A month or so ago, we were all set to get chickens. Everyone we talk to says Don’t get chickens! They’re a lot of work! They’re messy! Don’t get chickens! Vince tends to listen to people where I tend to say . . hey, I’ll do what I want to do! Besides that . . how many people in blogland have their own chickens? A whole lot of them! But, knowing Vince like I do and knowing that I have lots of nights I’ll be out of town and he’d be covering for me with the chickens, I was agreeable week before last when he decided he didn’t want to get chickens.
While we were in Arkansas, a couple of times we saw chickens and I said “oh, those people have chickens!” Vince would say “we’ll probably have some too.” Hmmm . .
Then over the weekend the lumber was delivered for . . what? The chicken coop! I didn’t say much . . figured if it’s Vince’s decision to get them and he’s not happy .. well, that would be a whole lot better than it being my decision to get them and him not being happy. Wives, can you relate to that?
Tonight we were out exploring . . that will show up in a blog post in a few days. On the way back to Nevada, here’s our conversation:
Vince: Let’s go by Orscheln and look at the baby chicks.
Me: OK .
Vince (as we’re walking into the store): Let’s get 10.
Me: 10 what?
Vince: 10 baby chickens
Me: But, Vince . . we have no place to put them.
Vince: Well, if we get them, I’ll have to build the chicken coop.
Isn’t that kinda like counting you chickens before they hatch? 🙂 So, we marched into Orcheln, prepared to buy 10 baby chicks and they were sold out. The lady said “Everyone is buying baby chickens!” They’ll have more tomorrow.
We bought the feed, the wood shavings, the feeder, the watering thing, the light to keep them warm, and as best I can figure it, they’re going to live in Chad’s bath room! Not really . . I’m not real sure where they’re going to live but they’ll be here tomorrow so I’m guessing we’ll figure something out in the next 12 hours or so. Vince just went to bed and he had the chicken book with him!
peggy says
Congratulations! I must admit I’m a little jealous. Years ago we had a few Top Hat chickens, and I adored them. Enjoy!
Vicky says
ROFLOL. You two crack me up! Just hope Speck doesn’t get a whiff of them. I don’t think doxies and chicks would get along very well. Can’t wait to see the pictures of them!
Sue H says
hmmm, I see a whole ‘nother subject area for pictures, stories, and new experiences. I can’t wait!
Karen L says
Congratulations Judy!!! If they are day olds your getting………they could live in a cardboard box for a while……..maybe a week!!! I look forward to hearing about the “chicken chat”
Karen L
Marilyn says
Judy,
I can’t explain it but this post made me laugh so hard and it was just what I
needed today. Seems as though just about every relationship is the same.
Just as soon as you say “it’s probably wise not to get the chickens because
of your travel etc.” Vince buys the chickens and all that goes with them.
I’m really happy that you are going to get them and can’t wait to see the
pics. This will be a fun adventure for both of you I’m sure.
Marilyn
Sibyl says
Judy
Glad you let him make the decision. I know it will be a happier place with him making the decisin. I can hear Speck right now. He is going to go bonkers with those chicks. When you said they were going to be in Chad’s bathroom. I was remembering the episode of I Love Lucy when they were raising chicks. Best keep a count of how many you have.
Best of luck.
Sibyl
sewprimitive Karen says
This is like the book The Egg and I 🙂 .
pdudgeon says
you just never know—-Vince might take to the chickens like a duck to water.
dawn says
awesome that you are getting your chickens. Does Vince have a single brother? LOL he is the best! and geesh, I would even go shopping with him!
you will love having the chickens. Don’t listen to those who say they are messy, a pain etc. It is so worth having fresh eggs and being a little more self sufficient. that is the trouble with the world today. we depend on others for our survival.
Enjoy them……..
Green Acres we are there…………….
now pigs on the other hand……………LOL
Mrs. Goodneedle says
I know this will make for more good blog reading. Congratulations!!
Bon says
You guys are so funny and the fact that you blog so well about it makes your blog so much fun to read. I just never know what to expect. Well, I will be expecting some really cute baby chick pictures.
Maria Stahl says
Who knows, Speck may adopt the chicks. Bo used to guard the box of chicks and growl at anybody who came to visit and see them. He’s a big dork.
Kris Bair says
Congratulations!!!! At our local hatchery – they “sell” you a chick starter kit – that comes in one of the really big rubbermaid containers (which you can pick up MUCH cheaper everywhere else) and that is what they recommened to us keeping the chicks in. Which we brought one and kept 24 baby chicks in for 2-3 weeks before getting a second one to keep half of them in for another week or two. The hatchery said 24 could stay in there for 5-7 weeks, but that just seemed mean to me. Oh you’ll have a lot of fun with them….
Kris
Pat says
I”m excited about this FOR you! Wish I lived closer as I’d be one of your biggest egg customers once they are old enough to start laying them. 🙂 I do think this is how relationships go…once we (the wives) decide maybe our idea is best left UNexplored, the husbands then decide it WAS a good idea. LOL
Karin says
Have you read the books by Monica Ferris?
Lynn Dykstra says
Judy, you were right when you said they will live in the bathroom.
We would put our baby chicks (came in a crate in the mail) in the bathtub for the first few days with a heat lamp. The bath tub is a good place to keep them contained and warm until they start growing their feathers.
Nothing cuter that a baby chick, nothing goofier looking than one getting its feathers.
Stephanie says
Well this should be a riot!!!!
Linda says
Sounds like you’ll be “Mom” to a flock of chicks. Hope Vince plans to have the chicken coop ready by the time they’re feathered out. I’ll be watching for updates on this whole situation.
Pam says
This should be fun! I would love to have chickens, but my HOA might have something to say about it. They couldn’t be any noisier or messier than the neighbors’ kids. Why does this remind me of that “I Love Lucy” episode…
Vicki W says
ROFLOL!
Bobbie says
Start right away when you get them the rule is–“I GET your eggs-they are mine, not yours–so don’t even try to peck my hand away from my egg.” Bobbie
I’m so excited for you!!!! Vince-You Rock!!!
Mishka says
Oh, this is good news… congrats!! Can’t wait to learn all about chickens from you.
Stephanie says
How exciting, my son has chickens and we all love the eggs and if they are away there is always someone to care for them in exchange for eggs. Go for it.
Peggy says
My Mom always told me to let my Dad think something was “His” idea. She had ways to give him hints, but we never did anything until it was “His” idea. I think that is what happened at your house. The chickens are now “Vince’s” idea that Judy and us will benefit from all of this. Looking forward to the future stories and pictures.
swooze says
What shall we call this little saga…as the chicken turns…think rotisserie…or how about as the nest turns….hmmm…the chickens might like that one better. I was really surprised to see this post! LOL!
Rhonda Phillips says
I am so jealous! I would love to have some chickens but I don’t think my dear hubby would. We already have cows so what would a few chickens matter! lol
Diann Smith says
Inquire at your library about interlibrary loan. We have that in TN. It’s a FREE service and they can “borrow” books from other libraries, you get to read them, and then return them to your library and THEY send them back.
CJ says
ROFL! Judy I can’t tell you how many times Jim and I put the cart before the horse, and brought home babies of some sort with no place to put them. It definitely gets you motivated.
And while you were probably joking, the bathtub is the perfect place to keep those babies for a little while. It’s too high for them to jump out, you can easily hang a heat lamp in there for them, and it’s easy to clean when they’re ready to go out.
I’ve raised all my baby poultry in bath tubs. LOL Nothing worse than setting them up in a brooder in the coop only to have something get in a kill them.
Ramona-quilter says
Oh, I bet you are excited. You’re gonna have chickens, you’re gonna have chickens.
My best friend has all manner of poultry at her place. Geese, ducks, wild turkeys but the coyotes got them. She had about a dozen chickens, well, onoe was a noisy rooster. I could watch them for hours, scratching the dirt, pecking at the seed and almost cooing. I like chickens. Is Vince building a tractor?
Amy says
OK, I just found this. What a great hubby you have!!! Mike, my dh, was not “into” the chicken thing for a while, it was my and the kids “deal”. Well, once we bought our 5.4 acres, he decided that he better get learning about chickens. He now has 3 Sicilian Buttercup babies of his own. We hatched them and he babies them every day. We are planning to focus on mostly critically engangered breeds from here:
http://www.albc-usa.org/cpl/wtchlist.html#chickens
He tends to like the Meditterian breeds (fancy looking lol) and I want to focus on the endangered American breeds.
Get ready, because they truly are addicting.
ENJOY!