As a child growing up in New York City, I lived in a six floor apartment building, on the 6^th floor.  It was a two bedroom apartment, and since my parents had four children, with usually either an aunt or an uncle or a grandparent living with us, it was a bustling place.  My first experience with pets, however was in this apartment.  We had fish, finches, parakeets, hamsters, and guinea pigs.  Probably not all at the same time, but still, we all liked animals and we did what we could in the confines of the big city.  But the problem with these pets, was that they were always in cages, or tanks.  We could never really create a bond with them.  I don’t even remember their names…Therefore, not very impressive companions.

On a farm, however, with the ample space of a barn and land, the first type of animals we decided to get were chickens.  As a lot of people know, all you need is a backyard for chickens.  They don’t take up too much space, they are not too big, they eat insects and their waste is good for gardens.  Lastly, they make fresh eggs… I love fresh eggs…

Captain as a chick

Captain today

What really impressed me was how my kids bonded with the chickens.  They named each little chick and even as the chicks grew, the kids continued to know who they were.  We now have more than thirty chickens, so this continues to impress me.  The kids hold them and play with them, un-phased by the fact that the chickens are ten times their original size.  The kids take note of their different (simple) personalities and behaviors and take personal pride of each chicken as they begin to lay an egg…

You know you are not in the city any more when your first grade child asks his teacher if it is okay to bring his new little chickens in for show and tell.

First Grade Show & Tell

You know you live on a farm, when your other child (7^th grader) writes a story for his English class about someone bringing chickens into school for show and tell. [next post]

You know things could be a lot worse, when your other other son (6^th grader) spends hours reading through the chicken catalog and chooses to spend his own money on a new breed (for us) called the Black Jersey Giants.

You know you have a chicken life when you have to go egg hunting in the hay rack when you let your chickens free range…

Found 2 eggs!