Saturday, February 25, 2012

And Now A Word About Chickens and Babies...



No...Not Chicken Babies (those are called chicks)...but...chickens and babies.  I'll explain.

So, I've been having these baby pangs.  Not exactly like I really want another baby, but more along the lines of "wouldn't it be nice to hold a baby and feed a baby and snuggle with a baby".  It's been almost 6 years since I had a baby and although I've told multiples of people that I am DONE and don't want another one...there is that teeny-tiny little feeling that I have had in the last few months of... 

what if....

Well...okay...lets start with the fact that I'm not worth a hoot the first few weeks after having a baby or the preceding 9 months for that matter.  I don't pop them out and then go shopping at the mall 4 days later.  I wish...but that's not me.  Then, there is that pesky little Post-Partum depression I had the first time around and it could come back again.  Don't. Want. To. Go. There. Again.  NO THANK YOU!

I'm 43! 

I don't have to pay for daycare/preschool anymore.  I admit it, I like the little bit of freedom I have now that the boys that are 5 and 11 years old.  They can fix their own drinks/snacks and bowls of cereal, go to the bathroom on their own and they will play in the backyard for hours some days. 

I'm 43!

It's decided.  No more babies! Unless, like Michelle Duggar says, "we'll take another one if God chooses to give us one".  I don't have a camera crew OR the income that probably comes along with having a camera crew, so it's not a good idea for the reasons above and many more.

That brings me to the chickens!  So I sez to myself, "Maybe I should get me some chickens"! (insert twang here)

You might be asking yourself about this time..."How in the world would getting some chickens help with those baby pangs?" "And doesn't your profile say that you live in a suburban college town?"

Let's start with the suburban college town part.  Did you know that we can have chickens LEGALLY in our yards now?  They passed a real ordinance about this and everything.  For Realz!  (For the record, I don't ever really say For Realz but it seemed appropriate here). Anyway, YES, we can have chickens and a coop in our yards, but NO Roosters. Now, before I go any further with this, wasn't it just a few years ago that if you lived in town and you had chickens in your yard that people would...TALK...and in not such a nice way I might add?  Okay, maybe that was just in a movie or something. 

Moving on...am I making any sense here because I'm not even sure where I'm going with this?  Hang with me, I'm sure I have a point here somewhere.  Yes, my point is that we live in this progressive community that thinks it's really cool for us to have urban gardens, buy local produce and meats (we have a great Farmer's Market), and even...Chickens In The Yard!  You know, that whole sustainable living thing.  And you know what?  I think it's cool too!  There...whew...it took a long time to get to that point...I apologize.  

Babies?  Chickens?  It turns out that what I really want is something small and cuddly to nurture from the infant stage and to watch it grow.  I'm thinking Chickens might be the answer.  Don't You?   I don't think I'm exactly the Chicken Snuggling kind of gal like Jayme The Coop Keeper is,  but I DO think it would be a LOT of fun and some of those coops are super cute!  Hmmmm, It might be a lot of work though.  I'll keep looking at coop pictures and reading chicken blogs and we'll just see what happens.  My guess is that we'll actually just end up getting a puppy, but you never know...stay tuned...









Until Next Time,

Jackie


**photos courtesy of my Cock-A-Doodle-Doo Pinterest Board.  Check it out!


16 comments:

  1. Hi Jackie, we have had chickens on our small farm in Northwest New Jersey - they gave us the absolutely most delicious and huge organic eggs! I know what you mean about the need to nurture - I am still cooking huge meals even though my kids have been out of the house for about 7 years! My nurturing will probably be a cute little Maltese puppy - I'm thinking about getting one and also a larger dog from a shelter - just started looking at Petfinder.com. Good luck with your search of chicken coops and raising chickens. Baby chicks need someone to wipe their cute little tushes, did you know that? Ciao, bella!!

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    1. Didn't know about the "tush wiping". I'll add that to the list of why I probably "shouldn't" get chicks. Thanks! LOL!

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  2. Chickens, my hubby has been thinking about getting them too. I'd be fine with it until butchering time comes. I always hated that as a kid.
    Don't you love Jayme's stories!
    Baby or chicks, both can be warm and fuzzy! Just in different ways.
    Have a great weekend!

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    1. Patti, I know...the whole butchering thing isn't up my alley either. Yes, I love Jayme's stories too!! Have a good weekend!

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    1. I like kittens but my husband says No to having a cat. He is not so sure about chickens either. (:

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  4. Too bad your hubby doesn't want a cat, they are a whole lot less trouble than puppies! My son has a pup and it is a hassle to find someone to watch her when he's traveling and I won't mention the items the pup has destroyed in his home! Cats don't need taken out to go potty, either. Just sayin'!
    Enjoy your weekend!

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    1. I know what you mean...we have had dogs for the last 15 years or so until Gracie died last fall and it's a big pain to find doggie care when we leave town and the pups definitely tore up the house some. Maybe chickens are the answer LOL! Have a good weekend Cheryl!

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  5. I'm with you about the not having anymore children kinda thing. Mine are 12 and almost 11, and I'm done. HOWEVER, we've had baby chicks...cutest things ever...then they go through an incredibly ugly stage, and then they get pretty. My husband totally scolded me for holding the baby chicks so much. Said they would get too lazy with me doing that all the time. What do those men know...are they the nurturers? No way...women are. Go for the chickens baby!

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  6. As someone that had a hard time making the decision to be done and who has a cat that acts like a baby, I totally get it!

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  7. Country fresh eggs...Yum Yum
    I write and maintain a blog which I have titled “AccordingtotheBook” and I’d like to invite you to follow it.

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  8. Backyard chickens are a big deal. I read that the eggs have 25% more nutrition than eggs that are storebought. Have fun with the chickens!

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  9. That was so funny! You need a puppy :) We had to put down our dog this last summer and so I swore we didn't want another dog, but then I DEFINITELY knew we didnt want another baby (well like 99% of the time LOL) and so we ended up with a wrinkly puppy. PROBLEM SOLVED. Except she sheds. And she's a puppy. UGH LOL.

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  10. Jackie.. I've missed my visits here. Love this post! And I love your town :) So much to love about it, and now you can keep chickens too! I say go for it. Seriously, they aren't much trouble, and you might find that you actually could learn to enjoy chicken snuggling too (I do)! I volunteer to donate a dozen eggs to your cause. They're definitely fertilized.. and the boys would love watching the incubation process. Oh yep, you might have to get an incubator though. And there are no guarantees that you would not end up with 12 roosters.. yikes! -Tammy

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  11. Jackie - chickens are not cuddly like puppies. They poop. A lot. Everywhere. And, just like dogs, you do have to find someone to take care of them when you go somewhere, only unlike dogs, you can't board them at a kennel, you have to find someone to come to your house to take care of them. I have dogs and chickens. I surely do understand the need to 'mother' something. Good luck with whatever you decide!

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  12. Love the chicken idea. I'm 43 too and know what you mean about wanting to cuddle and feed a baby. I laughed out loud at this one. Now our baby chicken story...my Dad and Nathan bought an incubator that was the size of a refrigerator and filled it. They hatched over 120 chicks. I got a call from Mom telling me to either come get the chicks or just haul my Dad away. We should talk. LOL
    Susan

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