We started out with 6 chickens over a year ago. We got them from TSC and the rule is you have to buy at least 6 chickens. Their life started out in our garage in a box with a red light bulb heating lamp (so they don't peck each other). The kids loved them from the very start. They visited them often in the garage.
The following are high lights in the life of our chickens:
The chickens had started getting bigger and they were almost ready to go out to there coop after we got it set up. They could perch on the side of the box in the garage and sometimes we found them beside the box and not in the box. One day Ross said to me "Erin, we're missing a chicken." We searched all over the garage and could not find it. We looked everywhere. We finally gave up and thought that the chicken had escaped when the garage door was open at some point. The kids were disappointed, but we consoled them that we still had 5 chickens. Three days later, on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready to get in the car to go to church, Ross noticed that we had 6 chickens again. The prodigal chicken had returned!!!!!! We thought for sure he would be dead by the time we got back from church. The poor chicken couldn't even stand up because it went without food and water for 3 days. We got home from church and peered in the box and all 6 were still alive. We couldn't even figure out which one was the one that had escaped. To this day, we still have not learned where our chicken had gone.
Leanne was usually the one out playing with the chickens and by this time they had moved into their coop. She had noticed that one of them was a rooster. They were supposed to be all female. Leanne ended up being right (she usually is). We knew eventually we would have to get rid of the rooster(when he found his voice) or the neighbors might complain and make us get rid of all of them. One day I was sitting inside with the slider door open and I heard the strangest sound. I couldn't figure out what it was. I went outside where the kids had started going to the chicken coop. And the it did it again. The rooster had found his voice. It didn't sound like I expected it to. It sounded like when a boy's voice was changing and cracking. I didn't know that they could sound like that. It came time that we had to figure out what to do with the rooster. We didn't follow Leanne's suggestion of "killing him and eating him". Ross had found a place for the rooster to live and now the problem was getting him to his new country home. Ross tried to catch that rooster and put him in a big bucket. He had to chase him all over the yard. The kids were laughing so hard at him. He finally managed to get the rooster tucked into the bucket and put him in the back of the van. They got him to his new destination and the new problem was getting him out of the van. I guess the bird wouldn't get out. He got loose from the bucket and flew around inside the van. Ross finally managed to get him outside and then that bird sat underneath the van. They couldn't get him to budge. it took a while and finally they coaxed him out from there. The new owners of our rooster said that he would crow and peck at there door various times through out the day.
Like I stated before, my kids love the chickens!!!! They play with them all the time. I would look outside and see Clay picking up a chicken and swinging him around in circles, they've been on swings many times, pushed down the slide, and shoved inside buckets. But the one that takes the cake is the time that Clay shoved one up the inside of a toy semi truck. First I need to give you the graphics of the trailer of the semi truck. It's about 20 inches long and the opening is about 6 inches by 6 inches. It also has a door on the side of the semi trailer. My sister was over with her kids and they were playing outside with the chickens. Gina said to me "Erin, I think Clay put a chicken in that trailer." I said "no he couldn't have. They try to put them in buckets all the time and the chickens won't fit. There's no way a chicken could get shoved up there." Then I peered closer-there were little chicken feet sticking outside the semi trailer. I yelled to Clay "Do you have a chicken in there?!" He slowly nodded his head yes. I said "You better get him out before that poor chicken gets hurt." He tipped it upside down trying to get the chicken through the opening at the bottom of the tailor. The chicken was STUCK!!!! I called for Ross to come and get that chicken out of there. Ross was laughing hysterically when he saw what Clay had done. Ross took the semi trailer and shook it hard up and down. Chicken feet started coming out the bottom. Ross was making progress. You could hear the chicken cackling inside. Then Ross did another up and down motion with the trailer and out of the side door of the trailer poked out the chickens head. So if you can picture it- feet out the bottom of the trailer and head sticking out the side. We were all rolling with laughter. One last up and down motion with the trailer and the chicken came out. And he walked around like nothing had happened to him.
The following are high lights in the life of our chickens:
The chickens had started getting bigger and they were almost ready to go out to there coop after we got it set up. They could perch on the side of the box in the garage and sometimes we found them beside the box and not in the box. One day Ross said to me "Erin, we're missing a chicken." We searched all over the garage and could not find it. We looked everywhere. We finally gave up and thought that the chicken had escaped when the garage door was open at some point. The kids were disappointed, but we consoled them that we still had 5 chickens. Three days later, on a Sunday morning, as we were getting ready to get in the car to go to church, Ross noticed that we had 6 chickens again. The prodigal chicken had returned!!!!!! We thought for sure he would be dead by the time we got back from church. The poor chicken couldn't even stand up because it went without food and water for 3 days. We got home from church and peered in the box and all 6 were still alive. We couldn't even figure out which one was the one that had escaped. To this day, we still have not learned where our chicken had gone.
Leanne was usually the one out playing with the chickens and by this time they had moved into their coop. She had noticed that one of them was a rooster. They were supposed to be all female. Leanne ended up being right (she usually is). We knew eventually we would have to get rid of the rooster(when he found his voice) or the neighbors might complain and make us get rid of all of them. One day I was sitting inside with the slider door open and I heard the strangest sound. I couldn't figure out what it was. I went outside where the kids had started going to the chicken coop. And the it did it again. The rooster had found his voice. It didn't sound like I expected it to. It sounded like when a boy's voice was changing and cracking. I didn't know that they could sound like that. It came time that we had to figure out what to do with the rooster. We didn't follow Leanne's suggestion of "killing him and eating him". Ross had found a place for the rooster to live and now the problem was getting him to his new country home. Ross tried to catch that rooster and put him in a big bucket. He had to chase him all over the yard. The kids were laughing so hard at him. He finally managed to get the rooster tucked into the bucket and put him in the back of the van. They got him to his new destination and the new problem was getting him out of the van. I guess the bird wouldn't get out. He got loose from the bucket and flew around inside the van. Ross finally managed to get him outside and then that bird sat underneath the van. They couldn't get him to budge. it took a while and finally they coaxed him out from there. The new owners of our rooster said that he would crow and peck at there door various times through out the day.
Like I stated before, my kids love the chickens!!!! They play with them all the time. I would look outside and see Clay picking up a chicken and swinging him around in circles, they've been on swings many times, pushed down the slide, and shoved inside buckets. But the one that takes the cake is the time that Clay shoved one up the inside of a toy semi truck. First I need to give you the graphics of the trailer of the semi truck. It's about 20 inches long and the opening is about 6 inches by 6 inches. It also has a door on the side of the semi trailer. My sister was over with her kids and they were playing outside with the chickens. Gina said to me "Erin, I think Clay put a chicken in that trailer." I said "no he couldn't have. They try to put them in buckets all the time and the chickens won't fit. There's no way a chicken could get shoved up there." Then I peered closer-there were little chicken feet sticking outside the semi trailer. I yelled to Clay "Do you have a chicken in there?!" He slowly nodded his head yes. I said "You better get him out before that poor chicken gets hurt." He tipped it upside down trying to get the chicken through the opening at the bottom of the tailor. The chicken was STUCK!!!! I called for Ross to come and get that chicken out of there. Ross was laughing hysterically when he saw what Clay had done. Ross took the semi trailer and shook it hard up and down. Chicken feet started coming out the bottom. Ross was making progress. You could hear the chicken cackling inside. Then Ross did another up and down motion with the trailer and out of the side door of the trailer poked out the chickens head. So if you can picture it- feet out the bottom of the trailer and head sticking out the side. We were all rolling with laughter. One last up and down motion with the trailer and the chicken came out. And he walked around like nothing had happened to him.
Our kids love their chickens. They are an excellent pet and they benefit our family with they fresh eggs they lay for us every day (I can't believe they lay for us after all this). To this day we still find chickens stuck under crates in the kid's play club house in the back yard.
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