What made you get chickens?

[JaeG]

I originally wanted ducks, but in my area of the city you weren't allowed to keep ducks. So I got chickens and I love them, especially my bantams (I'd still like some ducks).

The rules have now changed so you are allowed to keep 6 head of poultry. The old limit for our area was 12 chickens. So now I have too many chickens!

 

[B Redhawk]

My wife had a huge aviary in Canada, so we now have the start of our chicken flock, Black Copper Marans Roo and one Black marans hen and two Blue marans hens. At first she said it was just for eggs and meat for the table. But I know better, she will end up with a fairly large flock or flocks would be more like it.
I get to breed the marans since she has now decided she wants to raise Turkens. I have her turken coop built but not finished on the interior and I now have to build a new coop for my Marans. The wife also wants ducks and guinea fowl, I can't wait to see where this leads, good thing we have the acreage. We also raise Registered American Guinea Hogs.

 

[KaylorFarms]

Wow! That is so awesome!

 

[Small_Feather_Dragons]

I got into chickens because my mother wanted them for a really long time. Roughly ten years ago she bought six chicks on impulse, and we've had chickens ever since! I love having hens in the yard because they bring so much color and personality with them!

 

[KaylorFarms]

Yes! They do!! They also eat all my bugs!

 

[thewatsonfarm]

Originally, I was looking into chickens because I saw this random gardening show. I will never forget: P. Allen Smith. He was talking about how chickens are sooooooooo great for your garden! He showed some hens in a chicken tractor & said they were fertilizing the lawn! And how chicken poo can go right into your vegetable garden too (no mention of composting it first, of course!) What a bone-head!!!

Right after that, my Mom & I were on a local garden tour, and the most beautiful garden I've ever seen had chickens running around loose! Oddly, they weren't making any trouble. They were just lovely and sweet... and I fell in love.

My husband said no. No way. We already had 2 cats and 2 dogs and 3 kids. Too much. I believe his exact words were something about putting his foot down.

He went on a business trip for a week, and in the meantime I bought and assembled a kit to make our first coop. It was all ready to go, plus a homemade brooder too. But I did wait for his return so he could go to the feed store and pick out our chicks.

He really loves the girls now, by the way. ♡

 

[misskes]

I've gotten really into gardening in the past few years and have toyed with the idea of having a small hobby farm. Chickens seemed like the perfect start to that. Plus I love going out to the coop and finding the eggs. It feels like Easter every day! Ha!