Everyone in homestead circles says that chickens are the gateway animal.
I can't say that they're wrong. They did something to my heart that I'm pretty sure can't change back.
When we still lived in the city, owning chickens was technically illegal. We were only allowed to keep them if their housing was 50 away from any other living structure, and our yard was so small that it was impossible at any angle. We had considered living dangerously and getting them anyway (if anyone was going to complain about their noise, we would just point toward the three, constantly-yapping-and-escaping dogs that lived next door), but we ended up waiting until we got to the homestead.
But now, in this new place, watching Andrew build the first chicken tractor was like waking up from a dream and finding it to be reality.
And then we finally, FINALLY got chickens, BECAUSE WE COULD. Our big, fluffy-butt Buff Orpington, our two obnoxiously rude, escape-artist Wyandottes, our meek Barred Rock, and our smarter-than-the-average bear Brahma rooster.
We watched them start to scratch in the dirt, murmuring in their chickeny way, and the beautiful image became more sharp. And then our young son, still so young that he doesn't speak in full sentences, started making clucking sounds like a champ, laughing in delight as their bright, intense eyes inspected him, and my heart swelled to bursting.
If I sound like I'm waxing somewhat overdramatic in my descriptions of this point in our lives, I promise it's no hyperbole. To get to the point where our kid is able to mimic chickens because he is livingwith them is just such an indication of so much good change. To get to this point involved quitting two full-time jobs, finding land several states away, selling our house, moving away from everyone we knew, and starting from scratch all over again...quite literally as we reclaim these 12 acres from the wild they were on their way to becoming.
We are just beside ourselves with joy because the dream, the hope, and the plans are now finally crystallizing into a full-color, active picture. We open the windows, and the smell of sun-warmed fields mingle with the sounds of animals, and it just feels like this is the way life is supposed to be.
And it didn't stop there. With the chickens came an unexpected rabbit buck, all spotted and surprisingly gentle. He got his own rabbit tractor ( and we're currently on the hunt for his LAYDEEZZZ).
And then came the ducks, who are probably our favorites. Their awkward, harmless way of being, the way they huddle together and dabble in the water LIKE IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING RIGHT NOW are so endearing it's ridiculous.
So we went from 0 to 8, within the course of a week, and it's delightful. There are grass-and-bug-fed eggs cooling in the fridge, a bowl of tasty scraps waiting to be next morning's treats, active transformation enriching the land under the feet of all those pooping creatures, and a new way of life being set in place.
Now...what will next month bring???
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It's an amazing feeling when you get your first animals! congratulations! AND THAT FIRST EGG! Oh, nothing compares to that! Really happy for you guys!
It really is! That first egg felt more precious than many other "fancy" things I've held.
And it's even more amazing to get to share the joy with people who GET IT. Thanks for reading, for supporting, and for sharing all your experience, too.
Congratulations on this accomplishment.
Thanks so much! It really does feel like a big accomplishment!
Man, sure the ducks might be your favorite now, but wait until you actually raise them from ducklings. YUCK. Hahah I have 3 geese and 4 ducks. Do I want more ducks, nope. At least not from babies! EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE THE CUTEST THINGS EVER KNOWN TO ANYTHING EVER.
So, I'd love to see your chicken and rabbit tractor!!
Be careful not to build to fast!! Especially with animals. The world (and cost) can become overwhelming very quickly. Eeek.
Haha, we're not going to progress from this point for a while. Our next goals are sheep and a cow, and we know we need a TON more infrastructure for them to have a good life and home. We made a promise to only bring animals in if we KNOW we can provide and care for them fully.
We'll have a video and pictures of the tractors soon!
ALSO OH MY GOSH DUCKS. I never knew they were so wonderful. I don't even mind the mess (though I'm sure it helps that there's only two.)
It's hard not to get too excited about new animals! I think our nest will be quail for sure. In the later future I hope for a cow too!
Hah! Great. I hope we can both reach our cow dreams someday. If we're still both on SteemIt by that point, we will have to virtually high-five. We're hoping for a mini-Jersey or a Dexter. You?
In my dreams, I'd love a highland!! Heeeeeeee
We love our ducks too! They were definitely surprising. We got 2 older ducks after our 6 ducklings. When we introduced them it was the cutest thing. They started acting like this little family and the ducklings would follow them around. Mind you the ducklings I'm talking about were a month old at the time but it was still gosh darn adorable!!
I GET IT NOW.
They do act like a little family! We just have the two ducks (they are temporarily in the chicken tractor until Andrew finishes a duck house for them). The chickens go in to roost at sundown, but the ducks haven't figured out how to follow them up the ramp. They panic and peep-quack until we come in the tractor, and they run to Andrew so he can put them in the coop. It's adorable/sad/adorable.
haha ours aren't big fans of us despite having 6 of them since they were one week old. Ours will probably live with our chickens when we get chickens, still thinking the duck/chicken living arrangements through. I did read ducks don't like ramps
Yeah, we're figuring as much. The shared space with the chickens is temporary until we get their much more duck-friendly accommodations finished.
Congrats!! I spent a stint in Little Haiti (Miami) and chickens were in every yard. Excited for you!
I love having them moving around our yard. It's such a lively ambiance.
An interesting thing about the Buff Orpington, the ones that I had would set eggs until they hatched, something that our other chickens would not do.
Our Buff Orpington is the most faithful layer so far! I've been grabbing the eggs out pretty regularly, but I would be curious to see if she'd be willing to brood!
Hi @slhomestead, congratulations on the animal acquisitions. I've got a similar mix - chickens, ducks, one goose and one rabbit. I love having them around.
I got my first chickens given to me 15 years ago when a chap couldn't afford to pay for a website he'd had done. I guess that was an early form of 'alt-coin' - chickencoin 😊
That's probably the most awesome form of payment I've yet heard of.
How is it having a goose in that mix? We're planning to eventually get guineas.
The goose is quite low-key. He was an orphan given to me by a friend. He just hangs out with the others and doesn't cause any trouble.
Congrats on getting your animals. It was only 2 years ago when we got our first chickens. We haven't used a store bought egg since :)
Thanks so much! Every time we pull an egg out of the coop, it is exhilarating. Haven't bought eggs since, and I hope we never have to again. First step toward food independence!!
I know exactly what you mean. We have 3 broody hens right now so looks like another 20 to 30 babies hatching soon :)