What Made You Get Your Chickens?

[Chickaroo!]

Simply put...they're cute animals!

 

[Dotty]

We had a small flock when I was a child, and I remember really enjoying them. I'm a bird lover in general, I guess. We finally have enough room (and live far enough away from neighbors) to have chickens of our own, and now I'm hooked!

 

[NS2A]

Showing my kids where food comes from!

 

[McChix]

3 years ago, DH and I were between pets (our 14 y/o Dobie had just passed) and I read Barbara Kilarski's book: Keep Chickens! She made them sound like such great pets - and they are! We've had them for almost 1 year now and they're my favorite pets ever!

 

[CoopDelisle]

It is so great to read everyone's stories! Before we got our chickens, we began to realize that we had not seen any live chickens in years around here! Of course, now we know there ARE some people who have them, just few and far between. It really is a shame that the majority of people today (especially young ones), have no idea where their food comes from, and are actually squeamish about eating home-grown eggs. Love the stories!

 

[Cats Critters]

I feel in love with

Will it was more like I was interested and researched and then fell in love

 

[KingsCalls]

Wanted a hobby and it kind of got out of hand ! And is still getting out of hand.......

 

[a2ms4chickens]

For me, it all started when my friends talked my son and I into letting him join 4-H
They raise pigs and were willing to sell us one. However, I do not want a pig in my yard. I have an acre of property, but I also have a neighbor on each side, and I'd like to stay on their good side.

So, since chickens were cheaper to raise than any of the larger livestock, my husband closed in one of our stables and made a pretty nice chicken coop. So, we bought 4 showbirds for him. We did not want to spend a lot of money in case he decided to change his mind about 4-H.

He went to a poultry show and found a couple more show birds he liked and he got a pretty good deal on them. Then, I put in for a raffle for a couple of birds and ended up winning 1 bantam RIR rooster and 3 bantam RIR pullets. We had one rooster that didn't have a matching hen, so we ended up buying a hen. The breeder had a rooster that was not show quality, but might end up giving us some good looking showbirds, so he gave him to my son.

Now we have 8 showbirds and 4 RIRs. Well, I wanted some bigger eggs than what the bantams gave us, so I went to the feedstore and bought 3 pullets.

I will be purchasing a couple of buff brahmas and am waiting for a couple of RIR chicks.

Back in October, chickens were to eat. By November, I found that I kind of like live chickens. By December, I found this website and people who were as crazy as I was about our chickens.

And that is how I got into this whole crazy chicken thing.

 

[eggzettera]

It all started innocently enough, I guess...

Ok, I know this post is longer then it needs to be but I am setting up the back story.......

I had read an article in Mother Earth News about backyard chickens, seemed rather reasonable, I have had birds in the past with various personalities.....(a canary - loved him but he really sang for my dad, then another canary he was kinda of lame, then a lovebird that I just adored

& he adored me

, and the last one was a cockatiel - she hated me

)....but its OK – I have NO carpentry skills what so ever.....

Started reading

about them in a "Poultry & Livestock" section of the Gardening Forum that I was on, just innocent research.

I had already been buying chicken compost, since I am inherently frugal it starts me to thinking (dangerous ground I know).....but I live in the City, figure I am still safe.....& I have a cat, figure that has never been a good combination (my 1st canary was done in by a feral that we had let in the house – died of a heart attack – he was really old but I have never really forgiven myself

)....so stilll pretty safe....

Then I read about SLC having an “educational event” on backyard chickens...I am a hermit & dislike crowds/strangers, so still pretty safe......well I had been totally lurking in this part of my gardening forum until someone posted a ? about chickens & are they allowed.......poster is a fellow Utahan who is frustrated by not being able to find out if he can have them......so I post this.....

“Been there done that - exactly,...went online - need permit certain regulations (like you said x amount of feet from neighbor), talked to animal control same as you - no no/ livestock, but check this out [[email protected]] check out July's events


Not sure why they would advertise something that is not generally legal through out Utah, I am in Murray maybe if we both contact them we could convince them that they should list the cities where this is allowed, I mean why waste someone's time with this workshop if they legally can not do it in their area.

Edited apparently my hyperlink did work. I just emailed Wasatch Gardens & cc'd my mayor if you want I can dmail you what I wrote. ...”

So I had out’d myself & started to post occasionally, still mainly a lurker, still pretty safe.....then comes along a post with a “My Pet Chicken” link.......ok, starting to feel like I am on dangerous ground, that eglu looks so cute (kinda like an Imac) & I could put it together, but really pricey....like I said I am “normally” a frugal person.......then I decided to get a credit card....you know for emergencies & help build a credit rating.......... (y’all believe me so far right?)......seriously – I am telling the complete truth.

But then the winter doldrums set in, too early to start transplants in doors, so I am surfing way too much......end up ordering the eglu.....then I am contacted by MyPetChicken, my credit card company needs me to call them to authorize the charge cause the company is England......well by this time, I had buyers remorse (“normally” frugal), so I never called.......

Now this is where its kinds of gets freaky....The next 3 things happen in 3 days......right before Easter, 2007

Day 1.) The neighbor who had been renting 2 doors down moved out & stole my cat – I know cause I end up getting him back July 3, 2007 @ 5:15pm – another story, another time......
On this day I did not even know this has occurred, it's the next day when he doesn’t come in to eat I am very slightly suspicious, he normally went out @ night & slept in the house during the day....

Day 2.) I go to do a will call for work & right out in front of the company (in a very industrialized area of town) and what to my wondering eyes does appear? No, not reindeer – good guess though.....a big black chicken. I go in & the receptionist is laughing at me, “Yes, that is what you think it is” she says, I am like, ok......she tells me that she has no idea where it came from, it just showed up one day & had been around awhile (a few years)......well come to find out on my way back to work that my Feed Store (now) (I had driven by it also on the way to the will call just didn’t notice it till I was driving back with chicken thoughts in my head) is about 2 blocks away from the place I got the will call......guess she just escaped while they where unloading day olds....pretty brave little hen.......

Day 3.) I come home from work to see a huge box in my backyard with the words My Pet Chicken on it......

 

[eggzettera]

The end to the story.....This is an email I send to a freind about the worst weekend of my life 3/8/08....

Starts Saturday @ 10:00 mother shows up wants to do breakfast, finish @ Mimi’s @ 11 no sense taking me back home since hair appointment is at 1:00 near Nevada (draper)......? Fine. Whatever spend 1 1/2 hours @ Fashion Place mall wandering around (I LOVE malls......NOT).

Go to hairdressers and am given opportunity to back out of locks for love, figure “mean what you say & say what you mean” so I go through with it, right after she has taken (more then she said) she points out that the girl next to me is getting extensions, so what I am having done is complete opposite......Wrong thing to say, now I am wondering did I just get a haircut I did not want so she can sell as extensions instead of going to Locks.....how will I ever know. Not pleased.....whatever. On the way home she decides to visit Ian, whatever least I can smoke.....do not get home till 4 – 6 hours with my mom = way too much. Oh well......

5:00 look outside and 2 dogs are in my backyard, 1 is inside the the chicken run (they were so big that really only 1 could fit @ a time). They had pulled the front panel off.......go out yelling at them to “Go on Get” . The big red one takes off.....the 1/2 husky 1/2 wolf looking one (the kind with 2 different color eyes) snarls & snaps @ me, see Sophia & Sir Anthony are just a pile of feathers no signs of life. Thought Tanis was to.....I turn & walk back into the house......Tanis was still alive (could hear her as I walked away – such a coward)......6:00 buried them.

Sunday, mother comes over after church (standing date) to go to lunch, let's cat out. I had planned on keeping him in due to the dogs.....
Have not seen cat since :+{

I know I am a big baby. Have not told anyone @ work cause I’ll just start to leak nasty fluids......

So I am starting all over again, still leaking fluids