The truth is that when, a couple of years ago, a friend of mine said she was really into learning about and practicing homesteading, I have to admit that my first reaction was that I was not interested. The funny thing, though, is that I've been raised with the habit of spending my summer and fall growing (or aquiring) and preserving food for the winter.
So I've slowing been coming around to see that what she was talking about is something that I'd already been doing a little of and had been hoping to start doing more of.
And then recently I read the book I already mentioned. And now my library basket is full of books about raising chickens.
Here's the problem. While delving in to the wealth of information that I had brought home from the library, I got a little bit depressed because the rosy-colored bubble burst and I got a glimpse of chicken-raising reality. I was learning all about parasites and taking samples of droppings to be tested and lice treatments and cannabalism prevention and a whole host of nitty-gritty topics that I'd much rather have nothing to do with. And also have my children have nothing to do with.
So, all you dear readers with much more chicken experience than I, is that an accurate deptiction of life with chickens? Is that just a worse-case scenario or is that really something chicken owners deal with on a daily basis? If I don't like the sound of that stuff am I just better off getting my eggs from the friendly farmer than my own backyard?
The only bad thing we have dealt with so far are mean roosters (just don't get any) and the chickens tearing up my gardens (just don't get two dozen of them!) I think if you take good care of them (clean bedding, fresh food and water) the rest takes care of itself.
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