# Is it really so hard to believe?



## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

I wasn't sure which category to ask this in but I am looking for someone who might understand. I live in a town where roosters are not allowed in the city limits. When we bought our chicks earlier this spring they were supposed to all be pullets. We bought 8 chickens. Of the 8, 2 were bantams. Both bantams quickly became my personal pets. As they grew it became apparent that my favorite was a rooster. Also, one of the standard sized chicks was also a rooster. We rehomed the standard pretty quickly but my husband double insulated my office and built a beautiful and very large cage for the bantams. After all, When I got the bantams, the one that turned out to be a rooster was very sickly (I knew ZIPPO about chickens at the time). I healed him up, he grew to be a gorgeous and very healthy Crele Old English. But, his crowing made everyone in the house nuts. He crowed constantly. Along the way I had taught him several tricks but he never really got the hang of "No crowing". Well, today we sent them both (bantams) to the farm. I have been crying for hours, my husband thinks it's ridiculous that I ever got this attached to them in the first place and certainly I should not be crying. Is he right? Am I over reacting? I'm sorry if the story is a little hard to follow, I'm losing my place as I stop to blow my nose. I really just wanted to hear from other people as to whether or not people get this attached to chickens. Thank you for reading my whiney little story.


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## mbrock (Sep 17, 2014)

I think it is normal, especially if you spent the time with them as a pet. I live in a area that has the same type of rules. We hatched ours knowing only that there was going to be mix of males/females and made a range meant for the Roos. It was still hard because you grow attached. There is a difference if you have raised them closely. As a kid I knew that some were either food or pets. I call it the Charlotte's Web syndrome. 


Mbrock/Sw Fla


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

*Thank you!*

Thank you for your reply mbrock. Everyone thought it was so cool that I had taught that little bitty chicken tricks. The one that everyone got a kick out of the most is "step up". I would put my hand out flat in front of him and he would wait until I said "step up" to step onto my hand. This also worked going from my hand to my shoulder or to anywhere else I may have wanted him to perch at the time. I also taught him "bedtime". When I said bedtime he (and his "wife") would both go roost no matter what time it was.

Thank you again for understanding.


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## mbrock (Sep 17, 2014)

They become part of the family. Chickens get a bad rap about being dumb, which they are sometimes. Most animal trainers for the movies start with chickens because they are easily trained. My five year old goes out in the evening announces that it is bed time the girls all run over to the coop go in. If he's not here they are very bad girls.

Mbrock/Sw Fla


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

What a great family, human and poultry alike.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Its a chicken. That's what you'll hear a lot from people who have not spent real time with them. 

Chickens were barnyard creatures until the backyarders came along. No one knew they could learn their names, that each has its own personality because they're just dumb birds. But then that was pretty much the reaction to most farm animals until some group, like us, comes along and teaches them something different.


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## kiweed (Sep 14, 2014)

As you continue to chicken keep you will get used to parting with friends. But keep in mind when one goes that means you can get more. I just had to cull all but 2 of my layers. It was difficult but they all got sick and I didn't want them to spread it to my younger birds.


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

robin416, thank you very much, so true. Sometimes I think my chickens are smarter than some humans I've run into.

kiweed: I'm afraid I will not be able to replace them. My husband has a slight case of ADD or something, he wants something for a time but quickly loses interest when it creates work for him or interferes in his perfect little world somehow etc, you get the point. He has actually threatened to eat the ones we already have next spring. (they are just 6 months old now so he wants to eat them at 1 yr old!  ) I don't know that I actually have to worry about it though, he said he won't dispatch them himself and won't pay for the butcher to do it. I'm not sure how he thinks he's going to eat them, maybe they magically jump out of their feathers, their heads and feet fall off and they flop themselves into the roaster?  

I am lobbying for a couple of ducks next spring though!! Probably won't get them but a girl can hope!


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

I'd be getting rid of the husband. 

You do get used to them passing, but there are still the odd ones that get to you. 
I don't have any rooster limit and I've kept a few for no purpose other than me liking them. I try to get attached to the breeder-quality ones at least now lol.


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## kiweed (Sep 14, 2014)

Tell him that eating a bird that old would not be good. Anything over 20 weeks is too tough. We tried ducks for a period of time. They are far more dirty than chickens. I would stick with the chickens if you can. It's too bad he can't get into them. My wife suckered me into it a few years ago and I've been hooked since.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Fiere said:


> I'd be getting rid of the husband.


Leave it to you to come up with the answer.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

robin416 said:


> Leave it to you to come up with the answer.


LOL it's what I would do! Hubby knows what side his bread is buttered on here


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

Ducks are far more dirty? How do you mean? I've heard so many great things about ducks, the eggs are richer, make your cakes fluffier, they are quieter, less fussy, the poo can be used in the garden immediately rather than sitting for a year like with chickens, they aren't as mean (I heard). 

Fiere and Robin - hahahaha! My husband is under the impression he is "king of his castle, master of his domain" Someday, and that day is coming quickly, I will let him know who actually rules this roost! (the chickens! haha)


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I won't say my husband is hooked but he became much warmer to my birds when he met Prissy and Shoester, my two d'Uccles. I didn't get to witness this but if I had been outside it probably wouldn't have happened either. Bob was outside just moseying around the coop, up runs this tiny bird just talking away. He knew she wasn't supposed to be out, bent down picked her up, her still talking away while he put her in her pen. She didn't know him from Adam yet trusted him to rescue her. 

He didn't like my flock of Guineas either until he witnessed some of the hilarious hijinks the birds would get in to.


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

I don't know that my husband (Bob also! lol) necessarily doesn't like them, it's more that he sees them as food only. He is always in there checking on them but refers to them as food. The only chicken he even knows the name of is "his" PBR. Maybe he is hiding his true feelings. He did mention that he cannot dispatch them himself. Who knows


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Maybe he knows how to get your goat? I know mine would threaten my Guinea flock to get a rise out of me but I knew he had no intention of ever harming any of them. Although there was a time or two that I had the urge to drop kick one or two that just would not co-operate.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Ducks are beyond messy. They know how to make a whole coop go to hell in a hand basket real quick. It's is a ducks sworn duty to make sure they can make as much water go in as many places as possible, so (very) wet bedding and (very) muddy runs are a lifestyle. If they are free ranging, they aren't bad at all!
I have Muscovy ducks which are huge at about 15 lbs, and Call ducks which are lucky if they weight 2 lbs. They honestly make the same amount of mess.

Love my ducks though! Here's one of my Muscovy chilling in his filth. Doesn't he look pleased with himself? Piglets!


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

My husband threatens my animals all the time. He throws a conniption every time a new one shows up. But for all his goings on, he wouldn't know the first thing about dispatching a bird, I do all the butchering on the farm, and he wouldn't dream of getting rid of something on me because I'd rain fire and brimstone down from the heavens and that's just something he does not want to deal with!

Tell your husband: Happy Wife = Happy Life


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## kiweed (Sep 14, 2014)

I am the husband and my wife has said no go on ducks again.


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

Sorry Kiweed, Happy Wife, Happy Life. LOL


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

Fiere - aww beautiful duck! I see what you mean about the mud lol! I wonder if they are worse than twin 5 yrs olds on a rainy day?

Robin - Oh he definitely knows how to get my goat but in this case, I really don't think that's his goal. He was raised on a farm in an orphanage, they always ate the chickens when they started slacking off on egg production.

I do have some duck questions but maybe I should go ask them on the duck threads, don't want to start confusing people! 

thx everyone!


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## Fiere (Feb 26, 2014)

The poor run has absorbed all it can and the drainage is awful to begin with. Every time it rains it turns into absolute slop. I near lose my rubbers!


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## ladycat (Aug 6, 2012)

Cinnabar456 said:


> I really just wanted to hear from other people as to whether or not people get this attached to chickens. Thank you for reading my whiney little story.


I get very attached to some of them.



Fiere said:


> You do get used to them passing, but there are still the odd ones that get to you.


Yes.


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## Cinnabar456 (Sep 17, 2014)

Fiere said:


> The poor run has absorbed all it can and the drainage is awful to begin with. Every time it rains it turns into absolute slop. I near lose my rubbers!


haha I can believe that, we have very poor drainage in part of our yard, right by the front steps, it always turns into a pond when it rains and as it disperses, we are left with a mud hole.

Here's to keeping your rubbers! *raises glass*


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