to care for your chickens? I was thinking about this today and it's one of my clearest childhood memories. I had FINALLY talked my mom into getting me a couple of chicks at the feed store when we were getting feed for my horse. Mind you, they were 25 cents each!! We got a black one and a red one... and luckily (how did THIS ever happen?) they both turned out to be hens. The black one was more friendly and would hop onto my lap, back, arm, head when I was outside. She would also follow me into the house when I called to her...... Mostly during the summer when mom and dad were at work, LOL! They both started laying and all was well in the world. Then, one day a stray dog found its way into the backyard. It got ahold of the black one but we ran it off. Not much damage but lots of feathers pulled out of one wing, it was pretty much bald. It got kind of swollen and angry looking so I begged until mom agreed for us to drive her to the vet..... $13.00 later and we were on our way home, ROFL my dad had a cow when he found out we spent $13.00 on a 25 cent chicken but he was good natured about it. Well, that evening, I just couldn't let her spend the night outside so I rigged up a roost in my closet and put down newspapers. The next morning, I turned the light on while still laying in bed and began to call to her..... HAhaha, she answered and then came and jumped up on my bed. Made her way up to the pillow right beside my head and started scratching around..... Next thing I knew, I had a nice, fresh, warm egg rolling against my right temple! She was so pleased with herself and had no problem waking up the rest of the household to let them know that she was still on the job even though she was wounded . I love this memory and will always cherish it. We had no coop, no run, I can remember in the winter feeding them warm mashed potatoes and rice and the feel of their crop when it was full of rice......Just great memories. Let's hear yours!
I loved your story. I'm a newbie so don't have any stories yet. I'm sure before long I will have my share of them.
When I was little, like 5-9, I always had chicks. My father bought them and I would raise them. They would follow me everywhere and my mom said in the afternoons she'd see me sleeping under one of our apple trees with a pile of chicks on my stomach. When they got older I was also known for bringing them in the house wrapped in towels and sneaking stuffed animals into their pen. I also kept a duck once (it accidentally imprinted on me when I went to peek into the nest at my grandma's pond) and hijacked the bathtub to teach him to swim-- he didn't need much of my help lol. Those memories are why I'm starting up keeping poultry again. I always felt so happy and peaceful around the birds. CYG
When I was little, like 5, I found out that baby chicks come from eggs. So I would steal eggs from the fridge and tote them around in my pocket to keep them warm and hatch them. I kept breaking them at night when I was sleeping. Next day, I'd steal another egg and try again. My mom found out what I was doing, explained to me that store bought eggs won't hatch, ever. Then she bought me 2 little RIR chicks. Both were boys. Long story short, I loved those idiot roosters. They attacked me one day when I was wearing my favorite Osh Kosh red overalls. Parents decided it was off with their heads. They hid me in the house while my dad went to do the dead. I snuck out and watched, after seeing dad do the first one, he saw me, and what came out of my angry little child mouth was "Now do the other one". Said all quiet and creepy like. I can't believe I did either of those things! I didn't have chickens again until I was 12 and caught a little Bantam hen on my uncles property. He had said "If you can catch it, you can keep it". Took me 6 hours, but I caught one! Parents bought me two more black Bantam chicks to go with her and more every visit after that. You'd think I'd have a fear of roosters after being attacked by two of them so young. But no, I will grab a rooster mid flog and hold and cuddle him until he's thoroughly emasculated. One other rooster was done in for being mean, he tried to flog me again after I set him down. The smart ones ran off and left me alone from then on. That one... he made soup. Plucked him myself at 14 years old. Now, 14 years later, I won't even have a rooster. Maybe if we move out into the country. But yeah, apparently I was trying to hatch store bought eggs through body heat and sheer will.
A few years ago I had a hen hatch out a few chicks, I sold a few of them and ended up keeping a ee/cochin crossed chick from the batch. Mama hen had started pecking at the lone baby pretty bad when the chick was just 3 weeks old, she had enough of the baby I guess. Not having any other chicks to keep the lil one company at the time I had to take care of it myself. I had an old fleece jacket that no longer fit me so I cut out the big front pockets for the chick to sleep in at night.... In my bed with me! For about 3 weeks longer that chick went everywhere with me in her little pocket, slept in my bed every night wrapped in the fleece, woke me every morning to eat/drink and when I was away she had her very own plastic tub to hang out in with other chickens around but seperated from her so she didn't get beat up. Squirt is now all grown up but no longer enjoys snuggling with me, in fact she doesn't like being held at all and runs like heck if you are trying to grab her. She had quite a time trying to find a spot in the pecking order because she was raised alone but now everything is great and she is enjoying sitting on air in the nest lol.
Ah. I love your story. I remember the time when I had my first chickens- 2 polish, one bantam, one standard. The standard was buff laced hen named Fancy (she was so silly looking, yet pretty)! She got up on the chicken coop, turning her head 90 degrees and talking. I will never forget that moment. Sadly, that was the last time I saw her.
