Chickens… the Gateway Animal
If you follow any chicken owner on social media, you'll hear it a hundred times: “Chickens are the gateway animal.” They’re the fluffy feathered domino that starts an avalanche of barnyard chaos. But for me, it all began with sourdough bread.
Yep. Sourdough. That tangy, crusty loaf was my first step down the slippery slope to a domesticated farm life. Once you master sourdough, you suddenly need a farm kitchen to bake it in, complete with fresh eggs from your own chickens. Then, of course, you need dairy cows for fresh milk, and before you know it, you’re knee-deep in Pinterest boards for homemade cheese and how to process your own meat. It’s Murphy’s Law for homemakers: start a sourdough starter, and you’re destined for a full-blown farm.
The Avalanche Begins: From Chickens to a Petting Zoo
Chickens were the gateway animal, alright. One minute I’m buying cute little chirping chicks at Tractor Supply, and the next, I’m wrangling ducks, geese, cows, barn cats, and horses.
Animals are amazing, but they’re also wildly expensive and a ton of work. There’s fencing, food, barns, hay—the list never ends. Our first winter with livestock was a baptism by fire that had us questioning our sanity and rethinking our entire plan.
The Chicken Adventure: From Zero to Thirty in No Time
My husband and I debated chickens for a while, and during our first spring in the new house, I decided it was time. Were we prepared? Did we have a coop? Absolutely not. But when my mind’s made up, there’s no stopping me.
I set out to buy five chickens and came home with thirty chickens, six ducks, and five guinea hens. With absolutely nowhere to put them, I marched to Walmart for a kiddie pool and then Tractor Supply for everything else. I threw it all together inside the house, so when my husband came out of his office and saw our new housemates, let's just say the next few months were...stressful.
The Coop Calamity: Building from Scratch
We didn’t have a coop. My house was a cacophony of chirps and an olfactory disaster. After endless nights of chirping and two months of chaos, we finished the coop. I found a beautiful coop plan online, not realizing it was a ridiculously outlandish 10x12 structure that would cost a small fortune.
My husband, who had never built anything in his life, was handed the plans with a "Good luck!" Praise be to handy family members who helped us through it. A couple of months later, our coop was finally finished, and our birds moved in, living their best lives and paying rent with their lovely eggs.
The Reality of Chicken Keeping
Here’s a word of advice: if you’re getting chickens to save money on eggs, you’re in for a surprise. Coops, runs, feed, bedding, nesting boxes, roosting bars, and the inevitable vitamins for their weird deficiencies (like wry neck) add up quickly. Chickens are prone to illness and death, and roosters are hornier than teenage boys. It’s a lot to manage.
The Good, the Bad, and the Feathery
The good? Sometimes, you’ll find a chicken that bonds with you, and the fresh eggs are amazing. The bad? The chickens you like most seem to die first—it’s some cruel universal law. And if you get an aggressive rooster, you’d better be prepared to make some tough decisions (like turning him into dinner).
Final Thoughts: The Chicken Saga
Overall, I love my chickens. They bring joy and fresh eggs, but it’s not all fun and games. It’s mostly the opposite. When it’s extremely hot or cold, they refuse to pay rent. But despite the poop (and there’s a lot of it), the noise, and the work, they’re a quirky, lovable part of our homesteading journey.
So, if you’re thinking about starting your own chicken adventure, just remember: it might start with sourdough, but it ends with a farm full of animals, a lot of hard work, and a heart full of stories. Welcome to the wild ride of homesteading!
