Should i grow out of chickens? Help me

[dogsuckchickensrule]

I had i had 30 golden comets. they were so cute we had a nice chicken coop it was like 10x10 square. and a nice 30x 30 pen. the chickens were sohappy the last one that died was last year the last chicken, whitey would of lived for about 11 years. she was so smart there were dogs that killed some of our chickens and she was like a rooster always alert. i have 2 brothers that loved them back then. now they grew out of them. so me and my dad built a new coop it was a really nice one very ventilated and they can stayn in i for a long time they had grass in it it was 10x 6 and about 8 feet tall i lost 2 chicks in the past week. they wander off and i want them to be chickens and forage so i have been watching them when i let them out. this chicken i was rounding them up to go in the pen and i went to get all the other chickensand i hear one squak. this was about 4:30 no hawks i dont see what could do that no dogs. so i come back and theres no chicken so i put them all in the coop. this weekend im building thm a pen im tired of letting them free range. my mom says that its time to grow up and become a man i miss my chickens all the chciekns that were with me growing up have diedand these are just new ones. i think im just gonna build a secure pen so they cant jump out and just feed them every morning and thats it. maybe have chickens later in life but there preventing me from going where i want in life. i want to someday move away and geta career i doubt my parents can take care of them

so thats my story thanks for reading this

 

[dogsuckchickensrule]

and i got 2 roosters the chicks dont like them very much or vice versa

 

[theoldchick]

Yeah, part of growing up is making difficult choices. Yes, you can have chickens later in life, maybe when you have kids of your own.

 

[dogsuckchickensrule]

yea i found the chick luckly it rained so hard she had no choice but to head home. im gonna upload some pics shes a cutie. tomorow im buildin a pen

 

[Nike]

If you like raisin chickens and your parents let you have them then why not keep taking Care of them?? I think that you can still grow up and have chickens if you want too.

 

[FuzzyButtsFarm]

I'm 63, grownup, old and I still have chickens. LOL I was a nurse had a career and I still have chickens. None of that matters if that's what you want to do. I had to find ways to make it work. Best of luck.

 

[sunshine ducky]

well this is this the reason of growing up I stopped chickens for a while then I started again but I only get two at a time now alonge with my ducks so its your desision

edited by staff to remove personal informaion

 

[Gullygarden]

If you will want to spend less time but still have happy chickens, you have to set it up so they have room to roam but are safe too, even when you are away for longer hours. I use an electric poultry fence so they have a 150 ft perimeter and then I don't feel bad if I am gone for most of the day. It makes a nice big run around my coop. good luck.

 

[Nicole01]

I'm almost 40 and my heart broke when I lost a hen to a predator. This happened over a month ago and I'm still very sad. It doesn't matter what age you are, it's very hard to lose a pet.

I did replace her, but now I'm wanting my children to show our chickens. I have pure bred ones in the incubator. I'd show them myself, but I can't due to a physical disability. However, the ones in the incubator might going to new homes and I start all over next spring. This is a decision I'll have to make. It depends on temperament and quality.

If I keep some to show, I will have to sell some that I already have due to space. We have one coop with one run. I can keep 12 very comfortably in the run and coop all year without issues. These are some tough decisions to make.

Free ranging I'm having issues with a coyote. I'm fencing in my yard, but not until next year. We have running lose dogs also that always come into our yard. Today there was a dog or coyote that was at my run. My hens are on alert and VERY noisy since they've seen it. We have hawks too, but our tree branches go all the way to the ground and my flock stays hidden under them. It's the dogs and coyote I need to worry about.

Good luck deciding if you want to continue. I absolutely adore chickens and I found a couple breeds I love! I will be adding a rooster in the future.

 

[galanie]

Obviously your parents think chickens are a childish phase, and for some they are, but it sounds like for you, they aren't a childish "phase" at all but something you really like.

If they are holding you back, that's the "grow up" part. You will need to decide to either be held back or to sell them and move on. Later you can have them again. Many, many people do that. Your teen years are extremely important in forming you for the rest of your life and I hope you make responsible decisions.