By: Alex Mackay, Social Media Intern
The title might sound a little funny as I am calling owning chickens a mini-farm, but let me get into it. When I was younger, my family started with just 6 chickens, which I helped to raise and take care of. When we moved, we ended up getting more chickens, then more chickens as my Dad built a large barn for them to live in. At this point, we had about 20 or so chickens, hence, calling it a mini-farm of chickens.
Owning chickens isn’t easy, though, as it could be pretty time-consuming and costly, as you do need to buy food, bedding, snacks/enrichment things, nesting boxes, and make sure they have a place in and outside, as well as clean the barn, nesting boxes, and outdoor areas. My days often started with the eager clucking from the coop and crowing from the roosters, a symphony that meant it was time for feeding and giving them water. Shoveling out old, dusty bedding and replacing it with fresh straw was a regular chore, often a full-body workout, but essential for keeping their home clean and healthy. We also had to be constantly vigilant for predators. Foxes, raccoons, and weasels were a constant threat, and more than once, we had to reinforce fences or implement new strategies to keep our flock safe.
They can be quite rewarding to own chickens, though, and a lot of those things listed above don’t seem so bad in the long run. I have learned a lot from the chickens, including responsibility, as I had to do all the tasks above on a daily basis, including feeding and watering them. They also helped to provide for the family by laying eggs every day, and my family was getting over a dozen a day, which helped us become more self-sustainable. This daily routine wasn’t just another chore; it was about connecting with where our food truly came from. There’s a profound satisfaction in gathering warm, fresh eggs each morning, knowing they came from happy, healthy chickens we cared for.
Even though being a chicken owner and growing up on this small farm isn’t an easy thing, each one of the chickens that we raised was special with their personalities. With each one being so different, it made all the troubles of owning them go away, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Chickens are an amazing way to begin creating your own farm and becoming more self-sustainable. Moving away from relying on grocery stores and others for food. If possible, I encourage others to do their research and get chickens of their own to raise and learn from.
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