I have this olive egger project, and it wouldn't hurt to put these four green eggs under that broody... then my mom said, "Hey, take this $ and get that incubator you wanted, early b-day present..."
17 of 22 hatched out of that... and then there were broodies that wanted eggs, so we were going to have them sit on certain ones, but the other hens had access to the box. So things got confused for a few days, and we ended up with some barnyard mixes in the nest, too. From all those, I can see my standard cochin roo ( lowest on the roo pecking order, mind you) gets around! Currently I have another incubator full, I am trying to get some chicks from our favorite hens, because with how it goes, there might not be a next month for them. I lost one of my olive eggers last week, and I have some of her last eggs in there. :.(

I moved out from my mom's place December last year, and I am sad I don't get to see them every day anymore.

 

[poopjanitor]

Eggs, meat, pest control, fertilizer, and sustainability.

Plus enjoyment. I have a ridiculous fondness for the sound of a rooster with a pleasant crow.

You mean there's a range of crowing voices. I didn't know that. I have a customer in Seattle who has a backyard coop. He's been lucky so far, no Roos.

 

[poopjanitor]

I forgot to mention.....

The more chickens you have the crazier people think you are and the less likely they are to hang around.



Just in case anyone gets an idea that I am not nuts.....I added ducks.


Does that count as pest control?

If you have slugs it does, but you'll be turning the hose on the males every spring to keep them off your hens. So there's that.

 

[MichaelCindy]

BYC has an incredible array of members that keep chickens for many different purposes. Which of the options on the poll apply to you? Select as many as apply, and if you have reasons that aren't on the list, reply below outlining them.

Eggs and fertilizer

 

[21hens-incharge]

If you have slugs it does, but you'll be turning the hose on the males every spring to keep them off your hens. So there's that.

Just 1 drake. Not so worried about bug control....more like human pests.

 

[3KillerBs]

You mean there's a range of crowing voices. I didn't know that.

Yes, some are shriller or deeper, more pleasant or more annoying, more strident or more resonant, more raspy or more tuneful.

I've only ever owned one rooster, but I've lived within hearing range of many of them.

I like a deep, resonant, tuneful crow. My Light Brahma, Marion, had a quite pleasant voice.