Back in 2019, my husband and I decided to get some chickens. I say my husband and I, but honestly I don’t think I ever would have decided to get chickens on my own. He’s always been the dreamer and visionary better half in our relationship. I have to tie him down a little sometimes, but most of the time he helps lift me from the ordinary and mundane ruts of life. He’s a good balance for me!

But I digress. A few years ago we got chickens. What an interesting experience that’s been! I’ve decided that chickens are quite terrifying. And also, hilarious. Watching Hei Hei from Disney’s Moana, you’d think they exaggerated things to make the chicken seem a little less intelligent… nope. That’s exactly what chickens are like. And they are just as entertaining! Did you know that chickens sing a song when they lay an egg? It’s loud and proud- like they are telling the world that they did it and all the other chickens join in like they are proud of their sister. It’s actually pretty fun to hear. And then you know you can go get the egg!

But as I said before, also terrifying. The thought of being chased by a flock of chickens brings me chills. Their buggy eyes, sharp beaks, and the fact that they eat their own eggs and will eat chicken table scraps…. They are total cannibals!! A 6 foot chicken would be an absolute terror. I mean, we’ve heard that dinosaurs and birds are closely related. I can totally see how a 15 foot chicken would be the stuff of nightmares.

The chickens have been a learning experience, for myself, my husband, and our kids. My children have had to learn to have responsibility for someone other than themselves. They have to feed the chickens regularly and make sure they have clean water. And I’d love to say that my children are super on top of it and never forget- but that would be a lie. We’ve had to have discussions about the importance of caring for living things and not forgetting to give them basics like water! In addition to the basics, my kids love feeding them leftover vegetables/fruit, or feeding them grasshoppers we’ve found in the garden. I also love letting the chickens loose in the backyard occasionally because they are great weeders and bug snatchers! And great lawn fertilizers, if I’m being honest.

These are all perks, but the most obvious one is daily fresh eggs! Especially with grocery prices rising, I’m so grateful we have eggs coming in- because my family goes through a ton! Obviously, you have to feed the chickens, and that costs money. But feeding them table scraps and letting them eat bugs from the yard helps cut down those costs, and egg shortages aren't a problem because the chickens still produce. I don’t have to rely on the grocery store to get my eggs.

Chickens are actually super easy to take care of. As long as they have food, water, and a space to call home, you’re good! And then you can get different varieties that produce different sizes and colors. We bought a couple new ones last year and now in addition to cream and brown, we get beautiful blue eggs! My husband was like a little kid on Christmas morning when he saw the first one. He lives for this kind of stuff! There’s something special about eating a blue egg. My kids call them lucky eggs ;).

I realize not everyone wants or can have chickens, but if it’s something you’ve thought about, I say go for it! They are fun to watch, it’s a learning experience, they eat bugs from your yard, they rip up weeds, and it’s a secure way of making sure you have eggs every day!

Do you have chickens? Share your experience below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com