Why did you get your first chickens?

[Smccau3]

I feel like there must be some good stories out there.

Growing up I had a goat, and after the goat died I always wanted more animals. A couple months ago, we had some chickens come visit us. They lived down the street and kept showing up in our yard. They had such great personalities and were so much fun, we started thinking about it. We did a lot of research and one day went out and got our 4 chicks. Almost a year later, we are in love with our babies and I can't wait to get more!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

After having egg and meat birds growing up, I got my first chickens as an adult for the manure when the stable near me closed.
Then I was reminded they lay eggs and taste good. What a bonus and my garden loves the compost.

 

[kandrews]

My mom and counseler thought it would be a good idea due to my depression and it has helped a lot!

 

[hannahgiselle]

a friend of my mom's had been raising chickens for about a year, and after visiting her and doing some research of our own, we decided to get some of our own. our reasons were that store bought eggs are produced by chickens that are horribly mistreated, and thousands upon thousands of male chicks are slaughtered without any chance at life. the sheer wastefulness and disregard for the sanctity of life disgusted us. another reason we chose to get our own chickens is that fresh laid eggs are much more nutritious than store bought eggs. so eventually we bought the materials to build our own coop, and ordered 4 chicks.

today, our girls are 8 months old. we love them to death. we never thought we'd become so attached to our chickens. they all have so much personality. they make us laugh and smile every day. they are especially precious to me because I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. spending time around them has helped me feel a lot better. whenever I'm around my chickens I feel much calmer and it allows me to take my mind off my troubles. they've helped me get through some really tough times.




and just for fun, here's a picture of my Silkie-Polish cross and I. she's our alpha hen, even though she's the tiniest! she's very sassy and loves hearing herself talk. We have three other hens as well. An Australorp, Matilda (she's my favorite.), a Cochin, Vera, and an Easter Egger, Edith. They're all my babies.

 

[myfinefeatheredfriends]

Mine were received as a gift from my uncle when he came up from Georgia. I guess the chicken bug bit me after that because I've had them ever since

 

[kacklinkelly]

Our daughter was thinking of moving away with our only grandson who is 6.
We are very involved in each other's lives. I wanted to create meaningful
memories for our grandson before they left. I thought how fun it would
be to raise chicks together. We got an australorp, easter egger and RIR.

Well, the excitement has worn off for him but not for me. My DH, who
didn't want the chickens, ended up making them a wonderful tractor.
Almost daily we have conversations about our silly chickens. They have
helped us to have much more silliness in our lives. I can not take myself
so seriously anymore. My blood pressure has gone down and my mood
has gone up. More than I could have imagined from such a simple critter.
Can't wait to grow our backyard flock.

I imagine when the eggs come, that our grandson's interest may come
back again. Regardless, I am creating great memories!!

 

[spotsplus]

My friend had chickens. She had gotten a dozen or so silver laced wyandottes. One of the chicks was blind. She was keeping one other pullet with her for company. I said I'd take the blind one if she wanted (I'm soft hearted for any animal that has a handicap) and she let me have the other pullet too. My blind hen lived for five years and the other hen died a few months ago at age 8. The same friend also asked me if I wanted to raise some chicks that the mother had been killed. I took them home and still have one of the chicks. Same thing happened to an old english hen that was sitting on a nest. Coyotes got the mother and most of the chicks. My friend managed to catch the one remaining chick and gave her to me. She was as wild as can be and even now at age 8 I can't touch her but she's raised three sets of day old chicks that were set under her.

Tammie

 

[chickenkeeper12]

Well for me it all started with my neighbor. He got 20 EE chicks back around 2007. He had those for less than a year because he free ranged and got killed by a coyote, raccoon, and my dog once. After that he didn't get any until the summer of 2012 and so I was like I love them and I need something to do( I'm 14). Since he has a lot of animals and when he goes away I feed them I decided to start saving up. When the time came to start I did not have as much money as I thought so I asked my grandpa if he could be an investor. So he said yes and gave me $800 dollars. I got everything done and still didn't have my order yet so he gave me two for the time being( 2 weeks until I get them). So I had those for a week and a half and then I have them back. I cleaned it all up and it was ready for the newbies. I ordered a BR, SS, RIR, and LB. I got a BR, AU, BO, and AMER. they were all around 4-5 weeks old. I had got chicken fever in a weeks so two weeks later it was my birthday so I got two Rhode Island Red which were around 12 weeks old. They were hard to get together but eventually they were fine. After another 3 weeks I got another one from my cousins. In total that's seven. A couple months later I came across a silkie breeder and got 4 silkies. They were straight run and I got 3 hens 1 roo. After around another 2 months I got a houdan and she is perfect with them. So in total I have 11 and are looking to expand my flock by 5-6. So that's my story. Sorry if its a little confusing.

 

[Cknldy]

I saw the chick days sign at tsc. Started hinting to dh that i would like some chickens. I've always wanted a farm full of animals. What to start with? Dh wanted a goat but they need bigger shelter and $$$ for lots of fencing. A horse was given to us but alas, $$$$ for fencing again and conflicting ideas on caring for horses. Best choice for starting with farm animals is...CHICKENS! Dh finally gave in and told me to go get some chicks if that's what I want He didn't know we had to keep them in brooder in house for almost 2 months or how much I would dote on them like I did with my kids. Now I look at hatchery catalogs, planning which breeds I want and dh says 'Just make a coop for me so you'll pay that much attention to me!' Lol

 

[ams3651]

I grew up on a farm with a goat, horse, cows, chickens and one very ornery turkey. I currently live on part of what was my grandparents farm. I was going thru a tough time in life and decided I needed something to keep myself busy. Chickens were perfect because they kind of honored my grandparents farm, gave us fresh eggs and were pretty simple to care for. I already had a small shed I could easily convert with some basic carpentry skills and I just went for it. 5 years later we have 8 chickens and a rooster. A local man who has had chickens all his life takes my extra roo's and this spring I will get some chicks from him. You meet the nicest chicken people locally. Now 2 of my neighbors and my uncle have chickens as well.