I spent 25 years on the farm, running my nursery and raising any number of animals and garden plants for our table. At one time or other we milked cows, fed pigs, raised beef, geese, ducks, passles of cats, pairs of dogs, and way too many chickens.
Now here’s the thing. Chickens are just birds. Nothing special (unless of course, they’re freshly slaughtered and in the oven) just a big bird. They’re not overly smart although I did teach a few of them to read one year.
As an experiment, I painted the word “food” on the side of a bucket. And then filled that bucket with chicken food to carry into the pen in order to fill up the feeders. Within a remarkably short time, the chickens learned to read the word “food” and come running whenever I entered the pen.
Another year we kept a rooster over the winter in the somewhat mistaken notion that it would be “romantic” to have a rooster around. When it became sexually active, the stupid bird decided it was going to run the roost. This meant attacking my 5 year old daughter who’s job it was to collect the eggs. A scratched cheek from it’s spurs brought her crying to the house and daddy was dispatched to handle the bird. Said daughter and I went into the coop, whereupon said daughter said, “Mr Rooster, we’re gonna eat you.” And we did.
Let me be clear. Turkeys were stupid, capable of hanging themselves in their own pens, starving to death with food surrounding them and discovering all manner of interesting ways of doing injury to themselves within the confines of a well lit, heavily bedded and safety inspected pen. Chickens on the other hand were equally stupid but had a remarkable sense of self-preservation. Turkeys would just sit on the perch waiting to be picked up and stuffed in the sack to go to the slaughter house. Chickens would tear all over the pen in a futile attempt to avoid the same fate. A grand event was watching daddy catch the chickens – the first ones were easy as they’d all pile into the same corner and all I’d have to do was pick up the upper layers. It was when we got down to the last two or three that it became downright funny – I was smarter but they were faster. I always won in the end but there were a few birds that must have learned their ring smarts from Mohammed Ali.
Chickens stink. The high nitrogen of their feces is downright miserable to clean out of a pen. It was only when we switched to using peat moss as a bedding that it became tolerable. Great garden food but not much fun getting it into the manure spreader through the windows. You really wanted to make sure there wasn’t a full west-wind before you started that job or you’d wind up with a face-full. But chickens stink – no two ways about it.
This is all by way of saying I really don’t “get” the fascination I see in the garden media with these birds. And the movement to make them legal in cities equally escapes me. People this is a stupid, stinking bird and cocks really do crow and make a lot of noise at all times of the day. Yes, it’s kind of interesting to get eggs (you can buy them cheaper than you can raise your own) and have a monsterly-fat 10 pound chicken for Sunday dinner (again, not economical if you have to buy all the feed) but it doesn’t make economic sense in any accounting method I know.
But I don’t understand the fascination with keeping a stupid, messy, smelly bird around that’s going to cost you more money than it’s worth.
But I’m sure somebody is going to tell this old farmboy exactly what the attraction is.
I know what you mean. We were living in a rural part of Oregon and the local farm store (curse them) had a deal that gave five chicks away free if you bought all the equipment. Our neighbor’s feral cat colony took care of three of them, and wouldn’t you know, the two remaining ones were roosters. We briefly considered calling them Holmes and Watson, but that soon changed to Devil and Unclean Spirit. I’m not sure how dumb those two were, though; when they were full grown, do you know what their favorite sport was? Chasing the entire cat colony out of the shed/barn they all lived in!
Chelseas last blog post..Grass, feathers, clay, paper, rocks and lots of glue
Okay, look, your post was funny but I see how you’ve been missing the charm of chickens. It’s true they don’t smell nice, in large groups, but remember the boutique chicken operation has 4-6 birds so it’s not a big deal. They come in many beautiful feather variations which makes them “collectible.” And unlike any other pet you can name, they produce something — eggs — which you can use. This is a big thrill.
So yes, cleaning up after them — bad. But dogs aren’t that great in that area either, and people love dogs.
And honestly, I don’t think they’re as stupid as you say. My chickens have shown what I’d call “personality variations” where behavior was different bird to bird. Nevertheless that we maybe disagree a bit, good post.
Sonja Cassellas last blog post..Fort Worth Mom Blog: Deciding to Apply for a Teaching Credential
@Sonja Cassella -
Well, fresh eggs are great, feathers attractive – Agreed!. But “pet” ? I think our paths diverged at that point. I can see “chickens as hobby” but as a “pet”?? Play fetch with it (dogs bring stick back, chickens run away from stick). Cuddle with it (dogs cuddle back, chickens kinda freeze and the concept of cuddling-chicken is foreign to me). As for cleaning up – dogs are house-broken (or should be) and chickens are not (and never will be). So, I’ll give you a “hobby”, fresh-eggs, fun to watch for a small length of time, fancy feathers but I suspect that neither of us will change our basic opinion.
Doug, I do enjoy you, but I think you’re feeling grumpy today.
I am among those who promote and love chickens. And am also among those who write about the benefits of backyard chickens: http://www.examiner.com/x-346-Gardening-Examiner~y2009m1d18-Ten-benefits-of-raising-backyard-chickens
I am sure that large numbers of chickens can be smelly and difficult to manage. I personally wouldn’t keep an aggressive chicken. Fortunately, they are the exception rather than the rule.
I suggest that you read up on how those eggs get to your local grocery store, the inhumane conditions in which the birds are kept and the resulting compromise in nutrition. The bit of work that my four chickens require is just fine for me for all the eggs and entertainment that I receive in return–not to mention just a little bit clearer conscience about where that food is coming from.
Robin Wedewer
Robin Wedewers last blog post..Invasipedia wiki launched to catalog invasive plant species
@Robin Wedewer -
Robin – thanks for the kind words and yes, I do recall that you’re a big fan of chickens. If you want to keep chickens and it’s not running a-fowl of the local bylaws, then I say it’s your call.
As for reading up on egg-production – take it one step further and read up on beef, pork, and even vegetable production. If you’re arguing for self-sufficiency for all of us, then been-there, done-that. We used to smile when we realized that everything except the salt-pepper on the table had been grown and procesed on our farm. But it comes at a price. It’s a ton of work.
If you’re arguing that it’s kinda fun to have a small flock of birds in the backyard as a hobby – and the side-benefit are a few eggs – then no-harm no problem. We used to keep a dozen laying hens (there were 6 of us – and we got too many eggs in prime time and not enough in freezing time) and raised 50 birds for the freezer. Not a large flock by any means and in a rather large barn where they had adequate room in each pen. They weren’t let outside because of the predators surrounding the property – from owls and hawks to raccoons. And cleaning up the pens was the single job that nobody on the farm wanted to do… ever.
But to me, they’re a working bird (betraying my country lifestyle) and not of the hobby or pet-persuasion. And belong in the country along with the rest of the working animals. Sorry, but I just don’t get it.
Sir Doug,
I too have been wondering about this. I’m almost inclined to believe that some think it’s chic, or ultra hip, or maybe even jumping on the sustainable/greening of America/grow your own/locavore bandwagon. ^ Might feral chickens become a problem too? ^
TCs last blog post..Winter Blahs
@TC -
In some parts of the Keys, they have indeed been a problem. Don’t park under some trees.
Chickens that can read! Hmm.
ANyway, for me there is no fascination, just great eggs.I like to know what the chickens eat and where my eggs came from.
Also incredibly cost effective. The price of free range eggs is so high. A few euros for a chicken and even with the price of feed they pay for themselves in a very short space of time indeed.
You won’t catch me with a cockerel though. I wants me sleep don’t you know!
@Mr.Dirty Boots -
Wow – the economics must have changed dramatically from the time we used to have birds…
Thank you for reminding me why I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars to purchase a garden shed to convert into a hen house.
LOL! As a fellow “farm boy,” everything you say rings true here! I can see the appeal of a pretty bird running around the garden, but more often than not, any time one of our barn chickens wandered into the garden it would scratch and dig and destroy some poor little plant! The novelty of a crowing rooster soon wears off…for me, anyway. No chickens allowed in my garden!
@Josh -
I think you have to have lived it to get it….
‘Cause none of those people of ever had to take care of any livestock! Don’t even get me started on billy-goats…
@Katharine -
You noticed that goats were not on my list of animals although the females were cute at the neighbours place (not mine!)
Isn’t it great that we can express our opinions and there are no Chicken police?
I’ve bred dogs, rabbits, sheep, now have horses & chickens.
I certainly hope that those of you who don’t like chickens, never have them. I would hate to see them or any animal you dislike in your care.
Leave their care and propagation to those of us who are happy to do it.
And thank those chicken farms for your meat and eggs! By the way, your cakes & cookies wouldn’t be so great with out those eggs in the recipe either!
Properly cared for chickens have no odor.
Whenever I run across someone who was reared or did some rearing on a chicken farm (and there are a surprising number of such folks), their assessment of the birds inevitably runs to the negative. They declare the birds stupid, mean, dirty, and stinky. I’m sure they are speaking partly from resentment of the chores they were required to do, but they are also speaking from fact.
Fact: Take any animal (including humans) and house it in cramped quarters, keep it bored, and treat it like crap, and yes, you will end up with a stupid, mean, dirty, stinky creature. Like, duh.
Let’s start with poop. People poop doesn’t smell so great. In fact, some of it is downright puke-inducing. Light a match, turn on the fan, it still stinks to high heaven. Ditto for dog poo. And who in their right mind would take a bunch of dogs, throw ‘em in a big cage with shavings on the floor, leave ‘em there, and not expect to faint at the result?
Don’t even get me started with cats. I’ve been working with cats my whole life, love them dearly, but not only is their poo foul in the extreme, their pee is The Smell That Will Not Die. Ever.
Now, let’s address danger, shall we? No doubt, any chicken, let alone a spurred rooster, can inflict some damage. This is serious, and a responsible chicken owner will take precautions. A pet hamster can also inflict damage, so a responsible hamster owner wouldn’t stuff it in the face of a two-year-old. You don’t have to win a Nobel Prize to figure these things out. And if you’re going to own an animal, you oughta know what makes it tick. Otherwise, you have no grounds to be upset when it doesn’t behave like a cartoon.
Meanwhile, the stats on dog bites and fatalities go up and up every year. Still, there’s all that “man’s best friend” stuff. Not that I have anything against dogs (well, nothing more than their smell, their destructive tendencies, and of course, their poop). But give me a break. This is an animal that kills more than a couple people a month in the U.S. alone. When was the last time you read about someone being mauled to death by a chicken? (Okay, I admit, it would be embarrassing, and the family would probably cover it up. But still!)
Intelligence: Doug’s reference to “just birds,” demonstrates an all too common lack of familiarity with birds. I spend a lot of time with a lot of different animals and respect them all, but hands down, birds are the most interesting. They have an intelligence that transcends anything we normally expect from “pets” (and that probably extends to reptiles as well, though my experience there is limited to a few lizards and a box turtle—who has more soul in her eyes than most of the educational administrators I encounter).
Oh, I forgot to mention barking/crowing. So roosters are loud? Try a dog that doesn’t stop the entire time its owner is at work or out on a date. At least a rooster has hours. And if you keep them inside at night, it’s no biggie.
The problem, I think, arises when we expect our animal friends to conform to the cardboard picture book we grew up with. Fluffy the Kitten will hiss and pee on things from time to time; Sammy the Dog will eat your favorite shoes . . . and the bread cooling on the counter . . . and the expensive chocolate truffles your significant other got you for your birthday; Chicken Little—or any bird—will disappoint you on occasion. Not because she’s stupid or mean or demonically possessed, but because she’s fallible. As are we all. And thank goodness for it.
Leslie K Yoders last blog post..In response
@Leslie K Yoder -
I understand you’re a bird-fancier, a fan of rearing chickens as a hobby. While my dozen hens would hardly qualify as a “chicken farm”, I think we approach the subject from entirely different points of view. In simplistic terms, to me chickens are a utilitarian bird, to you they’re a hobby. We both want to keep them healthy and happy (small farmers understand that if any animal isn’t happy, it doesn’t produce well) but for entirely different reasons. I’m delighted you have a great time with your birds – and your hobby.
Ah, but if you spend enough time with them, they do fetch and cuddle. My rooster Esme loves to play fetch, and like a labrador retriever will keep at it long after I’ve lost interest. (The other roos will also play, but Es is my first, so he gets a little more attention.) And all my chickens insist on cuddling. They even get jealous of each other. Really, for me, this is probably the most challenging part of keeping chickens as pets–maintaining them at that level is a big time commitment. But they are so much fun, each one an individual.
I undoubtedly sound like a crazy chicken lady–and perhaps am. Hahahahahahahaha. And I apologize for the harshness of my post. That wasn’t really directed to you, Doug, more towards chicken stereotypes (chickenism?) in general. Obviously, I’d been saving some stuff up for a while!
By the way, I do have a ton of respect for folks who raise their own birds for food. (So much fairer and more courageous than trotting off to the market for barely recognizable plastic-wrapped factory farm product!) I think I’m too much of a pansy to ever be one of ‘em though. *sigh*
Apologies again for the nasty tone, and thank you for your gentle response.
Leslie
Leslie K Yoders last blog post..In response
Chickens are cute.
I don’t think I would try to train them… but then I feel exactly that way about cats,too.
Ilonas last blog post..Garden Blog Great Idea
I don’t think I could ever own a chicken, even though I don’t have enough space for one now. I would just prefer to buy my eggs and chickens from a local farmer who knows how to best raise them and take care of them.
pays to live greens last blog post..Fishery Council Approves Aquaculture in Federal Waters
Doug: Guess there are a lot of chicken lovers out there.
Not my favorite bird. I love to eat eggs cooked the way I like them as long as some one else raised the chicken.
John
John at JWLWs last blog post..It’s Cold Here
Doug,
I love chickens and raise them. We have had a variety of farm animals here – chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas, peacocks, sheep, goats – both dairy and fiber, rabbits and a horse. Yes, the chickens will destroy the flowers or vegetables if they get out and find areas they can dig in. Yes, they can stink if the coop is not cleaned – but so can all the animals.
I choose to raise my own in part for bug control – they are wonderful at that. Grubs are a favorite. I also use the manure in my compost pile. That alone saves a ton of money not to mention the meat and eggs. I feed them certified organic feed. I like knowing how my animals were raised and what they are fed.
This spring we will be adding a pig to our farm. One lone pig does not stink the same way a few chickens do not stink. Free range animals are the way to go. It saves hours of clean up and the animals are healthier for it.
We put everyone up at night, and turn them out in the day. Oh and did I mention they are great lawn mowers? I let them maintain my bird garden which has quite a few established plants in it. The trick to keeping the plants alive is to grow them in grass something most people would not do. I do this because this is a wild habitat area of my yard.
My neighbors whine frequently about my roosters, but they are locked up until at least 8am every morning and quite frankly I don’t care for their loud parties, loud vehicles and the ATV that runs around the neighborhood which might I add goes on until midnight or so every weekend. My roosters are in by 9pm.
I have almost no Japanese Beetles here now. I attribute that in part to my chickens. Mosquitos are a thing of the past too and I have numerous small ponds on the property without fish.
So you see, loving or hating chickens really has to do with what you have experienced and how you perceive things.
As for agressive roosters, well, they go into the oven.
Sheri
@Sheri Ann Richerson -
I enjoyed our time with the animals but can’t justify them economically – and I’m just no longer interested. Chickens as pets? Farm animals as pets? OK – do the pet “thing” And if it works for you, great. But I have a different view of farm animals from some of the posters. What’s interesting is the offline notes I’m getting from those raised or living on small farms – we simply look at animals in a different way. Not a mistreatment or abuse kind of thing but certainly not at the hobby-fun level either. Your system of “bird garden” sounds interesting – let ‘er rip kind of garden. In my world, you’ve created an entertaining bird run – not a garden but that’s the difference in world-view talking.
As I’ve said before – been there ….. We had all the livestock on our farm as we experimented with farm production and ran economic analysis – even milked cows for cream. So have a ton of real-life small farm experience with darn near any farm animal you want to mention (except goats and here come the goat lovers defense-team)
BTW – pigs were my favourite animals on the farm. I still have a picture of Maude – my first sow – on my office picture wall. And Miss Piggy! I swoon when I see her autographed pic next to Maude.
So . . . how different is the experience between raising penned chickens and free-range chickens?
@Carolyn -
Free range chickens get killed by predators – from skunks to coons to hawks and owls. Day or night where we lived. So they stayed inside – got fed greens, grains and kitchen scraps.
@Doug – A few years ago, I stopped at a local garden center and saw, on their periphery, a great chicken setup. It was a large vegetable garden fenced on all four sides plus across the top with chicken wire, supported by stout poles about 8 feet high. A wide dirt/gravel walkway went all the way around the garden, inside the fence. A man-door opened through it. At one end stood a small shed that was chicken coop on one side, tool storage on the other. 8-10 chickens had free range inside, safe from predators in all directions. I believe there was even running water.
I’ve never raised livestock, but this looked a terrific way to go about chickens! I did not speak with anyone at the center so don’t know how they manage winter, or what kinds of problems they might have. But if I ever have the wherewithal to build something similar, I will.
@Carolyn -
Well, to each their own I guess. Had chickens – clucked that.
@Doug – As a townie girl who moved to the country in late adulthood, I’ve come to realize that farming (and most other aspects of rural life) loses a lot of its romance once you start to understand the nitty-gritty! Verrrrrrry different from the pushbutton convenience of much urban/suburban life.
@Doug –
Ay, even the penned birds get taken out by predators. Raccoons, in particular, are quite wily and can open cages. Personally, I wouldn’t trust any set-up that depended on chicken wire–it can keep chickens in but not the bad guys out.
Leslie K Yoders last blog post..more in response
@Leslie K Yoder – Good point!
(I would like to clarify that the pen setup I described earlier may not have been chicken wire — the memory is at least 5 years old, and I don’t know the names of any other kind of wire so grabbed the one that I know. The “cage” looked pretty sturdy, but who knows, it may not be varmint-proof. : )
Gee, I missed out on all these lovely comments. I have enjoyed reading them. It brings back memories of growing up on the farm. The old hen that always pecked my hand when I reached under her to get the eggs. Of course, that dumb old hen never laid a beak on Mom. ? The large old Hereford bull that thought he was a cute little pet, loved to have his ears rubbed and was inclined to nudge you if you stopped rubbing him. Ever been nudged by a bull whose back was as wide as a twin bed? The little Banta hen that chased off a big cow that showed an interest in those tiny little chicks running around. That early spring morning when Dad rolled me out of bed to get “those darned horses.” The evening before he had let them out to pasture after a hard days work. They didn’t come when he whistled. That night they spent in the stall. He never had a problem after that.
I envy some friends of mine for they have the space (and fence) to keep some pets: a donkey, 2 horses, 3 or 4 chickens and numerous barn cats. The goat caused too much headache. Although the donkey did kick in the side of the truck when he accidently got closed in the garage.
Yes Doug, I would probably have had a few chickens at the old place, but we had no fencing, and I would have wanted them to have plenty of room. Our old dog (18 years) had led a dog’s life. He never knew a collar, nor ever had a bath except for when he played in the creek. With a bit of effort, I can remember all the work and toil that went into living on a farm, but I choose not to.
I’ve been wondering, would a couple geese survive in the Park … ?
Sorry, Doug, just had to send you this
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/print/0,,20235479,00.html
@Lorra -
Lorra – there are “gardens” and then there are “statement-gardens”. You get to pick.
@Lorra – Wow, what a beautiful garden!! Just checked out that link, and I think that lady must have combined just about every possible “green” feature in her garden!:o Wouldn’t we all love to do that, if we had the space, the know-how, and of course the money!!:-D
ooh, A bit testy, aren’t we … ?
Last Words
If you have only two pennies left in the world, with the first penny, you should buy rice to feed your family. With the second penny, you should buy a lily. —Anonymous
I think my adventure in flower gardening began when I found a version of your quote in yesterday’s newsletter:
If thou should find thyself bereft
And thou should have but two loaves left
Sell one and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
–Unknown
@Lorra -
Jest a wee bit but not really – my sense of a garden is a lovely vista of plants. Not one filled with “energy saving” or “green” stuff. I’m sure it came across in a grumpier tone of voice than I meant.
An idea for an article:
“What is your idea of a garden?” (10 words or less)
Sure gives me something to think about.
PS If you want to tick me off, just start to tell me that Moles are a part of the balance of nature!
@Lorra -
It’s a great idea – I do think it’s been done on twitter though
My husband and I recently moved from the city to the country (27 acres). As I’ve mentioned in other posts, I’m not a big fan of the gardening process. Neither, I’m afraid, of the animal husbandry side of country living. I thoroughly enjoy fresh produce and unadulterated meat and eggs, but not the process of personally corralling, housing, cleaning, feeding, birthing, protecting or killing the animals themselves. This probably seems like a huge waste to some of you here, that I have all these acres and some of you are stuck in cities, wishing you had more room to garden. But our desire was for privacy, for peace and quiet, not to become part of the back-to-the-earth crowd. Nevertheless, having said that, my husband is inexplicably considering adding bees, a greenhouse, and animals! (I’m waiting to read here about the pros and cons of goats, for example.) And I’ve purchased my first rain barrel. Who knows what will happen next…
Doug, your post clearly expresses my view of raising animals. The idea sounds good at the beginning, but it doesn’t take too long for the thrill to wear off.
And for all the animals lovers out there who enjoy the process, keep up the good work. I’m an enthusiastic supporter of our local Farmer’s Market! Better them than me!
Chris
@Chris -
We have 8 acres – easily enough for a small homestead – but it will be a very hard economy before I’ll be putting animals onto this property – been there, grew that. It’s a great notion and a great bunch of fun (although it’s hard to take extended holidays when you have animals to care for) on the small scale. But don’t think for one minute because you live in the country you have to grow all your own food – farmers don’t. Why should you other than some vague notion that you “should”? (“shoulds” are often other peoples values I find)