Random question- Do you own Chickens?

Peledreamsofrain

Perhaps this is so randomly out of left field that I'll get giggled at, but I was wondering how many Knotties here own chickens.

I have 5 hens myself, and some eggs in the mail.  I'm dying to get them and put them in my incubator!

Oh, and if you DO have hens, post pics!! I love chickie pics (I know, I'm strange).

Here's my oldest girls as babies




Our hen Drusilla, waiting at the back door for treats

cnf2013

One of my housemates in college grew up raising chickens and ducks, and on sort of a whim we bought five baby chickens. We had them in a large tub with a heat lamp while they were tiny, then we built them a little outside corral when they got a bit bigger. At the end of the semester one of my housemates brought them all to her aunts house because she raises chickens. She says she still has them and that they are all laying like crazy, which is nice to hear. People thought we were nuts, and in hindsight it was probably a really stupid thing to do.

I don't seem to have any pictures of the chicks, but here's a picture my old housemate sent me about a year after we graduated of one of our chickens:

Sorry I don't actively own chickens, but yours are super cute!

AdeleDazeem

I live in center city Philadelphia... no, no chickens.

However, I take the train to work up through North Philly, which is about as cramped with row houses as you can imagine.  Some of those houses have chicken coops.  My eyes nearly bugged out of my head when I noticed them.  I know of a few that have horses, too.  Itty bitty backyards.  That can't be good for those animals.

cwaggoner07

We want chickens so bad! When H was living in LA, he had friends that had them right smack dab in the middle of the city and we loved the idea. We also both grew up in the country with chickens so it just makes sense for eggs.

emeejeeayen

My BFF had ducks in college. It was adorable, she got them as tiny babies, and they'd follow her all over the house even as adults. Then the most sad thing in the world happened. Racoons broke into their (IDK what to call it - duck house?) outside one night, and she woke up to a nightmare.  

MoonlightSilver

We had chickens when I was a kid, but when they passed away we didn't get more. My uncle still has some, so we steal (with permission, of course) eggs from him, and sometimes we have to watch them when he's on vacation. 

thejucheidea

My boyfriend is constantly bothering me about getting chickens. Apparently it's legal to own chickens within the Metro Nashville area (we're right outside of downtown Nashville), so he feels we're entitled to have some. I say nay.

thejucheidea

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_random-question-do-you-own-chickens?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:ad37e2b6-f7c6-48f2-bdfc-e34a63fc75cdPost:e7ba8ed3-04da-47f5-9448-2cc94f8ae21f">Re: Random question- Do you own Chickens?</a>:
[QUOTE]I want chickens. But our dogs would eat them.
Posted by jcbsjr[/QUOTE]
See, that's what I keep telling my boyfriend. The Retriever would be a gentleman, but the Setter's kind of an idiot and would eat them just because she didn't know what they were. The Corgi would probably heard them all to the Setter's mouth. It's just bad news all around.

anna.oskar

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_random-question-do-you-own-chickens?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:ad37e2b6-f7c6-48f2-bdfc-e34a63fc75cdPost:e7ba8ed3-04da-47f5-9448-2cc94f8ae21f">Re: Random question- Do you own Chickens?</a>:
[QUOTE]I want chickens. But our dogs would eat them.
Posted by jcbsjr[/QUOTE]

<div>Me too.  I just brought it up again to my H and the reply is still Hell No.  I'll have to keep trying ;)</div>

ootmother2

My building doesn't allow them

GardenMaven

FI and I moved from Wisconsin to Colorado this last Spring.  I left behind a 600 sq ft garden and now have a small apartment porch.  :-(  We were considering getting chickens and I really wanted some Silky Bantams and maybe an Easter Egger!  I have no idea what the laws are here for keeping chickens, but once we get a house, I will look into it.

cevans11

I want chickens but our county does not allow them. My uncle lives down the street from us and had to get rid of his when a nosy neighbor found out about them. Seriously, they don't make noise- just laying hens, no rooster, and they were well taken care of so no smelly enclosure or anything. The neighbor didn't even know he had them till someone else told her. Boo. 

dtbluv

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_chit-chat_random-question-do-you-own-chickens?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:14Discussion:ad37e2b6-f7c6-48f2-bdfc-e34a63fc75cdPost:e7ba8ed3-04da-47f5-9448-2cc94f8ae21f">Re: Random question- Do you own Chickens?</a>:
[QUOTE]I want chickens. But our dogs would eat them.
Posted by jcbsjr[/QUOTE]

I worked for a family (as a nanny) and they got 5 chicks while I was working for them.  Their jack russell terrier ate 3 of the chicks before they could be moved outside (we had an oddly cold spring, so 2-3 weeks of living inside turned into 2 months of living inside which was apparently too much for the dog).  They replaced the chicks, the dog got two more, then they replaced those with full-grown chickens and super-dogproofed the coop and the problem ended.

Oddly enough, every family I have nannied for (4 families) has had chickens, and I want some so bad!  I have to wait until we have a house though.

Peledreamsofrain

Thanks for sharing everyone!  For those of you thinking of getting chickens, I very much encourage you to!  They're awesome, and really entertaining creatures.  Plus nothing beats knowing that your eggs are not full of antibiotics, dewormers, and other random chemicals that come with industrialized eggs.

The great part is, they have really interesting personalities.  One of my hens, Darla, loves nothing more than gossiping with me while sitting on my knee.  She's such a talker.

cevans11

My uncle was so upset when he had to get rid of his "girls." They would follow him around the yard, and sit on his lap. It's really frustrating, because, apparently, if you apply logic to our county codes, chickens as pets are pefectly legal. But logic would be way too much to ask. 

We do get farm fresh eggs though, from a guy my dad works with that lives further out. Best thing ever. FI was frying eggs for breakfast and looking at a store bought egg next to one of the fresh ones, the difference was unbelievable.