Has life got you down? Are you feeling anxious about political upheaval, relationships, debt, and your sure-fire plan to put it on all Ether? I feel you. And I come to you with something better than a solution - a distraction!
Get yourself some chickens.
yes.
Amidst some turmoil going on in my life about 1 year ago, my wife mentioned that she thought we should get some chickens some day. Apparently I was looking for a project to take my mind off of work, because I ran full-steam ahead into researching and acquiring these chickens. About a week later, my wife came home to a forbidding red glow coming from under the bathroom door, with the temperature reaching Hades levels. In our bathtub, were 3 week-old chicks wandering around and occasionally passing out at the drop of a hat (apparently totally normal). My wife was initially a little taken aback that I had already done this without much of a consult from her, but handing her chick to hold pretty much got her on board.
Since then it's been smooth sailing with these guys. I added in a fourth chick to ensure an adequate egg supply. Without further ado, here are the reasons that you should also consider adding some chickens to your life.
1. Eggs
Oh my god the eggs. Probably the most obvious and delicious reason to get yourself some chickens (don't eat the chickens!). The day they started laying eggs was a glorious day - and it began oddly on Christmas. I'm sure there is some sort of parallel regarding virgin birth and whatnot, but I'm too lazy to draw the connection.
Any way, depending on what breeds you get, you can get 3-6 eggs a week/chicken pretty reliably. Between four chickens, we probably get around 2 dozen eggs each week. No,you do not need a rooster. The chickens will begin laying all by themselves once they are around 4-6 months old.
The eggs legitimately taste better than store-bought, and you can literally eat them the day you collect them. Plus, they come in a variety of colors, which each breed having their own appearance to the egg. One of our chickens lays sky blue eggs, which is purely aesthetic but does look nice.
2. Your Dog Will Thank You
Since getting the chickens, our border collie mix has been simply captivated by them. She stares at them right outside the coop, trembling. Actually, that may not be a good thing. I had assumed that she wanted to kill and eat them, but recently I accidentally left the coop door open in a sleep-deprived haze, and two of the chickens took it upon themselves to have a furlough. I don't know how long they were out, but wife woke up to two chickens walking around the yard and our faithful dog seemingly blocking the exit of the other two chickens. Duty before dinner, I suppose.
3. Your Chickens Will Get to Know You
Maybe the best part, aside from the eggs. Since I dedicated a lot of time to hand-raising the chicks, they are extremely friendly chickens and are not afraid of being picked up or handled (they don't particularly enjoy it, though). They approach when I enter into their fenced off area and happily accept treats from our hands. They area truly more like pets than farm birds, and they are pretty fun to watch and interact with.
4. Food Supply in the Event of Apocalypse
This goes back to #1. Eggs! Don't eat the chickens, and you'll have eggs for several years!
All images fully licensed and available at www.pexels.com.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider upvoting or commenting. If there is interest in chickens, I am happy to write more detailed information, particularly about breeds and husbandry strategies.
