why did you get into chickens?

[GoodEgg]

Ours was kind of round-about.

We moved to the country and couldn't get (or afford!) anyone to cut the grass, so the first thought was to get some geese because I heard they were great mowers.

No geese were available, but some ducklings arrived at the feed store the day after my daughter's birthday (and she was having a really traumatic time because of family issues) so ... I just got her 4 of them for her birthday, and because I heard they were great for keeping down bugs (and I planned to garden).

I work in a health-food store and we get eggs from a Mennonite lady there, but they added up in cost. I thought I'd try a few chickens ... my boss heard about it, and asked me to buy a few more to provide her with more eggs. So I got the full "minimum" of 25. (Actually 26)

After struggling to get a coop built, FINALLY getting the little peepers OUT of my HOUSE, and graduating from small run to large run to everyone roaming the yard most days ...

I love it. The cats, the ducks, and the chickens wandering all day and doing their animal-things. I love watching them, listening to them, laughing at them. Some of the chickens are friendly and will follow you EVERYwhere, "talking" to you all the while. I laugh at all the sounds they make, and it's funny to see them come running from the four corners when they see me, JUST IN CASE there might be treats. Sometimes I can barely walk because they are so close round my feet.

The eggs are a nice bonus. I'm not making money, but I'm not buying eggs. I spend about the same amount on feed as I did on eggs, so it works out. The grass IS coming back slower, but I think it's the weather and not the chickens, although they do graze on it. I worry about hawks and cats and dogs, but it's another excuse to finally get the dog I've been wanting for my daughter for years now, if I can ever find one.

I love the little Jap bantam because he's so beautiful, and so comical (though he takes himself SO seriously as the alpha cockerel) ... I can easily see why people fall in love with the breed and raise them.

And they do remind me of my grandma, who half-raised me and who I miss terribly still after all these years. She always had chickens. And my great-grandma used to tell stories about hers too. They "named" each one "Sister" back then, and I think it was more an epithet than a name, the way she said it. But it takes me back. And I'm glad to be getting such freshly-laid eggs, and will probably add some meat chickens next year.

My daughter loves them, and spends a lot of time with them. I'm glad she is enjoying them, and she learns a lot too. They motivate her to learn things about them. She's a homeschooler, so I really appreciate that too.

Really, it's all good. I mean, there IS poo scattered all over the yard, but I'm thinking of fencing off a small portion for us, LOL.

But yep, glad to have those chickens! For many reasons.

Oh, the only thing I didn't know that I wish I had ... is how much DUST a couple dozen chicks can make! I am STILL cleaning it (I put the brooder in the worst possible room ... lots of books and small things on shelves, and a brick interior wall ... I'll probably be finding dust for another year!)

trish

 

[Buff Hooligans]

We got chickens because Hencam.com's Buff Orpington hypnotized me and told me how good it would be for me to have chickens. Buff Orps to be precise...

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I just hate it when that chicken hypnotism thing happens, I crave scratch for a week everytime afterward...

 

[Henrietta23]

Quote:
LOL! (Planning on at least two BOs when we add to our flock this spring.....)

 

[Cheryl]

I live in a residential neighborhood, just off the center of town and two of my neighbors have chickens in their "yards" No land here! I just thought it might be fun, they could eat the grubs and any other unwanted bugs in the yard and I would get fresh eggs for baking.

 

[FrozenChicken]

I grew up on the farm and taking care of our chickens as a kid was kind of my job. So when we bought a farm I just wanted to have a flock again to look after so we got some white leghorns & Black sexlinks and some Cornish Giants for meat. I had no problem finding people to buy the eggs so I kept getting chicks to keep my egg customers happy & fresh meat in the freezer. Poultry are inexpensive to start up and maintain and they have so many benefits to your farm.

 

[3peeps]

We used to get eggs from one of my mother's high-school students. When we opened the first dozen we were in awe...blue eggs. And the quality...I must have made some internal vow to get chickens some day.

Fast forward, I got married and we were living in our last rental house when I saw chickens on TV...bingo. I wanted chickens pronto.

When we moved to this house out of necessity, I realized that we were relatively rural and that I might be able to get chickens. I called the town clerk. "No, you cannot have chickens." I was crushed, and totally P.O.-ed. "But I can see a horse out my kitchen window."

Then one day, I'm riding in the car with my husband and I see that a neighbor has chickens ranging in her yard. My mouth dropped open, I pointed my finger...but I was speechless. I was absolutely jealous! I am a bit of a social phobic overthinker, so I finally work up the nerve to ask this neighbor if she sold eggs. I think I might have been one of her first customers and she seemed totally thrilled to have someone interested. I literally had NO friends at the time and she has become one of my best now. The feeling of finding someone who loved chickens and who also wanted to be friends was almost too good to be true...I felt like jumping for joy. A FRIEND!!!!

This friend eventually convinced me to just get my chickens. She called up one day and said, "So, are you going to order chickens with me or not?" I thought for sure I'd get fried by the chicken police, but she reminded me of just how much I overthink every single thing I do.

Two months ago, we received some zoning information in the mail, and it turns out we've always been zoned agricultural. I drove down to the town hall just to confirm it. The man who told me "yes" is very lucky I didn't whip him down and plant a solid kiss on his awesome lips.

I absolutely adore watching our girls, and I've enjoyed them so much as pets that I almost forgot to install the nest box...I knew the eggs would eventually come, but I wasn't in any hurry. My husband enjoys them, my daughter is "glad we ordered those chicks" and I'm calmer and happier. Life is good!

 

[dragonlili]

My friend Laura told me I should get some chickens for our garden to eat the bugs. Yeah right, we'll try it. So she brings me a brown paper sack with 2 little chicks at work one day.

Brought them home and the kids loved them. Arie was 6, Julie 4, and Jos around 2. We kept them in the kids' bathtub. They named them Hotdog and Louie. Relatives came to visit on their way out to CA... WHAT is that in the tub? Chickens?

Sadly, Hotdog was attacked by a neighbor's Dalmation that continually got loose. ( We lived in a big subdivision. ) Neighbors thought they were pigeons, you know, they were Barred Plymouth Rocks, they didn't have that Perdue look.

We had Louie for about 4 months. She loved hanging out with the kids. She would perch on the back of our bench and pick at my hair. We got 2 more chicks but they turned out to be staright run, and one was acting rooish. We lived by a lot of woods, and had a lot of critters for a subdivision. One night a weasel attacked and destroyed our small coop. My husbad said "never again."

When we moved out here Arie begged for more chickens. That April I gave in, 4 straight run feed store chicks:
Henry, Dot, Coconut and Muffin. Then came Daisy and Louie Petunia. Then 2 Polish for Father's day, and so on and so forth. Somewhere along this road I realized that yes, I love chickens, and I am an addict!

My mom told me that her dad, whom I never met, wanted to be a chicken farmer when he retired. He was a merchant seaman and he died at sea. Guess it's my destiny to carry out his wishes.

My dad also had chickens for a short while as a boy. We are not farm stock, we are Long Island suburbanites.
Joe's dad had them too growing up.

I'm really glad I found my chickens and this site. It adds some sanity to my world.

 

[nccountrygirl]

My grandmama had chickens and I just always had it in the back of my mind that one day I would have some hens, so for my B-Day in August DH built me my coop and now I want a bigger one and more chickens.

 

[BlueDevilGirl67]

My s-i-l having chickens is what got us started and now we have more birds than she does. She has chickens and I don't know what for. She does not eat them or their eggs( claims she is allergic to eggs). When we got our RIR she got mad at us for not "listening" to her about that particular breed of chicken. My RIR's are wonderful. Hers were mean.