why did you get into chickens?

[picklespickles]

i was really surprised the more and more i read this board about how people think of chickens like think of dogs. really devoted to them as pets. i try to take good care of mine and think about their well being, but i also don't name them. on the other hand, i do toss extra food to the skinny ones who get their food stolen by the big girls.

so, what made you get into chickens? the fancy kinds? as a pet? food? family heritage? or ?

what did you learn afterwards that you didnt' expect? like you got into them for the interesting feathers but found out they are tasty, too? or, you got into them for food and found out they can be pets, too?

 

[nccatnip]

When I was going thru the middle of the first of three hurricanes that hit my house in one year, I dreamed of leaving Fl and getting a farm. To pass the time, I dreamed of getting chickens and thought up names for all of them. I bought a farm that had a 75 year old chicken coop on it and as soon as I could manage, I got some chickens. I figured they would just be good for laying eggs, little did I know what a big impact they would have on my life. My chickens are my therapy!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickflick]

I "borrowed" my first two chickens from a farmer because my flower bed was infested with grasshoppers. They were eating everything!! I read somewhere that the only way to control hoppers was with chickens!! Kept them all summer and was to return them in the fall...NOT! Fell in love with them. Then got two silkies. This spring went and bought some chicks. I enjoy them. Love seeing them free range and love how they come and keep me company while I work in the garden. And how funny it is to see them run for you when you come out, begging like dogs for treats!! I'm glad I got them.

 

[chickengirlnm]

Well me and my DH moved to a place that had 8 acres of land - so after we built the dogs yard I got to looking at the rest of the land - thought what could I do with it all? So it was around easter and the local feed store had this buy a bag of feed get 3 chicks free- So I went- looked at them of course came home with them ( along with 2 ducklings ). Well we ended up by moving to a place that does not have as much room, but I still have a yard full of chickens.

I found out that there is more to caring for them than I thought - food, housing,general care, and everything wants to eat your chicks so be careful !!

I really love them more than I thought, I am the only one in my family and DH's family that have chickens so it was not a family thing for me- more like a whim.

Now that I have them I think no matter where I live I think I will always have a chicken or two or three or four .........

Julie

 

[eggzettera]

I bought my house 6 years ago and got the gardening bug, started out over at Dave's Garden and through massive reading got into vermicomposting and sustainable alternatives.

Swear to gosh, got them like the worms for the eating scraps/fertilizer/compost (I can cold compost but find hot compost too much effort...) and the help with the weeding (just have to protect what I want to keep). The eggs were just going to be bonus - well after 3-4 weeks of NO eggs (after 1 started to lay pretty much every day) - I am wanting more then my paltry 3 (2 pullets + 1 cockerel). Hurry up spring when the local feed store will carry more....

Did NOT think I would enjoy them as much as I do. The only experience I had with them previous to this was when we processed a 100 in one day with another family back before I was a teenager (LONG time ago).

I have had canaries, lovebirds and other indoor birds all with such different personalities (some adored me, others hated me, others could not care a less) so I should not be shocked the same is true with chickens. I guess in today's society, we disassociate & tend to think of them as food and not like other animals we interact with every day.

So I guess

originally I got them as a gardening tool.

 

[sunnychooks]

I got chickens because of one of my dogs. He has an immune mediated disease and his body cannot process animal protein. We started to rotate different types of proteins and found that he could tolerate EGGS!!!! Since he is a larger dog (Siberian Husky) he needed LOTS of eggs and we were buying 15 dozen at a time from a local poultry farm. That got old pretty fast. Then we had the bright idea of getting "a few" chickens!

What we learned was that fresh eggs are MUCH TASTIER than the ones from the store and everyone wanted to buy them from us! "A few" chickens turned into "many", and a new hobby!!!

We also learned that a chicken coop that was going to be pretty much make-shift can very easily turn into the "taj". We probably could have bought millions of eggs with all the $$$ we spent on our chickens, but it wouldn't have been as much fun!!!

 

[picklespickles]

i was motivated by a few things. i was brought up very city among a few million people, but my heritage is quite rural. so i remember the stories of guns, and those chickens will eat ANYTHING, and outhouses, etc.

also, i enjoy animals. and, honestly, i feel safer and more secure with a source of food on my property. soothes that starving, fearful part of me knowing that if worse came to worse i can go outside and make dinner in just a bit.

i know people say they are very smart, but i haven't seen that yet. don't know if it's my expectations, or just these chickens.

i was surprised at the look on rooster's faces. i like to watch them fly up in the tree.

 

[hsm5grls]

I love the feel of a country home. Rooster and chicken decorations started to play into the whole decor. Then they totally took over.LOL I think they are beautiful. Then we bought our land and I hinted around that I wanted chickens. Everyone was against it so I stuck to collecting them. I started reading about homesteading and hobby farming and my desire to raise chickens grew. So one day i said the heck with it I'm getting chickens and started researching breeds, coops, runs, and food. I found this sight asked a lot of questions and heard about ideal poultry. Placed an order and now have 15 chickens.

I want healthy food for my family and will eventually have a flock of eating birds. these are my babies though and are stricktly for laying and fun.

even pick the kind of chickens I wanted from advice on this sight BARRED ROCKS RULE!!!!

 

[joanc]

Initially, we got into chickens mainly to save on our property taxes. For me it's gotten to be a great hobby and I just enjoy being outside with my chickies. I wish we'd have done it sooner!

 

[patandchickens]

I got 3 started red sex-link pullets from the feed store last spring because I feel really bad about how commercial eggs are produced (the conditions the chickens live in) so I wanted to stop supporting that and get eggs from happier animals.

I did NOT expect to particularly LIKE the chickens, they were just going to be Functional critters.

Ha

I am really amazed at how personable and smart and interesting they actually are! You have to spend some time with them to see this, I guess, and it probably varies with breed, but mine are surprisingly trainable (I've worked with some horses that were more learning-disadvantaged than these chickens are, lol ) and spend a lot of time closely inspecting and studying all aspects of their environment. They seem very "think-y".

They each have different personalities and likes/dislikes and 'hobbies'. For instance one of them made it clear to me that she only wants to be picked up if she's hopped up onto some raised object first... but if you indicate to her where she should go, she hops right up and is happy to be picked up.

They really seem to enjoy interacting with people (well, up to a point anyway) and when you talk with them they make little commentary noises and look you right in the eye. I am not saying that they understand English, but they are certainly very sociable and likeable critters!

And I don't know what this says about me

but it's a lot of fun watching them viciously attack tomatoes or bugs or whatever. I get the feeling that I now know just a little bit about what it would have been like to live in the days of Tyrannosaurus rex or Velociraptor... and I have to say that I am REAL REAL GLAD that all we've got around nowadays is the little ones with feathers!!

So, next spring we need More Chickens of course

Pat