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

[perchie.girl]

Dont have any right now... But Eggs mostly. If I want meat I will raise up a batch of meaties...

I am an odd bird myself.... Love roosters. and I have always had at least four... as long as they are respectful of my space and my pecking order being at top.

Pets most certainly... though I am more of an observer in my chicken keeping... silly things... Mental health too. I only name the ones that give them selves a name..... cept the roos. I once had a Waylin a Willie and a Bubba.... Waylin was the boss... Willie second in command.... and Bubba well he wasn't the brightest bulb in the coop. Then an assortment of juvie roos.... Predator central here The boys did guard duty and worked the perimeter.... Interesting flock dynamics.

coyotes wiped me out.... wont be rebuilding till I can provide secure housing and a couple of dogs for guard duty.

deb

 

[Kateslittleladies]

I keep my chickens mainly for the eggs, and I will keep them for the rest of their lives. I sit and talk to my girls, they eat out of my hand and give a shout when there is a new egg to be collected. I love my girls, these new ones are the fourth flock we have had, my children grew up with knowing where eggs came from and learned how to look after them. We may get a few more young birds as my friends and neighbours are asking for more eggs. I guess its the pale green colour of the shells that interest people, the eggs just taste the same as brown or white eggs though.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I keep my chickens as pets, the eggs are just an extra bonus.

 

[ShouldabeenaVET]

The purpose is.... plain and simple....purpose.

It got me off the couch a year after my son's death, and has continued to sustain me with daily and long term purpose...plus it fulfilled a lifelong dream of keeping chickens.
Observing their behaviors and meeting their needs is fascinating and satisfying to me.

I love eggs...
...and the sale of eggs is what feeds and beds the chickens,
part of the goal as retirement does not fully support such a hobby.

I love meat....
....and keeping chickens always presents the opportunity to have some meat,
extra cockerels and older hens are delicious.
Slaughtering and butchering allow me to be semi 'sustainable',
and more importantly responsible for some of the meat I eat.

I also hatch chicks each year....
.... some for bartering for other meat raisiers(lamb,pork),
and some to keep a fresh batch of layers here to get those eggs sales that feed the chickens.

Keeping chickens can be the 'perfect circle of life' experience.

Oh please let me offer my condolences on your sons death. I too have lost a son. and it was almost more than I could bare. Five years now and its painful everyday.

 

[MT Coop]

I like birds. wild birds. tame birds. but not in the house birds.... too messy. So I started with 4 chickens..... and now I have 34....in 2 different coops. My husband occasionally mentions the cost of free eggs..... but he's not fooling me. He enjoys watching the gals too. They aren't pets here - and I tend to give eggs away to any one who will take them .... kind of like zucchini..... but they are fun to learn about, watch and take care of. We enjoy all aspects of raising chickens - including fresh, organic meat - and it's a good learning experience for my urban raised grandkids - everyone should know where their food comes from..... before it hits the grocery store shelves!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

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Pic by @fairwindminishetland
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We all keep chickens for our reasons, whether it's eggs, exhibition or just pets with benefits. This week, out of curiosity, I'd like to hear what your flock's main purpose is for you? I.e. why do you keep chickens?

Egg laying?
Exhibition?
Dual purpose (meat and eggs)?
Lawn ornaments/pets?
Other?

For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

What a great topic! Lawn ornaments -- That's hilarious -- but totally accurate!

Originally, I wanted hens for the compost & the eggs. And those are nice bonuses.

But the reason I invest so much in our flock is for my mental health. Seriously. I have a super stressful job, I'm a student at night, I have teenagers at home.... Traffic, work, kids, homework, trying to manage our home, cook healthy & find time to exercise.... The best part of my day is the 20 minutes I spend outside with the hens every day when I get home from work. All of that stress melts away and I can literally feel my blood pressure drop back to normal. I never expected to love them so much, but I cannot imagine life without my chickens!

 

[Whittni]

My next flock will be purely ornamental.

 

[coloradojen]

The purpose of my flock is---pure joy!!!! I receive so much from them, as well as my other pets, that I will never be without chickens again. My mom moved in with me a few years ago and she is not an animal person. I told her one day that I would be outside with my chickens and about an hour later I hear her calling me, "Jennifer, where are you?" I laughed and told her I was out with the chickens. I went in and she was worried about me because she could not imagine why I was out for so long, she thought something happened to me. I told her I spend several hours outside with all the pets and she just couldn't believe. I adopt hens that people don't won't because they have stopped laying and I just want them to be able to live their lives out in retirement. The peace and joy I receive from them is priceless.

 

[coloradojen]

I keep my chickens as pets, the eggs are just an extra bonus.

 

[thewatsonfarm]

The purpose of my flock is---pure joy!!!! I receive so much from them, as well as my other pets, that I will never be without chickens again. My mom moved in with me a few years ago and she is not an animal person. I told her one day that I would be outside with my chickens and about an hour later I hear her calling me, "Jennifer, where are you?" I laughed and told her I was out with the chickens. I went in and she was worried about me because she could not imagine why I was out for so long, she thought something happened to me. I told her I spend several hours outside with all the pets and she just couldn't believe. I adopt hens that people don't won't because they have stopped laying and I just want them to be able to live their lives out in retirement. The peace and joy I receive from them is priceless.

Coloradojen -- you are my people.