How I Became A Chicken Mom…Our Chicken Story

It was November of 2019, and our family was settled into the school year and its routine. Everything was going well, and all was calm…so, what did we need? More excitement, of course! There were questions flying around our house such as “Should we get another dog?” and “How about if we build a giant gazebo?” and even “Maybe we should become farmers?” (That last one was actually heavily considered, believe it or not.) After many more suggestions, I brought up the possibility of getting laying hens. I figured that we eat so many eggs every week, and we do love animals, so why not? It didn’t take too much convincing for my wonderful husband to agree, and I got started on my research. After all, I had never had chickens before, and I knew I had lots to learn!

We made several family trips to the local feed store. Finally, after many dazed trips wandering up and down each aisle–everything was so new to us!–we started to feel like we could really do this. We ended up going home with muck boots (way more comfy than I thought they would be!), a metal waterer, a metal feeder, and a stack of farm books! Now, we just needed a coop and the chicks…right?

Once again, my husband was in full support of my shenanigans…so much so that he built us a coop from the ground up after I drew up the plans. He’s so amazing. There’s a really cool side story that goes with that, actually. I’ll come back to it in a moment.

Before the coop was built, we had already decided to get baby chicks instead of pullets, or even full-grown laying hens. Chicks are cute, soft, tiny, and oh so sweet! On 11/18/19, we brought our baby chickies home in a small cardboard box. We quickly set up a larger, insulated box and a heat lamp with the special bulb (they must stay warm!) in our kitchen, so that we could check in on them all the time. They stayed there about a month until they started fluttering up and out! We then transitioned them to a larger dog crate I retrofitted with cardboard to keep the wood shavings in…we still kept them in the kitchen, though. There they remained until they were fully feathered and ready for the big coop in the backyard! OK, now it’s time for that story I promised.

Thanksgiving 2019 happened right after we had brought the chicks home. We had lots of family here to visit that year, and they really loved seeing the chicks. All the grandparents (our kids’ great-grandparents) recounted stories we had never heard about their own childhood backyard chickens. I hadn’t even known they all had chickens!! Their eyes lit up with joy as they told us tales of their youth. It was very special, but not as special as what happened next!

It just so happens that our family is filled with talented people…many of whom are incredible at building things. My all-time favorite memory of that Thanksgiving Day is when my husband, our son, my dad, my grandfather and my husband’s grandfather all went outside in the backyard to begin construction on the coop. Seeing them all working together, sharing ideas, measuring, cutting, hammering…it was a sight to be seen. In that moment, I realized the value…the precious, precious value…of this day. It was all about the chickens, but it was also so much more.

Once the coop was complete (it took about two weeks, total), and the chickies were feathered and ready, they took up residence in their new outdoor digs. It was now the very end of December. It would still be about 4-5 more months until they started laying eggs, but that was ok! We spent time with them everyday (we still do this), and realized that they each have their own unique personalities. We learned how to care for them, feed them, protect them from weather and predators, and which kitchen and garden treats are their favorites!

The beginning of 2020 did not go so well for our family health-wise. While so many dealt with fallout of the global pandemic, we dealt with cancer and a neck and spinal cord injury. But all throughout my husband’s cancer and my injury, the chicky girls were out there clucking away, squawking for us…seemingly cheering for us sometimes, spurring us on to keep fighting. And fight, we did. My husband is now cancer-free, and I am healing and recovering. (By the way, during these months, the kids cared for the chickens almost completely by themselves, so if you’re doubting that your kids will be able to help you with yours, I can confirm that they definitely can!)

Sometimes, chickens are more than chickens.

Sometimes, they’re the thing you never knew you needed.

Sometimes, they teach you things you didn’t know you needed to learn.

Sometimes, they help you gather the best parts of yourself and prove to you that patience and tender care reap grand rewards.

And eggs. They give you eggs, too.

So now you all know the story of how I became a chicken mama. Yes, I have a “chicken lady” shirt. Yes, I talk to them and hold them like babies everyday. And yes, I am most certainly still learning. Thanks for joining me on this fun journey. I’ll be sure to share more joyful chicken stories and helpful tips along the way! 

Melissa’s Bookshelf