Why chickens?

So I guess I should explain why I decided to get chickens. It wasn't to save money on eggs because I go through so many. I do go through a LOT, but let's face it, after buying chicks, building a brooder, getting supplies, and building a coop, there's no money saved. I've also never been really big on buying organic. However, I do like the idea of getting my food locally, and more specifically, I dream about the day I can sustain my family fully. I dream about owning a farm with cows, chickens, ducks, and a HUGE garden. And aside from beverages and toiletries, not needing anything commercially! One day!

I knew that getting chickens wasn't something I could go into blindly. And I never go into anything blindly. So I read. I poured over website after website. I found forums and searched through any topic I thought would be pertinent. I joined a forum and asked lots of questions. I researched what materials I would need for a brooder. I researched BREEDS! Did you know there are over 400 breeds of chicken? It's a lot to take in!

I went almost two weeks before ordering my chicks. I wanted to find breeds that were friendly, quiet, bore confinement easily as we are not on a farm, were hardy to extreme temperatures, and docile. I decided on Delaware's, Dominique's, and Easter Eggers. I think Easter Egger's could go either way, but I really thought the idea of getting a hen that could lay blue and green tinted eggs was awesome.

I researched the hatchery I wanted to order from. Most hatcheries require a minimum order, usually 25 chicks. I didn't want this many chicks, so I found one that filled 'small orders'. I was in luck too, because the hatchery was just 5.5 hours away in Ohio. I called, placed my order, and was given a hatch date. July 26! It was almost two weeks away so I nearly drove myself insane. I continued to read nonstop, and ordered Raising Chickens For Dummies.

We built the brooder. Because I was afraid of stress on the chickens and 'pasty butt', I opted to brood them in a small kiddie pool for the first week. On 'hatch night' we set everything up, including the water, so that it would get to the right temperature.

On hatch day, I called the hatchery and was able to get a tracking number. Less than 24 hours, the babies were here!

We noticed how much they were growing on just a day to day basis. We started thinking about coop and run space. Matthew and I went and measured off double the amount of space we'd 'need', and realized how little of the yard we would be using. I jokingly said, 'We should get more chickens!' My husband agreed.

I'll save that story for next time. :)

What did I get myself into?

David's been begging me for three years to get rid of our 24 ft above ground pool. I finally relented, IF we could get chickens. We sold it to friends of ours, and now we're left with a hole we're not looking forward to filling.

I ordered six chicks through Meyer Hatchery that arrived July 27. Our local post office was kind enough to deliver them directly to our house. If you don't already know, I run a home daycare, and the kids have been so excited, that when they saw the mailman pull up, they couldn't stop screaming. He was laughing before he ever made it to the door.



I was terrified to open the box. My order was for two Delaware, two Dominique, and two Easter Egger chicks. I held my breath and opened the box hoping for no casualties.

Thankfully, I found a box of six healthy, peeping chicks.



I put them in a kiddie pool with pine shavings covered with paper towels so they wouldn't eat the shavings. I found out later puppy pads were so much more awesome and easier to clean.

I've been obsessive about these chicks. I read nonstop, I ordered 'Raising Chickens for Dummies', I check for pasty butt, cleaning the litter, changing out water, etc. I even jumped the gun and bought parakeet grit and started feeding them treats. They liked boiled egg, but their favorite so far is uncooked oatmeal. I can get all six of them to jump in my hand if I open the door with some of that!

It's late and I plan on catching up with the rest of the story. If anyone had told me I'd be doing the stuff I'm doing now, I'd have said they were crazy.