Why do we love chickens?

[joebwe25]

I love chickens because they're cute, quiet, pretty nice and funny to watch.
I have four, and they and they always happily peck around yard.
When were outside gardening they're ALWAYS right underneath us "Helping".
Although we don't like it when they start raking with there claws and start throwing mulch everywhere.

I hope you can find my information useful.

joebwe25

 

[raysflock]

My mother always kept chickens ,so I grew up with chickens in the back yard. I lived on the 5th floor of a apartment building, in a city of 2 million for nine years.So keeping chickens in the back yard is very interesting and relaxing. And the excess eggs I sell pays for most of my feed. And you can't beat fresh eggs for breakfast. I left the city life 27 years ago and never regreted it.
Ray

 

[65browneyes]

My "collection" started with a desire for just 6, and has grown to include 12 hens, a rooster, and most recently a new mom and her 9 chicks. I've even got everything I need to redo the kitchen (and maybe bathroom) in chicken/rooster decor.

The past year has been most difficult for us. My mom and hubby's parents ALL became ill within 3 or 4 months of each other, climaxing in hubby's dad's death in January, and our oldest son's near-death assault and robbery last month.

My girls have become my therapy. I'm not sure my sanity would have survived without them. They save me $100/hr at the shrink. Very calming, forgiving, and affectionate. Just what the doctor ordered!

 

[SpottedCrow]

My Goddess, Chickenmama, I should say so!!!
I have mine because I am allergic to cats, dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, chinchillas, if it's got fur, I'm probably allergic. AND I work in a petstore. LOL
I enjoy watching them scratch around and dustbathe and when I come home after a hard day, it's relaxing to pull up a chair and a cup of coffee and sit and do nothing but watch them.
The eggs are just a bonus.
My kitchen is chickens because of my love for them. I've also gone through a Frog Phase and a Diego Rivera Phase.
Alot of the "decorators" on TV have a lot to do with what you see in the stores. If Martha says so, then Kmart will end up with chicken stuff.

 

[chickchair]

Not only do I love each one of them personally, I find their motion to be very soothing....
Scratch while looking at the sky...then down to look at the dirt...repeat over and over. They have a sort of graceful swing in the motion.....

(I have four year old hens that jump onto my shoulder for a chat....unconditional friendship is what that is...)

 

[new chickie]

I know what you mean, they are so enjoyable to watch.....I keep telling DH I'm getting more....everyone here thinks I'm crazy.

Now up to 3 border collies
down to 3 cats(lost my beloved Nickie, she was 17)
18 guinea hens
20+chickens and roos
Oh, and let's not forget, Buster, my footless roos living in the basement, or my Nova, an african gray parrot!
Never a dull moment here

oh yea, 2 kids and a hubby

 

[bayouchica]

I started out with 6 hens three years ago just because I always loved chickens,but lived in the city.Well now I'm out here far away from city life,I needed something to keep me busy...chickens!! Well now I have a total of 64 !! Like everyone has said they are relaxing, fun to watch,fresh eggs, bug control & each has their own personality.


Miriam

 

[mudhen]

...relaxing, fun to watch,fresh eggs, bug control & each has their own personality. Miriam

Absolutely ditto, ditto, ditto, ditto and ditto!!!

 

[Davaroo]

Without going into the psychology of the thing too deeply, lets just say that it is in our blood. We humans have a long association with agrarian ways including livestock husbandry. This goes back to before recorded history. Chickens started out first and foremost as livestock, providing food and some few other benefits to early man. They were also used to provide sporting diversion from life's more humdrum ways. In fact, evidence supports that this was the reason the difficult task of domestication was first attempted (this is fact: DO NOT get started on the morality of cockfighting, please!).

Just take a look at our language for a few clues:

Does anyone count their chickens before they hatch?
If you don't wanna fight, you are called a what - a chicken!
Business men are admonished to NOT put their eggs in one basket.
WHen a man is full of himself, he's the "Cock 'o the Walk"... and so on.

Chickens have been a part of our existence for a long time, New Age "Hug-A-Tree" Warm and Fuzziness notwithstanding. Sure, they provide eggs and meat. And yes, they are relaxing, calming and personality-laden. They give us something purposeful to occupy ourselves with, too. Some even consider them as crucial elements of the latest goofy craze: 'Provincial Feng Shui' practice. All well and good, I suppose.

But one of the main reasons we love the silly things, if not THE MAIN REASON, is simply that humans and chickens belong together... we're old friends.

 

[speckledhen]

Exactly, David! WE CAN'T HELP IT! See, it's just in our blood, our very nature. We couldn't stay away if we tried. And that means all those people without chickens, especially the ones who don't get us, the ones who think they're dirty disease-carriers, those are unnatural human beings! Yep, I'm gonna stand on that.