Who got you "into chickens"?

[CupOJoe42]

Just wondering who got y'all into chickens and how long have you been raising them? Who taught you what you know about them? Share your story.

Mine:

My friend Diane, who is like a sister to me, used to have chickens. She's known by kids in school as "The Chicken Lady". She's been telling me for years how easy it is to keep chickens and I finally got DH to agree to let me order some for August (went from 4 to 16). Meanwhile, I've taken 2 courses on raising poultry, read 4 books, spoken to numerous friends who have chickens, and of course, discovered this and other wonderful chicken-friendly websites. I am obsessive about things and tend to research them to death and then jump in head first. I've had the opportunity to chicken-sit numerous times for neighbors (never even touched a live chicken before that!) and am now farm-sitting 4 goats (milking 3), 2 rabbits, 17 chickens, 2 dogs, cats, etc. for friends. Their broody hatched 4 chicks so far and now I am chick-sitting at home!!! I LOVE IT!!!! The chicks are happy, healthy, and doing great and it's been a wonderful experience for us. Even my DH admits that chickens are addictive!!!

 

[QH Girl]

What a great story

When the hurricanes hit 6 years ago, my friends and I all got together to help keep enough food stocked until we got power back. The only thing nobody could find in any stores was eggs. I cook alot, and I never realized how many eggs I use until I couldn't find any. Since I have the most property of my friends (and I'm married to a carpenter

) I was deemed the person most likely to keep our egg supply going.

 

[Fred's Hens]

My dad, in 1960. He brought home 250 day old straight run chicks, White Rocks and Leghorns. It became my chore, top to bottom, beginning to end. Grandma too. I'd spend a week or two on their farm each summer. Grandma had hens, brood hens, roos, chicks, the whole enchilada.

 

[bt03]

On the way home from a business trip my mom saw a man selling chicks and hatching eggs at a little stand in a little town she was passing. She called me when she got home and said "Bring your daughter please because I got her something during my trip" So we get there and low and behold it's 3 little chicks

I told her to keep them at her house but she was leaving for another business trip (she is gone 3/4 of every month) so I had to take them home or let them die. I scrambled to learn everything I could possibly learn about them and my husband had to learn really quick how to build a chicken coop. They were super cute and lived past the first week and that's how I knew we would be ok

We have gone from 1 rooster and 2 hens to 4 roosters and 22 hens & 7 ducks, but those we were prepared for

 

[sumi]

We bought chicks from a guy who claimed he brought the chicks to our town for someone who canceled their order... Turned out he was selling little roosters he got from a chicken hatchery. We raised them and sold them, swapped some for hens and sold the eggs we didn't eat. Realised there is a huge demand for free range eggs and no supply, so we got a whole lot of chicks again, got conned again! They were not 2-week old Rhode island Red pullets, but day old unsexed 11-in-1's, but we loved them. Am now up to 61 chickens, 54 hens. Selling eggs, raising chicks and loving every minute of it.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have only myself to blame. When we moved to TN , I knew I was going to raise goats. But I have always loved birds, and getting a few for fresh eggs seemed logical. Now I am a chicken addict, too many chickens to count and loving it!

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

delete

 

[AKsmama]

We've had our flock for almost a year, but my husband had chickens as a kid. We've been married for almost thirteen years and have lived out here on 56 acres for 11 of those years. Every few months he would say, "Let's get some chickens," and I would always say no. All I could think of was the numerous predators we have here (doesn't everyone?), and how the chickens would become Kelly's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. I was reading last year about how free range eggs are better for you and taste better, and thought, "Why not? Let's try it!" My husband didn't even give me a real chance to research any breeds (he was afraid I'd change my mind, lol), he got right on MMH's website and ordered a bunch to arrive in July 2010. Fortunately I had a few weeks to get my research done and knew quite a bit when the chicks arrived. My husband and his family kept their chickens in a chicken house and they were never free-roaming- they medicated for everything, whether it was necessary or not- just did things differently than we are doing them now. I am the chicken expert in this family, even though he had prior chicken-keeping experience. Our flock free ranges (we even got a Great Pyrenees to be an LGD, which is amazing since my husband loathes dogs) and we are letting our broodies raise their chicks themselves. It's an incredible experience, especially for my kids. It's hard to imagine life without the flock now, and one day I will have some ducks in addition to the chickens, maybe even some geese. I never imagined chickens could have such personalities and be so entertaining!

 

[Spookwriter]

I really don't know who to blame.

They built a TSC to close to me?

I just woke up one day and we had chickens. Little ones.

In a box in my kitchen.

I was smart enough to know that wouldn't work long.

So I built me a coop.

Only to find out I really needed two coops.

Since I had two coops, I didn't feel so bad about building the third one.

Nobody's fault...it just happened.

 

[ChickiePieGirl]

I am new to e world of chickens, and I wish I knew who/why I was inspired to start getting "into chickens." I already have a pot-bellied pig who lives in the hose, and thinks he is human...

I guess chickens were the next logical step! My neighbor has araucanas, and I knew I wanted to keep several breeds. I went to a local feed store, and picked up my first batch of chicks (2 New Hampshire Reds, 4 RIR, and 2 speckled Sussex.) I ordered my Araucanas that day, and picked them up a few weeks later (4) plus three Barred Rocks. I lovely chickens!