why do you keep chickens?

[chickengr]

de-stress therapy, pets, eggs and bug control.

 

[BY Bob]

I grew up on a commercial chicken farm- we raised 72,000 at a time and after 8 weeks or so off to market they went. I must have seen literally millions of chickens through those years but never once did I see a chicken get to scratch outside, eat bugs and worms, or have the pleasure of gathering an egg. Now, at 62 years old, I'm finally getting to do all those things. My girls still have a few more months before they start laying but my, how much pleasure they already have given me. I start and end my days with them, seeing that they made it safely through the night and are ready to go outside, or ending the day by making sure they are all accounted for and on the roost. I give them all a pet and then lock their door. I plan on letting them live out their natural lives even if they are no longer laying. I do love the silly creatures...

I too raised chickens for food when i was young. My wife wore me down until we got chicks. I never knew what special little animals they were. Now i cant imagine not seeing their faces at the backdoor every evening asking for 1 more snack before bed.

 

[CoopintheWoods]

I raise mine for eggs, but they are often treated as pets (they all have names, etc.)

 

[peterlund]

In order 2. 1. 3.
Saying aloud how easy and natural it is to have these birds around. Fills in some voids in humanity.

 

[wornoutmomto3]

I raise chickens because I am glutton for the punishment they dish out every Spring, when 40+ hens, roosters, ducks, and one turkey eat 600lbs of feed in one month, lay eggs for one week then decide to go broody (but only after you have sold or eaten all the eggs from the one week of laying). Now, you have a ton of broody hens but no eggs and now must "attempt" to break the broodiness (yeah right) or buy some eggs from whichever chicken farmer is having better luck than you (so you can rehome the 100+ chicks you didn't need in the first place). Then about a week out from the chicks hatching half the hens give up the brood, just because they hate you. So, you stick the eggs in the store bought incubator so "You" can brood them. The remaining hens still brooding finish their hatch then decide motherhood is harder than they imagined, and ditched their chicks on one or two of the hens that "stuck it out." While all this is going on none of the hens lay even a single egg (that you can find because ha.. ha..). So, you hang pictures and signs of roast chicken and chicken jerky and chicken soup, etc. But, these crazy birds call your bluff by pooping all over the pictures and still withhold their egg bounty. And, just when you have finally decided that enough-is-enough an egg or two starts to appear again. So, you decide to that they get another chance. And the one week merry-go-round begins again. And you swear, you are giving up the chickens. Except you are now accustomed to the rooster crows, fawning over adorable chicks, and cozying up to the quirky antics of those crazy birds. Because you are head over heels for those goofy, insanity inducing birds.

 

[Sheddiver]

We are both retired and live in the country. Our sons live hours away from us and we were getting bored. We raised chickens years ago for 4H with our youngest son years ago. So now we thought that we'd raise some of our own chicks for pets, eggs and chicken TV.

 

[chickens really]

I really couldn't tell you why?......I guess I like seeing them ....I prefer my Ducks.....Maintaining Ducks is so much easier than Chickens....

 

[perchie.girl]

-... Except you are now accustomed to the rooster crows, fawning over adorable chicks, and cozying up to the quirky antics of those crazy birds. Because you are head over heels for those goofy, insanity inducing birds.

Yep

 

[blairctchickens]

Eggs and entertainment and quickly found out they can turn my compost faster than I can, for my garden. So they are working for their food now!

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Mine are pets!! We do eat their eggs, but when they die, we plan to give them a proper burial, not turn them into dinner!