shesthefonz0
In the Brooder
- Dec 19, 2025
- 6
- 73
- 46
So my name is sarah. I recently got 4 female chickens unexpectedly for Christmas from a friend of mine who works at the local sale barn here in our town of spencer iowa. She called me up about 2 weeks ago and said I needed to come get my chickens. My response to her was what my chickens i dont have chickens. She said yes you do. I just bought you 4 hens for the sale we had today. i wasnt in anyway ready to bring any chickens home nor did i have a clue what i was going to do with them or how to go about knowing a single thing about owning or raising chickens... granted we do have 188acres of farm land century owned by my family so i was born and raised on the farm and my grandparents raised geese ducks and chickens when i was a little girl but keep in mind i am 43 years old and when grandma had her flock of birds i was 4 or 5 years old and scared of the things becuz my mom thought it was funny to dress me up in my frilly butt tights and saddle shoes and a dress and send me to grandmas house to play well grandma found entertainment in sending me out to the barn to fetch grandpa for lunch and watch from the kitchen window as i went looking for grandpa only to end up seeking safety in the nearest bush or tractor or some kinda safety because as soon ans my little girl feet hit the barn yard ground looking for grandpa those damn geese and chickens knew it and from across the yard came a running nipping at my frilly butt tights chasing me all through the farm yard in and out of the cattle yard and milking house until i found the safeest place to seek out refuge until i knew they had given up trying to eat me and my butt could safely high tale it to the house as fast as my little people legs could carry me usually was hours later i go wondering into the kitchen to find nana had made cookies for me and she looks up at me and says well where on earth have u been for the last couple of hours.. thats when i burst in to sobbing tears crying the gooses tried to eat me and i had to hide in the the barn with the baby cows so they wouldnt eat me no more.. as grandpa bursts into laughter along with nana as shes trying to wipe up my tears and telling me they wont eat u sarah.. i couldnt understand at that little of an age why them things would have it out to get me everytime i was there but as i got older i realized they were harmles interesting animals and they really didnt want to eat me for lunch.. and for most of my life i never really had the interest in raising chickens geese or ducks or ginnys for that matter but i do like the fresh barn yard eggs. I know I had been talking with my uncle and my dad about getting a few chickens for the eggs and to raise and butcher eventually. I had mentioned the conversation to my friend renee but I had never really given her the solid outcome of the idea. Simply because it was still just a rolled-around thought and not really a solid decision set in stone yet. Until about 2wks ago when she called me to come pick up my chickens dumb founded by the idea i didnt and still dont really know the first thing about raising chickens.. im just glad she didnt get me itty bitty babies chicks they are at least grown hens for the most part i think i couldnt begin to tell you what breed they are or how old they are only thing i can tell you is that i have 2 white hens and a brown littler hen and a black hen do they lay eggs i dont know yet i dont really know. The only thing I know is that I need some helpful insight on what and how to go about getting them set in a stable, comfortable living environment so that they are happy and healthy, and everything a female hen needs to live a chicken's life to produce eggs and be a happy chicken. for the first week they were here i kept them in the house with me in the living room in a gigantic dog kennel and covered them up at night with a blanket becuz everyone kept telling me i need to keep them warm i was so scared to let them be outside that my dad who is an over the road trucker would call me and i think he thought i was joking when i told him they were in the house in the dog kennel and of course my 2 female pittbulls midnight and sadie were a little confused by them and have not officially been introduced to the chickens becuz as of right now i have made a tempory nesting home in my garage where the girls cant get to the chickens and that way the chickens are safe and warm out of the elements of the bitter cold winter here in iowa until i can get a hen house built for them and a chicken run made for them to live them and i can safely one at a time interduce the dogs to the chickens and train the dogs coexist with the chickens and the chickens to get used to the girls being there protectors from all other predetors and they all can coexist with each other... but let me tell you this is a great big learning experience for all of us thats for sure so with that being said i would love to hear any and all advice and knowlege and anything else anyone has to offer as to where i need to start with building a chicken coop what they are going to need to be happy little chickens here on the farm with my girls and the 400 head of sheep that we also raise...
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Best of luck with your Christmas presents!!
