How / why did you become a chicken addict ?

[flewdcoop]

I would like to hear about everyone got started raising chickens/ducks/turkeys/geese etc. Tell us how/why you became a chicken addict.

My own addiction started when I was 5 and my parents bought 80 acres and a mixed flock ( 7 bantys and 10 white leghorns ) .
After 4 years in the navy I was too busy raising a family and forgot about chickens until retirement set in.
Now I'm hooked again. I have managed to talk my no pet landlord into letting me have a small tractor coop/run and no more than 6 chooks. I have a trio of bantams and looking for 2 or 3 more.
My primary reason for them is they are good pets,I enjoy sitting on the porch watching them scratching and chasing bugs.
The secondary reason, eggs I love a good ham & eggs breakfast in the morning.

And last but not least they are entertaining.

 

[Teila]

Howdy flewdcoop

What a great idea for a thread! I hope lots of people reply as I would like to know how people became addicted also.

I blame my cats!

We have two indoor cats who had an outdoor, enclosed run. When we moved they did not have a run; so that they were still able to go outside, we bought a small coop and attached a run until we could make them something bigger.

When we finished their larger run we had an empty chicken coop .. can’t leave that empty!

2 x bantams was our ‘Welcome to Chickens’ .. 2 x bantams has become 6 x bantams and numerous renovations, extensions to both the coop [now coops joined together] and run.

I used to be one who spent lots of time cleaning the house and while looking OK, the garden was not the best. Now that I have chickens, total turnaround .. while looking OK, the inside of the house only gets a quick once over and the garden, because I enjoy spending so much time in it with my gals, looks beautiful

I am addicted! I wonder what I did with all my spare time before chickens

 

[rIrs roost]

Well it was a spare of the moment thing for me. We were riding down the road and my better half asked me and the kids if we'd like to get a few chicks at tsc. First thing I thought was, yeah I'd like to have some fresh eggs. Obviously the kids jumped on board. So we got the chicks and supplies in March of this year. After watching them grow, I realized that they were so sweet and had so much personality. I never expected to get so attached to them. Also never knew that they made great pets. The perfect pet that actually pays you with its eggs. Love them to death!

 

[ToniTalley]

We took in chickens from someone who lived in the city, and who had bought 'Easter chicks for the kids.' When they outgrew the city yard, we agreed to take them. Soon they outgrew their little coop that they came with, and the hubby and friends built a large coop for them. I can't say I am a chicken addict, but I do like the eggs. I wish we didn't have a roo, though, he is mean and I've lost some flesh and blood to him, lol. Hubby enjoys sitting out in the chicken yard in the afternoons while having a beer. I like to try out new foods on them to see if they like it.

 

[iawoodchip]

I wanted manure for the garden. Poor excuse, but I really like having them.

 

[donrae]

When...1977

How...my folks ordered a batch of white Leghorns from McMurray, and got a "rare exotic" chick. Little brown Easter egger that stuck out like a sore thumb in that sea of white. Besides her color, she had puffy cheeks and a beard--how cute is that? And then, when she finally started laying, her eggs were blue

. Remember, 1977 and EE/Ameraucana were new to the States, most folks had never seen or heard of a blue or green egg laying chicken. She was the talk of the neighborhood. I named her Indian and if I recall, she lived a good 5 years or so.

Mom and Grandma always kept some birds, so I grew up with them. Took a few years off when I got married, it was hard enough finding a house that allowed a dog, let alone chickens. But we moved to acreage and got chickens, ducks, turkeys, etc. I've had chickens ever since.

Why....lots of reasons! it started as eggs and meat. Now it's progressed to breeding projects. Add in the entertainment factor, the learning involved when you get into genetics, the help to a garden, the free waste disposal (not only disposing of food waste, but turning it into quality protein for the family!), the stress reduction....and everyone needs a hobby

 

[drumstick diva]

Because there is no vaccine to prevent it. Resistance is futile!!

 

[Teila]

Because there is no vaccine to prevent it. Resistance is futile!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I dabbled in chickens for many years, grew up on a farm, chickens were kept and killed, roosters terrorized me, hens fascinated me, I didn't become an addict until 1997, and then another notch of addiction was added in 2008, when I really started to crave chicken knowledge and figure out what they needed from me as opposed to what I needed from them.

I will spend hours just watching them, I find them fascinating, and their lust for life contagious. I am an animal behavior nut. I added muscovy ducks, and than turkeys, goofy turkeys. Some days I get nothing done because I'm staring at animals all day, I can't get enough.

 

[NCaliChick]

We got chicks about 6-7 years ago because my boyfriend's dad was getting some for himself. We got 6.
We enjoyed them & as time went on, we lost a few & gained a few hens. We just got a dozen new chicks a couple months ago so it's like starting all over again. I forgot how fun they can be. I keep wanting more & more!