# Are chickens the new trend?



## BootedBantam

Drove my daughter to school today and saw two neighbors with half built coops. I guess I am not the only one with chicken fever in my neighborhood. Seriously think I have the fever!!


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## TinyHouse

BootedBantam said:


> Drove my daughter to school today and saw two neighbors with half built coops. I guess I am not the only one with chicken fever in my neighborhood. Seriously think I have the fever!!


I think there are a number of things going on.

1) Yes, it's a "trendy" thing to do now. What carries better "bragging rights" than to tell company that the eggs in whatever you served them came from your own chickens?

2) They are small enough that most people can find room for them and they grow relatively quickly.

3) While they ARE still "work", they don't require weeding. lol

4) Who doesn't love a baby chick? (Well, maybe my SIL.....)

The sad thing is, there are probably a lot of chickens who will have to find new homes when their newest owners get tired of them - as someone else here on the forums has mentioned. Just like any animal, they do take attention and work. I don't think very many new chicken owners realize how much chicken poo they can generate, that they are NOT "clean" animals (step in their own poo), they aren't always "nice" to each other (nothing much more gross than watching a flock attack and peck another to death) and that, if one or more turns out to be a rooster, they have to figure out what to do with it/them. Most people would not be able to butcher and process a live chicken if their lives depended on it. Turning them loose is as cruel as dumping a dog or cat - unless someone as kind as you finds them and adopts them. 

I grew up with chickens. However, we had only white leghorns, they never got to go outside, they were always in a big, stinky chicken house (that I had to help clean out and it was GROSS because we let it go so long between cleanings), they weren't at all considered "pets" and I thought they were some of the nastiest animals on earth. One year (as a kid) I did have a collection of "exotics" that I got from Murray McMurray Hatchery and I showed some at county fair, but I have no recollection of what happened to them after that one summer. My grandma or step mother probably butchered them even though I'm sure they weren't really "meat birds". 

I KNOW I "have the fever" - I am thoroughly in love with these little gals. When I first saw pictures of people's coops with lawn chairs sitting in them, I thought that was NUTS - why on earth would you ruin a perfectly good chair by putting it in a chicken coop and letting birds poop on it?

Now I know..... 

(note to self - try to find a plastic lawn chair at the store for inside the coop....)


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## BootedBantam

Very well put....I totally agree chickens are an everyday responsibility. I plan to clean the coop (well not me, my man) every morning. He washes off the deck from the roo and he waters the garden, so he just earned himself another daily chore. Also there is ecucation and cost. I am learning so much, had to start a chicken journal. And there are permits, city codes, and food that costs $$. People need to call their city clearks office, too. Which I did 7 months after I had roo. Opps!! No roo's allowed. ( I will go to chicken jail for this guy) He is a rescue roo, so gonna stand my ground, if I have any. Also, neighbors, need to be considered, too. Lucky for me, my neighbors don't mind him crowing at all hours of the night. I think they are getting attached, too.


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## BootedBantam

The reason why I ask this is because what happens to the chickens and roos when they are not wanted? And don't say dinner!! I would love to hear from any chicken rescue farms.


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## Energyvet

Craig's list from what I hear.


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## edoc79

I put my roo on Craigslist and a nice older guy from the mountains came and took him. He promised me my roo was going to be a boyfriend to his hens, and not his dinner!


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## cogburn

Craigslist... Buy sell trade... Just about anything imaginable.. And it's free..


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## BootedBantam

I have also learned that chickens can live a long time. So people better be prepared to have them around a long time. Sad to see people get animals without researching first. Any animal takes time, love, and money. I need more land for unwanted roos.


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## Shanebaby

I have chickens so i can have fresh healthy eggs. And a chicken dinner occasionaly


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## cogburn

Me and you both Shanebaby !!


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## cosmicsquirrel

My husband used to tell me he wanted chickens. I always told him no because since he traveled a lot I would end up being the one taking care of them all the time. All I can remember about chickens from childhood was what a pain they where and that roosters were always mean. Fast forward to about 6 years ago when my then 3 year old son and I were walking down the road past our neighbor's house. A group of free-range chickens and a rooster saw us walking by and came to the end of the driveway. My son was so thrilled we just sat right down and watched them for a while. A couple were tame enough for me to catch and let him pet them. After that we were frequent visitors. Well, guess who has chickens now? Going on 6 years. I never knew back then how much personality chickens can have. Some are just chickens. But then you have the ones that will jump up on your arm or shoulder and ride around talking to you. Or the rooster that comes when you call his name. Or the new mama that just gave us 3 of the cutest chicks you ever saw. Or the one that will sneak into the house if they see the door open. The chickens officially belong to my son. He helps take care of them and collects their eggs. We sell the eggs to friends and family and that is his money. He pays for the feed from that money and the rest is his to save and spend. You can learn a lot from chickens. That's why we have chickens.


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## Energyvet

What a lovely story. I wish I was your son. Welcome to the forum. Hope you find what you are looking for here.


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## kejmack

Finally! I did something "cool" before everyone else. I've had chickens for 32 years. LOL


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## BootedBantam

I love the idea of fresh eggs. Can't wait.


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## cindy

I'm not sure about the "new trend" thing but one thing is for sure people are beginning to see how good it feels
to be a little bit self sufficient with the sky rocketing prices of groceries these days and how hard its becoming to feed thier
families, here a dozen brown eggs are 3.99 a dozen so that little bit I save at the store and the eggs I sell makes up for
the price of feed and then some. I also garden and can fruits and vegi's all summer long so my cellar pantry is full all winter, the ladies eat
very well in the summer with all the gardening I do plus every year I get really cheap sweet corn from local farmers and fill the chest
freezer full so the ladies can enjoy corn all season, I trade eggs for corn as well. I think the bottom line is we as chicken keepers are getting
back to basics and enjoy the value of doing things for ourselves rather then being completely dependant. there's nothing like making a good breakfast
with your own eggs, toast I make with my own bread fried yellow gold potatoes from the garden and homemade pork sausage yum now I'm hungry!
the bennefits far out weight the effort in my oppinion and I hope more people see how rewarding it is....


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## Energyvet

Yes, I think that is at the bottom of all this. The message is clear that we have to remember who we are and where we came from. There seems to be very little trust in the good chain anymore. We love our kids too much and we are a little tired of being lied to. 

Or am I just nuts?!?


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## cindy

Energyvet said:


> Yes, I think that is at the bottom of all this. The message is clear that we have to remember who we are and where we came from. There seems to be very little trust in the good chain anymore. We love our kids too much and we are a little tired of being lied to.
> 
> Or am I just nuts?!?


you are in no way nuts youre smart and you are seeing where things are headed all you need to do is look around. I think some people are walking around with blinders on and dont have a clue. then there's people like us that prepare for the worst and hope for the best but either way we got it covered there's nothing nuts about that! plus look at all the things we learn
its priceless!!!


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## BootedBantam

That is awesome!! I am finally at a place in my life where I feel the need to be more self-sufficient. I grew my own garden and trying to build my food storage. I am learning everyday. I love my homesteading groups on facebooks. I dream of a bigger garden and opening my own restaurant, funny, never saw chickens in my dream. But here I am with chickens. So, now I am thinking fresh eggs in restaurant and in home. After I learn what the heck I am doing and feel comfortable with the chicken experience, I will look into getting good egg layers. I do see the prices of food going up and up. Very glad in my decision to get more chickens. 

I chose the word trend, because I see so much chicken advertising and hear people saying oh I want chickens. And after my roo experience, I see that chickens get abandoned just like other house pets.


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## Energyvet

Yeah, I get that with the blinders. They're zombies. They're out there without a clue spinning their wheels going nowhere. Hehe AND look who's talking. The kicker is I would be so much more this way, but my husband refused to eat anything I would cook do after a while I just gave up cooking. It's nice to be back doing the things I love, even after so much lost time.


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## kejmack

cindy said:


> I'm not sure about the "new trend" thing but one thing is for sure people are beginning to see how good it feels
> to be a little bit self sufficient with the sky rocketing prices of groceries these days and how hard its becoming to feed thier
> families, here a dozen brown eggs are 3.99 a dozen so that little bit I save at the store and the eggs I sell makes up for
> the price of feed and then some. I also garden and can fruits and vegi's all summer long so my cellar pantry is full all winter, the ladies eat
> very well in the summer with all the gardening I do plus every year I get really cheap sweet corn from local farmers and fill the chest
> freezer full so the ladies can enjoy corn all season, I trade eggs for corn as well. I think the bottom line is we as chicken keepers are getting
> back to basics and enjoy the value of doing things for ourselves rather then being completely dependant. there's nothing like making a good breakfast
> with your own eggs, toast I make with my own bread fried yellow gold potatoes from the garden and homemade pork sausage yum now I'm hungry!
> the bennefits far out weight the effort in my oppinion and I hope more people see how rewarding it is....


My thoughts exactly! I think that keeping chickens sparks a little independence in people and benefits us all. Making people less dependent is a great thing! LOL


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## Energyvet

Letting people see the benefits of their own hard work is amazing inspiration! I just listened to a TED talk last night and she was saying how people okay games and spend time in a virtual reality because the real world is so disappointing and discouraging. I think that's very true. And I think chickens (animals in general - and plants too) give back to you. You are encouraged, rewarded and immediately gratified with eggs every morning. Just like virtual reality. And canning, cooking gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment. It's the Epic Win!


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## TinyHouse

I agree that people need to and should know where their food comes from and what it takes to get it on our tables. I was shocked when I saw a comment someone made about "not caring about farmers. I'll just go to the grocery store to get my food" !!!! 

My 13-yr-old granddaughter is totally grossed out whenever I say something about "butchering" chickens or pigs.  Both my daughter (her step-mom) and I ask her where does she think her food comes from?? 

Not everyone can have animals, I know, but they at least need to get beyond the carton, the plastic wrap and the boxes and realize where real FOOD starts.


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## Riverdale

Not a trend, a fad. Sorry to be a 'downer', but there are people who try to follow trends. And get bored. I will prolly triple my laying flock, and have 40-50 roos by the first of November, for close to free. As long as I am the first to call.

I always get free rabbits about a month or so after Easter.


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## Roslyn

TinyHouse said:


> I agree that people need to and should know where their food comes from and what it takes to get it on our tables. I was shocked when I saw a comment someone made about "not caring about farmers. I'll just go to the grocery store to get my food" !!!!
> 
> My 13-yr-old granddaughter is totally grossed out whenever I say something about "butchering" chickens or pigs.  Both my daughter (her step-mom) and I ask her where does she think her food comes from??
> 
> Not everyone can have animals, I know, but they at least need to get beyond the carton, the plastic wrap and the boxes and realize where real FOOD starts.


My Mother refuses to eat meat that "comes from an animal". Yup. She will go to the store and has no problem eating ground beef (from where? who knows) or a pork roast or pre made sausage. However, when her husband brings home delicious handmade sausage from his cousin's farm, ground venison from the hunt, or steaks from the same cousin she *refuses to eat it*. She can't think that it came from a real animal, because the meat in the store isn't a real animal??

I think there are a LOT of people who think this way. Children don't know that a carrot grows in the ground, they don't know that a french fry is made from a potato. It's fine to not want to slaughter animals, it isn't easy, but if you want to eat, you have to do the deed so to speak.

The further we get away from our hands involved in the production of our food, the closer we get to soylent green.


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## TinyHouse

Roslyn said:


> The further we get away from our hands involved in the production of our food, the closer we get to soylent green.


Amen!

And that is truly sad about your mom - and really naive.


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## BootedBantam

I love real food!! Love me some eggs and love me some chicken. It is scary to think America has the worst eating habits and so much unneccesary ingredients just to make a buck. My youngest daughter eats brocolli and sweet peppers right from the garden. She loves going out to the garden and picking the salad for dinner. I am looking forward to fresh eggs and sharing this chicken experience with my children. I think I am lucky that Idaho has a wide range of local fruits and veggies available. Growing your own food is rewarding.


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## Energyvet

I just went out this morning to pick a green pepper for my scrambled eggs. Was chuckling to myself about the freshness of the ingredients and superior nutrient value.


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## kiwicsi

LOL, when you guys were talking about roos, I first thought you had a kangaroo in your backyard!!! Then I realised you meant a rooster. I've never heard the expression "roo" refer to a boy chook before. )


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## BootedBantam

It is a rooster to me. People on the forum use roo for short. Plus men in America make fun of women who raise roosters. I guess I prefer the term. I couldn't imagine a kangaroo running around wild, must be beautiful where you live. I am pretty new and I am learning all the terms they use here in America, Cock, Cocherin, Cockerel, and now, chook. Am I missing any other terms a rooster can be called?


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## kiwicsi

We don't have kangaroos in the wild here, just in zoos. Zoo roos. ) If you go to Aussie, though, you will see plenty. We foreigners love them cos they're so cute. But the locals hate them cos they can do a lot of damage to your car if you hit one on the road.


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## freddao

I would like to think that more people are raising chickens to become more self-sufficient, more humane, and healtheir in general. That is what my family is doing. My dad has raised chickens for years. I have always gone to his house each week with my empty egg trays and traded them for full ones. My kids loved playing with his chickens and my husband and I would go and have a butchering day every so often. We would typically go and butcher many roosters and older laying hens, pack them up and put them in the freezer. It just seemed natural that since I have space for a few chickens, that I get them. We are enjoying them and my kids also know that each and every chicken will evetually end up on our table. They are only 6 and 12. They help on our butchering days too. However I hear from my co-workers and others that they 'just couldn't do it", they'd rather "just not know/think about it". Essentially, they prefer to remain ignorant. We, as a society have so many health problems from all of the crap we eat. You are what you eat, and I refuse to follow the crowd or let my children do the same.


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## rena88651

Our family has chosen to keep chickens as a way to be self sufficient. We're newbies to the chicken scene and we love it! The girls are so great and we love watching them scratch around and peck at things.


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