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. :)