Perhaps those of you with kids mark your lives as before, and after, children. Never having had kids I can relate by substituting the word ‘chicken’ for ‘children’. Many of us have no idea what chickens can bring to our lives before getting them. In some ways, they do resemble children: the stress of caring for fragile beings, the never-ending work of feeding and, of course, cleaning up enormous amounts of poop. The flip side is that they often reciprocate what we put into them: friendship, bonding and love. The poop is still there but the other things make it all worthwhile.



Janeen Taylor
“I can’t tonight. I’m trimming the poop feathers off my chicken’s butt” is something I never, ever thought it would say in my lifetime. But here we are.
Barbara Schaafsma-Hermann
When I read that you could give your turkey carcass to the chickens I thought wow, that is crazy. I was wrong. What is crazy is how they chase you around the run until you put it down and then chase you out so they can eat it. My girls be nuts for turkey.

Lindsay Jorgensen
My husband took some chicken skin to the cat. Then I looked out and saw this abomination! Now they’re fighting over it and they don’t know! Soylent Green is people! IT’S PEOPLE!
Cassandra Huntley
On today’s episode of “What did my house hen eat?”
“Baby” is due to lay her egg soon, so she is diaper free at the moment. She took a run-by poo and it hit the floor with a sound! My son said she ate a game piece the other day so I assumed that was it. However I’m not convinced that she ate what he said, as it was likely too big for her liking. She did however eat a tiny dinosaur, a screw and some other unidentified object. She loves to steal my studs from my nose. I’ve officially lost count of how many she has eaten!


Kathy Lipscomb Helmick
What’s the average time to be locked in the chicken run before your hubby comes looking for you? I got out just as he was coming to look for me. I managed to get one of the doors pushed open enough so I could reach around and remove enough snow to get it open. At least I was with my friends and it’s covered with plastic so I wouldn’t have been lonely or too cold.
Lisa Kay Cross
In today’s episode of “Lifestyles of the Chicken Famous” I came home to find that my dog Finn had gotten the back door open. I also forgot to close the chicken gate, so nearly all of my chickens invited themselves in for a house party. I cleaned for hours and I’m still not completely done. The guilty party wouldn’t even look at me.



Cynthia Vega
The cold continues. Still not above freezing. Sorry, you need to stay in for a bit longer.
Sunday Brunch at The Coop Cafe. Tennessee Country Scramble: Extra crispy uncured bacon, rough chopped, fried with corn tortilla strips. Thoughtfully scrambled with eggs cultivated right in the hen house, topped with southern sausage gravy and a side of sliced roma tomatoes served slightly cooled to the right temp to warm the belly, not burn the beak. Generously garnished with signature red pepper flakes.
I know I am chicken crazy and so grateful to know I am not alone. I love that other people love their chickens and animals so much too. These chickens are family.

Vanessa Horner Campbell
Well here you have it, folks straight from the rooster’s mouth.
Little Sebastian likes tall red heads! (With bare necks, more specifically). His main girl died about a month ago in one quick swoop from a hawk. We mourned for the obligatory fourteen days before I got Karen, a Turken cross for him.
They have been inseparable since. He is SO small, she is SO big and it is SO comical.
By the time she is done growing, they’ll look even more of an unlikely couple than they already are. Animals don’t judge. It’s so inspiring. Meet Sebastian and Karen.


Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and photos. Featured photo: Madison Jiannuzzi.
If you’ve got something you’d like to share drop me a line using the ‘contact’ button on my homepage.

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