why did you start keeping chickens

[CluckyCharms]

Well, I say it was for the fresh eggs because that's how I convinced my hubby to let me have some chickens...but really it was because I fell in love with a picture of a Silkie and wanted one. Then I saw more chicken breeds that I liked and wanted those. Then...well...yeh, rinse and repeat.

 

[nova022]

My parents, grandparents and other relatives always had chickens about and my husband and I had talked about getting chickens for years, but neither of us wanted to do the deed at processing time. Then my DIL and I went to the county fair and when we looked at the poultry exhibit and the bug struck again. My friend is doing a Blue Cochin breeding project and suggested I just get pullets and raise them for the eggs. Which is what I did. I am so happy that I have my little flock of nine. Of course I won't have the little chicks scampering around the yard with their momma hen, hmmmmm......or will I?

 

[MsBagawkbagawk]

When I was 2 my parents moved us to the country. A few years later they got chickens (of course they ordered straight run and ended up with a ton of roos *Thank you Grammie for showing us how to kill them!*). I was terrified of them (especially one friendly hen named Quaily Bird, I didn't trust her......) but loved baby chicks and gathering eggs. My mom always let me add three of whatever breed I wanted to our spring order. When I was 8 or 9 and actually starting to like chickens a little more, I got my first Porcelain d'Uccles. A roo named Stan and a hen named Sophie. One day I decided to go tame Sophie. It only took a few days and she was riding around on my shoulder constantly. And Stan was a sweetie pie too. Well, then I fell in love with chickens, made friends with old lady Quaily Bird, and yeah, now I have a flock of 80+. (For the record, I am NOT scared of ANY chicken now, even my evil rooster Jerkface.) That's my story. I guess I do it because of Sophie.

Here's my Baby Girl now:



When she was younger:




She puts up with so much, she has a knitted bowtie and a collar for when I bring her inside:

 

[LiLChicken]

Chickens are part of my Homesteading plan of not going back into the "So called Workforce"

 

[cary 1973]

When I was 2 my parents moved us to the country. A few years later they got chickens (of course they ordered straight run and ended up with a ton of roos *Thank you Grammie for showing us how to kill them!*). I was terrified of them (especially one friendly hen named Quaily Bird, I didn't trust her......) but loved baby chicks and gathering eggs. My mom always let me add three of whatever breed I wanted to our spring order. When I was 8 or 9 and actually starting to like chickens a little more, I got my first Porcelain d'Uccles. A roo named Stan and a hen named Sophie. One day I decided to go tame Sophie. It only took a few days and she was riding around on my shoulder constantly. And Stan was a sweetie pie too. Well, then I fell in love with chickens, made friends with old lady Quaily Bird, and yeah, now I have a flock of 80+. (For the record, I am NOT scared of ANY chicken now, even my evil rooster Jerkface.) That's my story. I guess I do it because of Sophie.

Here's my Baby Girl now:



When she was younger:




She puts up with so much, she has a knitted bowtie and a collar for when I bring her inside:

oh how sweet now i want to dress my chickens

 

[MamaRudey]

Well.. we eat a lot of eggs. About 20 dozen a month. At $3 a dozen at the local farm.. that is $60 a month... figured it would be easier to pay for feed for my own chickens. So far I am spending about $45 every month and a half to two months. Now if only I was getting 20 dozen a month. LOL

 

[kellypepperk]

My hubby and I both grew up with ducks and chickens and felt it was a natural progression. We have the property for it and we were in the right "place" to start. Now we can't imagine our life without these critters! Our 7 year old daughter has been known in the area and among friends as the chicken whisperer for quite some time, so we knew we would be able to count on her for lots of help. Hubby is an over doer... instead of "getting our feet wet" with 6-10 chickens like I was thinking, he ordered 45 chickens and 10 ducks! We're down to 26 chickens due to many going in the freezer and a few losses. Our daughter took very good care of the "Big Mamas," (the meat chickens). She completely understands the process and thanked them for being with us. I can't wait to get out of bed in the morning to go play - we love our morning routines!

 

[milo1108]

It was an accident that I got into chickens. I've always lived in the city and I really love to be out in the country. Unfortunately for me I can't get a house out in the country at this moment. Ok so moving forward, my mom had decided to hatch chickens for a homeschool project for my younger brothers and sisters. Much to my surprise...I think I was more excited about it than anyone else. I stayed at her house almost the entire time the chicks were hatching, which took awhile. Out of the bunch we had 9 chicks hatch from a dozen and a half. Out of those 9 chicks, we ended up with 2 hens. Anway, I ended up with the runt of the litter so to speak. The poor baby was being pecked to death by the others. My mom felt sorry and let me have him. That was supposed to be my only pet rooster and I was not going to get anymore....well what happened chicken math. I had to build a coop for him because of the city regulations and then I was like ok I guess I'll leave him outside since he has a coop. Then I felt bad because he didn't have anyone to be with him. So I ended up with another one of my mom's roosters. (At the time I didn't know my chicken was a rooster) The new rooster was being mean to my rooster (of course I feel silly about it now) so he got chopped up along with 5 of the other roosters. I got another one of my mom's roosters that survived the chopping block because she was soo sure that it was a hen. (Not) He started crowing the day he got to my house. Shortly after that my mom said she was going to get more chickens because of all the roosters we ended up with, so I got 3 more chicks. From there I ended up with 2 more chickens. Ended up having to slaughter the first rooster I got because he was a terror. Anyway I love my chickens, I'm already looking at chickens for the spring time because there is just sooo much personality with each chicken. They are smart and silly and just plain amazing.

 

[luckyducky9]

the reason we got chickens was because we were begging our mom and dad for pets. mom needed fresh eggs, so we got 12 chickens. one was a rooster who got two mean. so we got rid of him. we know have only 5 because our nieghbor wanted more chickens because animals ate his so we gave 6. then my sister clucky3255 bought 6 chickens and two guineas/ one ,sparrow was her name died . we just started getting eggs. we have gotten 8 today so far.

 

[fowl farm]

We love eggs...then we moved to a place with 50 acres, a ready to use chicken coop and TICKS. Tons and tons of ticks. Need I say more?