Spring of 2010 we bought K3 sixteen cute & fuzzy baby
chicks.
Here was the dilemma...I must confess I was terrified of chickens, well
actually anything with wings & a beak! I blame it all my childhood...
Chris & I got paid a whopping $5 a week to do calf
chores. Not only did we struggle with the five gallon buckets of milk, but we had to fend off the vicious Banty chickens. We worried about the protective mother hens. We
worried about the chicken that laid in
the grain barrel, so that when we went to feed the calves grain they flew up in
our faces, and even though I can't remember ever being pecked, Chris &
I were traumatized for life....
So, here we are with
these chicks. I agreed to them because I really wanted to be more sustainable.
Chickens provide fresh vitamin rich eggs, they eat ticks & bugs, and chickens are a great way to recycle food.
I feed them our leftovers & scraps and in return they give me delicious
eggs. Not to mention that they have provided K3 with a job. She is responsible
for her chickens & sells her eggs.
Well, I have gotten over my chicken fear, but I never held
any of the baby chicks. The first time one got out and no one was home I had to get over my fear and
chase it back. I will admit that first year I screamed quite a bit whenever
they flew around the coop (while Mark laughed at me), but I have gradually overcome my fears. I have picked them up only a few times in the two years
we've had them, but only when absolutely necessary...like when my preschool
class came and wanted to pet a chicken. How could I refuse those sweet faces!
I will say the hens are really fun to watch. Waddling around
chasing bugs or running as fast as they can when I call to them so I can feed them leftovers. I do have another confession to make...I actually do
enjoy having them.....shhh don't tell!!
K3's Koop
Our Girls live in Luxury thanks to Mark!
Still scared of chickens (all birds) here. Today at Nortie & B's I swear one of their chickens was chasing me.
ReplyDeleteHi! I recently discovered your blog via Cold Antler Farm. My husband and I live in Chicago but are SERIOUSLY planning to move to a more rural location. Near Portland, Maine is one of the locations we are considering. The other locations are in WI, MI and MN. We have four kids - 12-year-old triplet boys and an 8-year-old daughter. We want to have a small farm (chickens, sheep, goats, a pig or two and a few horses). We still plan to work outside of the home but my husband wants to work for himself (he's an architect) and I would be happy with a part-time job at a library (I'm currently working full-time as a librarian). We want to be more self sufficient and get out of the urban sprawl we live in now. We want to look out our window and see trees, animals and our garden - not cars on the street, trash in our yard and cement everywhere!
ReplyDeleteSo, I following your blog is great for me. I have tons of questions for you - do you and your husband farm full-time or does one of you work outside of the home? Did you move to your current home in the last few years or have you lived there a long time? Are you originally from New England? And MANY more questions about learning how to take care of chickens and sheep and horses.
Our plan is to sell our house and move the summer of 2014. Our boys will be starting high school then. I'm not sure our kids are as excited about our plans as we are. There is a lot to think/worry about but I know I have to do this.
Any suggestions you have for me about making this life change and starting a farm would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sharing your farming life on the internet.
Josephine Tucci