The exact thoughts I had as a child when I learned that my grandparent's used to have chickens was, "That is so cool!" I envisioned a chicken coop by the shed with chickens running around. I remember my mama telling me that one time a rooster chased her! As a small child, I thought that was very funny and I giggled quite a bit. Last summer, I ordered 10 hens. The hatchery said there is 90% accuracy when sexing baby chicks. I found that to be quite accurate as I ended up with 9 hens and 1 rooster. Now, let me tell you something, and I am speaking from experience, there is nothing funny about a rooster chasing you! That rooster was not very nice, and I still have a scar on my arm from where he jumped up and clawed me!
I loved going to my grandparents' house, there was so much to see and do. The garden was huge, and there was an apple tree in the middle of it. There was a large tractor tire and 2 small tires that we would climb on and jump across them. In the backyard near the garden fence, there was a weeping willow tree, its graceful branches hanging close to the ground would sway as the winds blew. It was a lot of fun running through those branches. Grandpa was not very happy when my cousin and I grabbed the branches and swung on them like monkeys! I am not sure if he was more worried about the tree branches and leaves breaking off, or if he was worried that we would get hurt!
With all the fun things to do at their house, I really wished they still had a farm with all the animals. I wanted to feed the chickens and collect eggs, and I always thought it would be fun to milk a cow. I guess that is why I am so passionate about having my own farm. It is something I dreamed of as a young child. I love going out to feed my chickens each morning and then collecting eggs in the evening. The chickens greet me at the door much like my dog does when I come home. I have one chicken that will fly up and stand on my shoulder as I walk around! Her name is Buffy, and she loves to be petted and held. She follows me around the coop and loves to eat out of my hand. I would love to expand our farm to include rabbits, and maybe goats or sheep. My husband reminds me to slow down and not rush. Housing for the new animals would need to be built first, and I need to do research before I bring an animal to our homestead. It is never good to buy an animal and not know how to care for it properly. For now, we will begin building a new chicken coop in the next week or so. It will be larger and better fit our needs. I will post photos when we have completed the new coop and run.
