Who got you "into chickens"?

[australorpchick]

It's all the Comal County Fair's fault. Especially the person that was showing the cute black silkie. DD#1 really liked them, so we convinced the barn were we kept our horse to let us keep a coop there too. We bought a silkie cockerel and pullet, white, not black like planned. See this farm had this white silkie cockerel that was getting picked on by all the others, so my daughter felt sorry for him, so we end up paying $30 for this pair. NEWBIE must have been engraved on my head, because there is no way I'd pay that much for these birds now. Had I known then what I know now, after seeing the accomodations and the smell, I would have gotten right back in my car, driven my car through a pool of bleach and burned my clothes. I figured since we had silkies, I might as well get a couple BA's for eggs. Three years, two coops moves and forty-odd chickens later, the white silkie roo is still top roo (thanks to me rehoming some of my favorite roos

), the four-toed, almost-non-existent-tophat, crossed-beaked silkie hen is still mental, my Head Hen BA passed a few months ago and her sister has taken over the position.

I had never owned chickens, had never thought of owning chickens, and everything I've learned was from BYC members and lots of internet searching. I have helped create more chicken-addicts and am Chicken Godmother to another flock that I help my friend start up.

 

[33yardbirds]

From the mid 50s into the mid 70s my Grandmother always had chickens. I learned alot in spite of myself. Raised all Barred Rocks and RIRs. I got back into it in the late 80s during the big Homestead Interest for a few years. Now with Grandchildren I'm into it again. Coop is built like Grandmom had. Simple, weather and varmit proof. We don't dote over the birds, just letting them be what they are and do what they do. 27 RIRs, 25 Dels, and 10 Barred Rocks. Egg money goes to the kids after feed bill.