Official BYC Poll: How Long Have You Been Raising Chickens?

[CarpCharacin]

I voted 4 years a while back, but I think my oldest birds are right around 5 years old now.

 

[CHlCKEN]

I've got two that haven't paid rent in 5 months. Chicken soup sounds great.

I actually like retirees. I get too many eggs but I don’t have enough chicken

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

I actually like retirees. I get too many eggs but I don’t have enough chicken

There are breeds that just lay less in general too. I've thought about getting some so I can lower my egg numbers while still having more chickens. Plus, they're less likely to have reproductive issues!

 

[-Flash-]

I've had chooks for about 13 years right now. Nearly fourteen. Never EVER not had chickens!!

 

[joydix]

I voted 4 years a while back, but I think my oldest birds are right around 5 years old now.

I think right now my oldest 6? I lost most of my oldest girls last year. My oldest was almost 9. I had 6 hens when my kids were little. Whole different game…NO internet! I had no way to Google anything in early 80’s!! Some were 10 when they were soup…I would NEVER do that now! Never!! And just fyi it wasn’t MY soup…I sure do love these girls! And glad I can look stuff up now!

 

[The chicken nurd]

I voted 10-20 years I’ve been keeping chickens probably close to 11-12 years
What got you interested in raising chickens?
My parents gave me a couple chicks when I was little I’ve had chickens ever since

Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
Sort of I got 7 chickens originally and then didn’t add to that flock for almost 10 years so while I still had hens I only had 2 left by the time I added more

What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?
Idk if I have any pictures but I stared out with a buff Brahma, BLR Wyandotte, bantam black australorp and a white Silkie bantam
I also got 3 more hens about a year later that I consider part of my original flock an Easter egger, Delaware and a buff Orpington
(Below is a picture of my EE she’s turning 10 his spring)

 

[EEforMe]

I voted 10-20 years I’ve been keeping chickens probably close to 11-12 years
What got you interested in raising chickens?
My parents gave me a couple chicks when I was little I’ve had chickens ever since

Did you ever "take a break" and not have chickens?
Sort of I got 7 chickens originally and then didn’t add to that flock for almost 10 years so while I still had hens I only had 2 left by the time I added more

What breeds did you start with, how many, and do you have any pictures to share?
Idk if I have any pictures but I stared out with a buff Brahma, BLR Wyandotte, bantam black australorp and a white Silkie bantam
I also got 3 more hens about a year later that I consider part of my original flock an Easter egger, Delaware and a buff Orpington
(Below is a picture of my EE she’s turning 10 his spring)

Same here (ish) my parents got me chicks when I was little and I fell in love with them!!! My first “batch” was 2 barred rocks and one RIR. The barred rocks were named Red and Rosy and the RIR was named Chick-Chick. Yeah, I know the names weren’t my strong-suit but I was little welp now I have 15 cuties of all different breeds and sizes, all of which are hens (because we got a cute, fluffy, soft, little, adorable, tiny, silkie roo WITH THE DEVIL IN HIM and my parents never wanted another rooster again)
I’ve never taken a break from keeping chickens and probably never will besides college. Everyone I know thinks I’m crazy because I love chickens so much (I’m literally filed as “the chicken whisperer” in my dentist’s database). Sorry but I guess I’ll always be crazy then!

 

[The chicken nurd]

Same here (ish) my parents got me chicks when I was little and I fell in love with them!!! My first “batch” was 2 barred rocks and one RIR. The barred rocks were named Red and Rosy and the RIR was named Chick-Chick. Yeah, I know the names weren’t my strong-suit but I was little welp now I have 15 cuties of all different breeds and sizes, all of which are hens (because we got a cute, fluffy, soft, little, adorable, tiny, silkie roo WITH THE DEVIL IN HIM and my parents never wanted another rooster again)
I’ve never taken a break from keeping chickens and probably never will besides college. Everyone I know thinks I’m crazy because I love chickens so much (I’m literally filed as “the chicken whisperer” in my dentist’s database). Sorry but I guess I’ll always be crazy then!

I get it my friends sometimes just refer to me as the bird whisperer or chicken whisperer
And my first 7 birds all had kinda bad names yours have better names than mine did

 

[EEforMe]

I get it my friends sometimes just refer to me as the bird whisperer or chicken whisperer
And my first 7 birds all had kinda bad names yours have better names than mine did

I mean the fact that I named BRs Red and Rosy when I had a RIR is just hilarious.

 

[HipMystic]

14 years! My parents brought our first chicks home sometime around 2007. There were RIRs Maude, Mabel, Matilda (Mom’s hens) and CutiePie, Barred Rock Blackie (creative, I know) and White Leghorn Josephine. Blackie lived to be around 9, and Maude actually lived to be 11 if I remember correctly.
They started out as a family venture but now it’s mostly just me
My current flock includes 14 chickens, 1 turkey, 3 ducks, and about 2 dozen quail.