Topic of the Week - What is the purpose of your flock?

[Mrs. K]

happy wife. End of story.

my hubby gets this part too! And he does like the eggs!

 

[Eelantha]

Why do I have them? Honestly, mine came as an inheritance of sorts, I never bought them first. *laughs*

But one look at my new home's (past) rooster and I was charmed. Chick fever swept me off my feet and the next thing I knew, I was stocking on fertilized eggs and waiting impatiently for one of the hens to go broody.

In the meantime I wound up experiencing fresh eggs for the first time of my life (I'm a city-raised girl with no clues how to raise a farm, much less care for a chicken coop, so having chickens was like having exotic pets at home). I discovered the pros and cons of keeping chickens (lots of dust/crap vs awesome pets & entertainment), and of course, ended up running after my poor rooster most of the time as I couldn't resist picking him up and carrying him around like a five years olds.

Then... one hen went broody, and I was lucky enough to be around when the chicks started hatching, and poked their heads out for the first time for a look at the world. The sight of a strong, proud, handsome rooster crowing out in the morning sun while mama hen went around grazing at the soil with her peeping chicks, reached me deep and never let me go.

So why do I keep chickens? My answers are;

Rooster fever. (because they're hilarious to watch and look utterly stunning.)
Chick fever.
Fresh eggs every day.
Rainbow Egg Fever.
Chicken Therapy.
Entertainment.
Pets with Benefits. (all of the above and below mentioned.)
Poop compost. (coming soon!)
And my new hobby: amateur construction!

I would eat meat... but I love my roosters too much to eat them, plus lack the heart to kill anything, so that avenue is closed. Because of this plus the area I am living in, the serious breeding avenue is also closed (for now), but I'm pretty sure if I can buy myself a piece of land in the future, I'll be building quite a few bachelor pens to house all my extra roosters until I can find them good homes over the years. Having chickens makes me dream and have goals, on top of helping me discover myself, so I'll keep having some at home and have a blast at life while I'm at it ^^

 

[tuesdaylove]

My chickens are just pets. I obtained my very first chicken unplanned, since she was a rescue. Then I had to get more chickens to keep her company. I've bought some and bred some since then, and I just keep them since they're so fascinating to watch and interact with. I don't eat them (or any chickens for that matter), but I do eat their eggs.

 

[rossi.chicks]

Eggs for our family of 6, selling eggs, meat birds in the future...

Compost for huge garden. (Mostly tomatoes that will be sold)

 

[Trellinius]

Like many others, my main reason is bug control - particularly ticks! My wife wasn't keen on the idea of having chickens running around til our grand-daughter came in and here little legs looked like she had brown socks on! So wife was convinced - chickens are okay. And certainly better and more cost effective than spraying the place with chemicals to try and get rid of ticks. Don't feed the chickens much and they free range up to a hundred yards around the house - how much would it cost to spray that big of an area for ticks?!

Of course the eggs are always a nice benefit. As is the manure for composting. And a bit of sentimental (semi-mental) reason since I raised chickens from 5th grade through high school...but the main reason is the ticks.

 

[oregonkat]

Joy, and more joy and the money spent, and more joy. Love of eggs, and beautiful hens, and gorgeous chicks, and good company in the garden and, and, and, oh and did I mention JOY?

 

[Cryss]

Might want to include what hubby n I call Chicken Therapy. You got troubles? Go tell em to your chickens. Great end of the day, after work wind down.

 

[townchicks]

My girls are totally pets, with benefits. Eggs are awesome, weed control is awesome, bug control is awesome. If they all stopped laying tomorrow, though, they will still be my pets for the rest of their lives. They don't need to earn their keep with those things, just like my dog and cat, they earn their keep by being cute, entertaining and companionable. Eggs are awesome, though!

 

[BYCforlife]

I raise chickens for eggs and meat, but separately. I ordered 50 layers and 50 broilers this year. The layers are coming this Thursday!

 

[Quik1th]

Pets who also lay eggs and make fantastic lawn ornaments!