The four stages of poultry keeping...

[Ontario Chick]

I don't know what i am yet.
I didn't start into chickens for the eggs. In fact I got 10 day old chicks without any thought of how many eggs that would mean one day. I'm sure I sell or give away more than we eat.
I got chickens because i wanted the experience. All of the experience. From chick to old grumpy hen. Breed didn't matter to me. I ordered Barred Rocks because my brother had some and I hadn't seen zebra chickens before. Then I learned how smart they can be...how entertaining...how loveable...
Then I discovered poultry swaps. And i took one look at Shermans purple wing feathers and his proud stance and I added a pair of tiny bantams to my flock. Now i have 9 standard and 11 tiny bantams.
My chickens are truly pets. I care about their health and happiness the same as I care for my dogs and cat. I know them as individuals. They are my friends.
I dont butcher or cull. Some roll their eyes about that. I couldn't care less. You be you...I'm me.
I hope to have chickens for a lot of years but I am admittedly in a phase of reducing flock size through old age death. I would enjoy being a poultry keeper with smaller numbers but i am unwilling to rehome or cull based on that reason alone. It was my decision to expand my flock so its not their fault. 10 should be my max I think. I currently have 20. I feel its important to know your limits and when it starts to feel more like work than enjoyment then its time to reasses where you are at.

Definitely a LIFer with pet tendencies and photo gift :)

[Jaye]

I have similar reasons for continuing with chickens, @Happy. I've wanted to raise them since I was a young child.
For me, a flock of 5, 6 or 7 is good. I have found that I like the flock dynamics of odd numbers ... 5, 7, maybe 9. Having said that, we have 8 ATM, and only one that is laying. We have one retired ancient head hen, two semi-retired old girls, one freeloading bully of a Welsummer, a young Brabanter hen that I fear has a reproductive system that is genetically damaged, and one amazing little hen that is young enough, lays well with no issues, is so very personable, and is a very pretty mix of Ameraucana and blue Brabanter. And then there are our two little d'Uccles roosters.

[Killerbunny]

Mine are pets too and my old girls will live a retirement scratching and making me happy.
Now @Happy I know all my turkeys too, some have names and some tags but I can recognise each of them. True confession now, I did take a turkey hen to the vet because I was worried about a health problem (turned out to be nothing) but I consider that money well spent! She also charmed the socks off everyone present at the surgery.

[WLLady]

crap. Lifer here. except I am helping people to get into the "hobby". but i won't become a judge or anything....so maybe kinda an "EnablEr"? LOL.

oh, and NO GOATS!!!!!!!! EVER!

[Kbr42]

Guessing Lifer here too....I got into chicken as a mid-life-crisis thing....I didn't want a sports car
I started with 3 banty's and within a week had 5. I have a standard pen of about 15ish birds all different types. And my silkies, of which I have marginally enough. Not really interested in showing mine, but certainly love to breed and hatch them!

[Killerbunny]

I have pretty much quit helping people out to get into birds. As I've posted before I get so upset when they don't listen to management advice and kill them.
No chanc of becoming a true fancier or OMG Judge! I used to referee skeet shooitng which is a very polite sport on the field, I mean the competitors have guns not just ! I found it incredibly stressful and just went back to competing. My hat goes off to all referees and Judges who often have the time for helpful comments and advice after the show.

[Happy]

Mine are pets too and my old girls will live a retirement scratching and making me happy.
Now @Happy I know all my turkeys too, some have names and some tags but I can recognise each of them. True confession now, I did take a turkey hen to the vet because I was worried about a health problem (turned out to be nothing) but I consider that money well spent! She also charmed the socks off everyone present at the surgery.

That made me smile KB! Every time I've taken a chicken to the vet it has been an experience. Theres always several people that have never seen a live chicken and they have a million questions. The first one is typically "are they always this friendly?" Meanwhile my opportunistic chicken has just spotted their coffee or bag of chips and they're on the sharing is caring bus lol.

I hope nobody ever thinks that I imply that if you eat your animals it means you don't care for them. I re-read my reply and thought it could be taken as a bit high and mighty. I was raised on a small scale beef farm and I know that absolutely the opposite is typically true. I watched my dad pull all nighters during calving season and call the vet out even though paying him meant something else went unpaid. He knew his girls and their quirks and habits and he knew when someone was off. Much the same as i know mine...just a different species lol.

[Killerbunny]

I didn't take it as high and mighty. I do raise a few cockerels for meat but try not to become too attached although one especially friendly chap found a new home LOL.
I also eat my BSW turkey culls because part of preserving the breed is only breeding from, and selling the best of the best. Also if people don't learn how delicious they are they will never survive as a breed.
Everybody has to be comfortable with the way they raise and care for their birds and it's a very personal thing. You have to be comfortable with your strategies.

[Ontario Chick]

I was raised on a small scale beef farm and I know that absolutely the opposite is typically true. I watched my dad pull all nighters during calving season and call the vet out even though paying him meant something else went unpaid. He knew his girls and their quirks and habits and he knew when someone was off. Much the same as i know mine...just a different species lol.

and now we know where your caring nature comes from

[baronrenfrew]

I'm a keen LIFer - i've gotten into and out of almost everything, only to cycle through again. I must say my true love is ringneck pheasants - from a rooster crowing, to the other noises they make. (not to mention good eating!)
After a fox and coccidiosis hit hard, best bet was to empty the place and start over properly with better pens - still working on it.