Chicken poop smells terrible and it seems unfair to subject your neighbor to chickens. And i know b/c i grew up on a farm.

I think the Rent-A-Hen and the hatching program are FABULOUS! But, having said that, I grew up on a farm and taking care of the chickens was one of my chores. I'll never raise chickens again if I can help it (ie I am poor). I don't think any less of someone who wants to do it. It's a good experience but not one that I want to do again. Of course, if you've just got a couple of chickens instead of a 100+ that can make a difference in the time it takes to care/clean and collect eggs.

Jeff - glad you got nice hens and enjoy the morning zen time. I'm guessing your hens have had their beaks clipped so they're not so pointy. I clearly remember getting pecked as a kid (especially when the hens were getting broody) and have the scars on my fingers still to prove it. I didn't learn about beak clipping until I was much older.

Anonymous wrote:What do people plan to do when the chickens get old and only lay a few or no eggs? Keep the chicken as a pet? Cut the head off and stew it?

We know someone who made stew out of their kid's bunny.

Anonymous wrote:What do people plan to do when the chickens get old and only lay a few or no eggs? Keep the chicken as a pet? Cut the head off and stew it?

Yes, one of these two things. I'm not really sure why this is such an eagerly asked question all the time. It's really not that complicated or exciting.

Anonymous wrote:That's hilarious http://www.rentacoop.com/

I guess no one has ever grown up poor and experienced having to live off the land.

Another funny thing is the whole fruit picking outings with the family. This is something which we had to do for extra money as children.

Yeah, yeah. I assume you also had to walk up hill to school both ways in the snow? People used to have to catch fish to eat. Now, they actually pay people to take them out on a boat and put bait on their hooks. Times change.

What do people plan to do when the chickens get old and only lay a few or no eggs? Keep the chicken as a pet? Cut the head off and stew it?

That's hilarious http://www.rentacoop.com/

I guess no one has ever grown up poor and experienced having to live off the land.

Another funny thing is the whole fruit picking outings with the family. This is something which we had to do for extra money as children.

I am allergic to chickens, and yes, with our small lots here, messy chickens next door is enough to cause me trouble.

There are good reasons we outlawed them decades ago.

Anonymous wrote:My aunt had chickens in the city. She said the feed attracted rats, which invaded her home.

Very easy problem to solve: keep the feed stored in a metal can, with a metal lid, in an indoor garage or shed. Only give the chickens what they can reasonably eat in a given time period. It's not rocket science, folks.

I don't understand why it screams "im poor". I have seen chickens being raised in the backyard of some pretty large, stately looking homes with luxury cars in the driveway.

Saying that someone's hobby makes them look poor is a little short sighted.

Sewing your own clothes, couponing thrift shopping, doing DIY home projects, having "service jobs", etc used to mean that you are poor. But a lot of these things are now just hobbies that can often take $ to do.

My aunt had chickens in the city. She said the feed attracted rats, which invaded her home.

Anonymous wrote:Jeff! I love your article on chickens on your home page! That's awesome. http://www.dcurbanmom.com/

So I want to hear from the nay sayers. Now what say you???

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Screams "I'm poor!"

DCUM must be going under or something.

















[Tee hee, I made a joke.]

Jeff! I love your article on chickens on your home page! That's awesome. http://www.dcurbanmom.com/

So I want to hear from the nay sayers. Now what say you???