Backyard Chickens

They are quite the vogue right now with the bad economy. Food, entertainment, bug control, the new homestead movement along with perennial gardens converting to vegetable gardens and wash drying on the line blowing in the wind. There is a certain peace that comes to ones own soul when sighting any one or all of the above scenes.

It is our home without a doubt, but not because it is the "IN" activities to do. I grew up with all three activities and then some on our 500 acre dairy farm.

"My" thing when I was a kid were the chickens. We always had chickens since I could remember. Standard size for butchering (I will spare you the butcher, chop off the head stories) and bantam (small) chickens. When we moved from the eastern part of our state to the central part, the bantam chickens came with us.

I remember my dad constantly yelling at my older brothers to feed and water those chickens on a daily basis. I'm not sure why he kept trying so hard to make them love them. But I do remember that at the age of 9, I approached my dad and said that I would take care of the chickens as my responsibility, he would NEVER have to remind me, EVER, but he could also NEVER kill any of them from that day forward. He agreed and for the next 10 years the chickens were mine. The coop was mine. My place, My stress reliever, My feathered friends. It was never about the eggs. The chickens were my refuge and there were many times I sought their haven for many teenage and life issues. When I moved to college, my dad found a good home for the entire flock in a nearby town with a farmer who also loved chickens.

Now fast forward to a few years ago. As I was losing my non-releasable raptors to old age, I started contemplating what I could do with their enclosures. I researched and found out we could have chickens in our city. And as they say the rest is history.

As you may have noticed, I love my flock of feathered beauties. It still is not about the eggs. It is about the chickens. They are again my Pressure Valve, anytime I feel stress, I spend time just watching and messing with them. Everyone needs a "relaxing thing" to get rid of stress....mine are the chickens. I still love to work out, but the early morning rising to get it in my busy day doesn't relieve my stress. I still love to grow gourds, garden and kayak (which I never do anymore) but none release my stress like my flock of chickens.

Besides the stress reliever, there has been MANY side benefits.

The always available cash from egg sales for the kids field trips etc., I am not a cash carrier, so having an egg bucket with cash in it is a big PLUS.

Meeting new neighbors has brought more diversity to our family. We have several regular customers, one African American, Alvin and his girlfriend who originates from a large city, one Indian woman Nagmane, who is a Micro-Biologist. When they walk over to purchase eggs we converse and develop friendships. It also brings my hippie, free spirited neighbor, Ian, over for eggs and conversation as well as our army recruiter neighbor, Josh, over. I also have a cognitive disabled neighbor Dave who loves to come by and just watch the chickens hang out enjoying themselves in the sun.

Another benefit is the natural, non chemical fertilizer for the garden. Can't beat that!!

And of course the best part....a Pressure Valve just for me!! I really don't care if my kids learn to love them, the important fact is that I love them.....
same rules, no one has to remind me to care for them, and no one will kill them for food (except for maybe the hawks, but that is another story for another time)

Now, I am gong to visit my feathered friends outside to release a little pressure and tension and and then I am off to my doctor's appointment................