So, I spent the last year raising my four lovely hens. We started out with three and added the fourth later.
The girls when they were three weeks old.
Batman begins building the coop and run.
The chicks move into their new home.
A small foreshadowing of what was to come (in terms of yard desolation)
Sure! They do eat bugs. AND EVERYTHING ELSE!
Cute little chicken-themed items and some thoughts on keeping chickens in the house.
The second snow and this time the amount was more than a couple inches.
Now that it has been basically a full year, I have decided I’ve had enough of the joy that comes with having chickens in a small yard. I love my chickies. I really do. I love the eggs. But then there’s the list of what I don’t love; chicken droppings in multiple piles all over my back deck and even on the chairs and tables *shiver*, utter desolation where once there grew green lush plants like hosta, bleeding heart, hydrangea and *sobbing* peony (these silly birds even ate the roots of my peonies!). They’ve even decimated the lawn. I’ve had enough.
We are giving the girls to a friend who has a yard about four times the size of mine. I think they’ll be quite happy there and they’re just a few blocks away and I will have visitation privileges. ha
So, the adventure of having chickens has been fun but I’m really ready to have flowers and a pretty yard again.
Bring on spring!!
I feel your pain! Still have bad memories of cleaning the chicken coop. It was the dreaded job! Hoping to move onto a small homestead soon and will start our own chicken adventure. The good thing now is that I’ve got kids to do that dreaded job of cleaning out the chicken coop. Waaa ha haa (evil mom laugh).
I was astonished (and impressed) knowing how much damage chickens can do that you had ‘em in your yard. Glad you’re not going for the fried option and will get visitation rights
I have no idea why your comment went into the spam folder. I just found it! Sorry!
You are a fine Little Red Hen bearing the fruit (eggs) of your labor and wise enough to know when to call “coup de gras” and end the eggcellent endeavor. Lessons learned. Wisdom gained. Free to say, “Fun, but done!” As always, so glad to be living vicariously through you and your chickens
Not Susan… I ment Pamela… duhhhh!!!
It was a blast and you did have fun and I have to agree with Susan, that they were going to be in the freezer, and I really could not fathom that step.
Enjoy having a beautiful garden and yard again this summer. Spring is here!!!
Love you bunches and the girls too…. Take pictures when you make your first visit so we can see they are happy in their new home.
Hugs,
Mama
Im typingon my nook…so it could ge twierd.
Im glad we did thid little experimtnt. Iam alzo lookinb forward to having flowers again.
Ah. No spring chickens for you.
When I read the title of your blog post, I feared your friends were on the dinner menu. Glad to read they will have a new home!
I think it was well worth doing. You had a ball. You learned a ton.
And I think I felt worse about the decimation of your yard than you ever did. And I don’t even live there.
But I know how much your flowers mean to you.
Here’s to good friends with big yards!
You and Mike have done most of the hard work of getting the project set up for them, so they should really enjoy the low-hanging egg fruit that is coming their way.
I can still see that vacant look in the eye of the chicken that I met the other day. Soulless, really. It helps me feel better about eating their babies.