What made you decide to get chickens?

[blueheaven]

ahhh...the WHOLE chicken story...!

ok - here goes: (since so many people are asking...)
since about 3rd grade i have wanted chickens. my dad would not let me, but one of our employees was going to 'get into the chicken business' - small scale. so, in about 5th grade i started helping him here and there. his chix did not last long...so that was that.

when aaron and i moved back to tipton and have 3 1/3 acres, i thought...perfect - i can get chickens. well, now my husband would not let me. so we had our first son, maverick. so i got a son instead of chickens

- before maverick, we were going to breed butler (the dog) so we decided we wanted puppies (kids) and not another dog. so...

i got off the chicken band wagon for quite a while until...

we went to key west. if you have ever been, there are chickens running around EVERYWHERE. there was a certain rooster that woke me up every morning (i am not getting a rooster) - but i did buy a photo of a 'caged cock' and love it. so i was infatuated with chickens once again. i kept pleading with aaron down in key west to let me get some (i only wanted 3). well...one night he gave in and said yes (i think he was drunk and wanted 'something

'

so we got back to indiana and i asked him 3 times if i could get chickens and i think he wanted me to quit asking so he said (and i quote) "honey, whatever you want to do". so i took that as a go-ahead. i ordered my chicks that day. he was surprised that i ordered them and they were coming in april. so - since then i have been obsessed with getting the coop built and the brooder ready.

i am just raising them for their eggs (not meat). the kids will love them!!! and so will their friends and cousins. dallas and calvin (my nephews - stone too if he were in IN and not CA) will get to pick out a chick and name her.

the name of the coop will be blue heaven (for a bar that is down in key west and there were chickens all over the place) and one of the 'girls' - hens will be named FRANNY FEATHERS - after my grandmother frances (that passed this dec 2008 - what a wonderful lady!)...granny franny!

so - that sums it up. i think aaron wishes i would concetrate more on building our house right now, but we are at a great point that i can get the chick thing done and then back to working on our house...which is moving along quite nicely. i told him i would rather figure the chicken thing out here first and then move them to our new home. this way we can create a special area for them.

anyway...that is that. i will post photos of the coop. i took a few the other day. and of the girls when we get them. they should arrive 28 april:
2 australrop
2 rhode island red
2 campine
2 barred rock
1 easter egger
1 wyandotte - columbian
all brown eggers except easter egger = blue or green and campine is white. for those people that do not want brown eggs.

i am raising them 100% organic and will have fresh eggs for friends and family...

 

[Laura78]

I grew up with chickens when I was real young and always loved the eggs. They were never pets and sometimes food, so when I got my first batch I was extreamly surprized with how sweet they are and have now gotten more, lol.

 

[Day Old ChicK]

I worked at a preschool that had a hatchery bring in eggs in an incubator. We watched them all hatch, then the hatchery people came in and let us feed and play with the newborn chicks. I have wanted chicks ever since. My first order of chicks will arrive at the end of April...five years later.

 

[Yoshii]

My story's gonna be different from most of you guy's xD.

Honestly? I'm a teenager, and I love animals of all sorts. Animal husbandry has always been a major part of my life and my endeavors. So, I was about 14 or so, and I'd been really, really interested in keeping some avians. I'd always loved the aesthetics and the build of larger birds, but I knew that something like a macaw or an african gray was just "too much bird" for me to handle at that point. So, in my searches for an easy-keeping, docile species of bird eventually led me to learn about the fact that not all chickens were the ubiquitous white barnyard fowl kids are taught about. Eventually I stumbled across the world of backyard chicken raising online, I found out about silkies, and I've never looked back! Best pet birds I ever could have hoped for.

 

[Trollkiller]

***What I say below may upset some people, if it does please respond by making a new thread elsewhere, I do not want to derail this thread.****

I got chickens because I do not like the route our country is taking, politically or economically.

As head of my household it is my responsibility to make sure we can survive whatever comes our way. One of the things to ensure this survival is chickens.

I will be adding more items to the survival list until I am reasonably sure we can outlast what ever troubles come our way, be that natural disaster, economic disaster, contamination of the food supply, or any other man made or natural disaster.

That and chickens are just fun to watch.

 

[silversage03]

I always dreamed of living the country life and having all the "goodies" that go along with that.

Well, after we found out old place three years ago, it just felt too empty NOT to have chickens on it! SO, here I go. Right now have 3 RIR pullets, 3 Australorp chicks, and 3 Guineas. When the local feed store gets their shipments from McMurray's next month, I hope to add some Orpingtons, Wyandottes, Barred Rocks, and maybe some Chanteclers to the flock! Oh yes, it's happened...I'm addicted!!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Just wanted to see what having a few chickens would be like. That, and the fresh eggs, of course. Currently have 4 but planning on getting a few more!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Bird dogs... couldn't have a caged bird anymore so I moved to the barnyard.

 

[Laura78]

Quote:
That was my reason for raising rabbits. I got the turkeys to eat and the chickens to eat their eggs and if the economy really tanks I've got chickens, ducks, and geese to eat, though I'd rather buy some other chickens for that, lol.

 

[AnnesChicks]

One of my earliest memories is gathering eggs, with my great grandfather who was a farmer. And my grandparents always had a couple free range in their yard. I've always been an animal lover, and because I love to garden chickens seemed a natural addition to my yard. I've thought about it for years, and decided this was the year. So far I am really enjoying it!