What hooked you on chickens?

[nccountrygirl]

My grandparents had a farm and grandmama always had ALOT of chickens. When we would visit she would let us take turns gathering the eggs, so I've always wanted some and finally talked my husband into it this summer, and the obsession has taken off, he is building me a bigger coop and run as I type this. Bless his heart.

 

[Henrietta23]

It was my friend Linda's fault. She had a small backyard flock of colorful birds. I found a place near us that sold eggs and asked if they ever sold hens. They sold me two of their red sex links from the previous year for $5 each. They laid a bunch of eggs even after I bought them. Linda has given me a few hens over the years. She will be going in on a chick order with me and another woman we know this spring!

 

[BlueGrassFever]

My great-grandpa had his own chicken coop down in S.E. Kentucky. I'd always feed 'em, help gather eggs and thought they were the funniest animals ever.

Over the years, i've been fond of chickens and finally got 'some land' now complete with my own chickens!

 

[Mac]

My grandparents had lots of chickens and sold eggs on their farm in SC. I spent most of my childhood with them on the farm. I LOVED the chickens, collecting and weighing eggs, waiting for the egg truck to come, having fun unpacking the boxes of chicks. Never lost my love for them and when I found out the chickens "conveyed" with the farm my husband and I bought this summer I was overjoyed. Planned on getting some in the spring since I now have a great old coop, but these sorta fell in my lap and I couldn't be happier. Well, I wish they were friendlier, but the previous owners never spent time with them and never let them out to range. An hour after closing on the farm we were out there building a new larger very secure run. Now in the spring I do plan to get 6 more hens and a roo, plus my flock of guineas, and maybe a turkey.....and?

 

[ozark hen]

I just decided that I wanted a few eggs on a daily basis so I bought four hens and roo from a farmer. Then the next week I discovered we lived close to Cackle Hatchery and went for a "visit"!! I was like a kid in a candy shop!! The addiction was instant!!

 

[nccountrygirl]

My grandparents had lots of chickens and sold eggs on their farm in SC

Mac, what part of SC? My grandparent's farm was in Kingstree SC and I'm from Columbia.

 

[65browneyes]

I barely tolerated my grandmother's chickens. They pooped all over and ate *ugh* bugs. Mom would get chickens periodically, but they ALL were in the freezer within hours of arriving at our house.

When we bought "the family ranch", I thought it might be nice to have 5 hens and a rooster for a few eggs. My youngest boy used to say he "only like brown-shelled eggs, not white-shelled". Having so little experience with chickens myself, I felt it would be necessary to start slow. I think I made it about 6 weeks before I started adding on!

They became my therapy during my FIL's illness and death, and again when my oldest son was assaulted and left for dead. I've come to the decision that as long as I have a place for them to live, I will always have chickens. I have my favorites, and they know who they are. Even use that to their advantage! LOL

And, if I can fool my wiser-than-I-am DH, I'll add a couple ducks, some goats, a mule, a donkey, a, a, a, a, a, .................hmmmmmm.............anybody know a secret for that?? LOL

 

[dbjay417]

I was born and raised in the city but I've always been an animal lover. When i came to puerto rico the first time as an adult in 2003 I saw a flock crossing the road near my house, and another flock would come into my yard to forage. My grandfather raised fighting roos and gave me a bunch of them. I jumped at the opportunity to have a flock of my own and get these birds out of the arena. I even took the one eyed roo, and the hen with chicks. only problem is that these birds were bred for fighting and even the hens were vicious creatures, they wouldn't just peck, they would pinch and lock down and pull and shake. I bled a lot. The roosters, if they got out of their cages, they wouldn't run away, they would just run to the nearest roo and start fighting even with chickenwire between them. I used to come home to cages covered in blood and birds with no skin on their faces. it was a nightmare. I moved back to the city for a few more years after selling my birds back into the arena.

I moved back in november and got myself some Turkens. they're peaceful and pretty friendly, they are big and dont fly much anywhere. My only beef with them is that they are ugly buggers. They dont have the sleak shiney look I like in a bird or an pretty paterns, they are just a big ball of sloppy looking feathers with their bald neck and legs sticking out. there are no hackle or saddle feathers. My rooster looks like a miniature turkey, and when he got here he had no tail feathers and he looked like a mini ostrich. But not like a chicken. I got a few chicks of a different breed, but i dunno what they are. Docile as all heck though.

i think what i liked the most about having chickens is having eggs, and baby chicks, plus they are just wonderful to observe.

 

[okiechick57]

UM when I used to watch any movie where there were chickens running around free ranging, I loved it......then asked for chickens once I was living in the country....now I cannot imagine not having them......NOONE in my family or friends has chickens............OH I take that back, YOU are all my friends........

 

[eggcetra_farms]

Quote:

Thanks okie!