Step One Is Not Choosing Your Chicken Breeds

Okay, so I lied. Step One Is Not Choosing Your Chicken Breeds. Click here for that post. Step One is actually going back to Deciding To Raise Backyard Chickens.

I've already talked about the benefits of hand raised eggs as the reason. But there are others.
 
A big part of my decision (although I really don't have a specific memory of when this lightbulb went off), had a lot to do with stress relief. I have a very stressful job. Super stressful. And sometimes it really gets to me. I really needed something, a hobbie I guess, that was fulfilling, challenging, and not deemed as frivolous, as I am a no-nonsense sort of gal about many things. Raising chickens seemed to fit the bill.

There are, however, a great many issues that need to be addressed before you take the plunge into chickendom. This is not a "oh well that didn't work out so never mind I guess I won't raise chickens afterall" sort of thing. Why? Duh ... these are living creatures. You don't just throw them away or put them in a garage sale if you decide this isn't for you.

Okay, okay, yes you can eat them if it doesn't work out. (To each his own.)  I actually used this on my husband while I was trying to convince him of this mad scheme of mine. He didn't fall for it. I really thought he would, but then we had this conversation about him growing up on a farm and his chore was always the chicken coop cleaning. Being a kid, he always waited until it was an absolutely putrid mess before doing the cleaning. And then he'd throw the eggs up against the wall because he was ticked he had to clean the coop. It dawned on me during this conversation that this experience might be the reason he doesn't eat much chicken. In fact every time for twenty years that I've cooked chicken for dinner, he's ALWAYS said, "Hmmm, dead chicken for dinner, huh?" Now I know what has been going on in his head all these years. It's actually been a joke between us, as I usually say, "Come get some dead chicken, Honey." Yes, we are sort of weird.

So back to the "why to raise chickens in your backyard." I already mentioned stress relief, but didn't really explain why. Simple. Good, hard work is always satisfying and has always been a de-stresser for me. Stress relief also involves some sort of routine for me. Chicken raising definitely provides a routine. A daily routine. I am not a laying-around-in-a-hammock kinda gal.

Another aspect is how quickly you feel gratification from raising chickens. Inside of two months after hatching, they are ready to go out to the Big Girls Coop. They go from zero to sixty in 4.2 seconds. I mean they go from teeny tiney baby chicks who depend on you for everything to crazy fun teenagers in about two months. And then within five to seven months they've got a job and are bringing home the bacon (laying eggs and providing dinner.) What more could you ask for? In fact, if you decide to tackle the birds-for-meat thing, I believe it's only 10-12 weeks from chick to chicken dinner. There are lots of other reasons for deciding to raise chickens, backyard or not. Perhaps you want a fun family project. Maybe your child participated in a school hatching project and snuck a chick into his backpack. Maybe you want to start trying to be more self-sufficient by providing your own table eggs. Maybe you want to make a little mooney on the side by selling eggs. Maybe you want to start breeding and selling chickens. Maybe you just want an adventure.

Believe me, if that's the reason, then you are truly in for an adventure. A happy adventure.

Join me in my journey, okay?