Can you tell I'm excited? I hope so.
Let's rewind a year, shall we? Last winter Seth and I were planning on getting chicks. I was so excited I could hardly stand the suspense of coup building and chick ordering. Alas, we got terribly busy and realized that it really wasn't a wise thing to do, so we put them off for another year. I was disappointed to say the least, but I knew that it was the best decision.
This year we are still really busy, but feel like we are in a better position to add a new species of animal to our livestock. I am so very excited to raise chickens. I've never been a fan of birds, but I have a feeling that is all going to change now. Don't get me wrong, I will not be cuddling with a chicken, nor will I be kissing one. I do not consider livestock to be 'pets'. I thoroughly enjoy them, but out of pure enjoyment is not why my hubby and I have animals. They serve a purpose and that is...food. Yes, you heard me right.
I wholeheartedly believe that as the stewards of what has been given to us by God, we have a responsibility to raise, care for, and handle animals properly. Are they fed well and have water? Yes. Do they have shelter? Yes. Are they cared for when they get sick? Yes. Are they treated like my children and hugged, kissed, and fawned over? No.
Sorry, but you won't ever hear me refer to my animals as my 'four legged children'. Won't happen.
You will see me thoroughly enjoying, caring for, and sometimes laughing at the farm bums antics. You may even get a few names uttered under my breath when the jerk-faces, err sheep get out.
My point is, and yes I've got off on a tangent (sorry, probably won't be the last), that I want to convey that while I enjoy my animals, they aren't equal in my affections for my kids, hubby, family, and so on.
Alright now that we have that taken care of. What were we talking about? Oh, yes. Chicks!
I had my wonderful man video me surprising the kids with the baby chicks. Their reactions were so sweet and animated. Mainly my son Jude. He should be a professional storyteller.
We also took a bunch of pictures. Here's a brief look at our afternoon. It was lovely and sooo much fun!
Have you not had enough chick goodness? Well, here's a video of me surprising the munchkins.
Awesome! We got our first chicks last year, and my kids absolutely love them! It is such a great learning experience for littles, and the fact that they provide eggs is always a bonus! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteYour comments about animals not being family resonate with me. We have a dog, whom we love and spoil, but he will never be anywhere near the level of my wife and children.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I love chickens, they are easy to keep, provide eggs, and meat if you are so inclined. I can't wait until we are back in a place where I can have chickens and fresh eggs. Your kids will love them, mine did. In fact we incubated and hatched chicks several times and the kids thought it was so amazing.
Have fun.
Thanks! We've had a lot of fun so far and I am very excited about getting eggs from our own chickens this year. Nothing beats a farm fresh egg. :)
ReplyDeleteI was hoping my comments wouldn't be offensive, but I've heard so many refer to their animals as their children (even from those who have children) that I couldn't take it anymore. I really enjoy our animals, but they don't compare to my little ones. :)
ReplyDeleteWe are very excited about having chickens and getting eggs from them later this year and we are also considering getting some broilers maybe this summer. Figured we would take it one step at a time.
Thanks for visiting and I hope you can have chickens again one day...
Such adorable photos! I found you on the Barn Hop and I would love to have you join the fun on my Creative HomeAcre Hop!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html
Hope to see you there!
Such cute photos and video. I'd love to get more chicks this spring but my five are doing so well in their little flock and I don't want to crowd more in the coop. I just don't want to rock the boat at this time. I'll enjoy yours!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with these guys! Please feel free to link up any posts like these on my Tuesday Greens linky. Happy to have found you on the Homestead Barn Hop today!
ReplyDeleteSo exciting ... we are going into our third spring with chicks and this year we are actually hatching our own. It is definately a fun time for the little ones, even though my son is also being taught that yes they are fun, but yes they are animals and when they are no longer producing the eggs that we need, then they will be headed to the stew pot! Its great to teach them the cycle of life ... we hatched our first batch this past weekend and today we opened the eggs that didn't hatch to see if any had developed ... it was a learning experience for my husband, myself and our 4 year old (he was told that there maybe developed chicks that didn't hatch ... and he chose to come outside and see what was in the shells).
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll probably be doing a fair amount of 'chick posting' since I'm loving them, so feel free to enjoy mine as much as you'd like. :)
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks! I appreciate you stopping by and I'll check you out (your site I mean, lol). Thanks for letting me know about your Tuesday Greens linky. :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun! I think maybe in a few years we may try to hatch our own, but at the moment I'm content with buying chicks. I'm about as newbie as you can get when it comes to chickens. And I think it's great your letting your son learn about the cycle of life, I actually posted about that very thing a few hours ago. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope to see you around here again. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteNo problem! Your site is great. And sorry for the title confusion, I hope it won't happen again. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa! I'll check your 'Hop' out. :)
ReplyDelete[...] Don’t Tell You About the HPV Vaccine Homemade Dish Detergent Signs Your Addicted to Sugar Chick Days The 80/20 Rule Sugar Bad For You What is Arrowroot Powder Elderflower Water Sweet Orange with [...]
ReplyDelete[...] post made me wish we were raising chicks this spring … they are so sweet when they are small. And Weed’em and Reap made me laugh with this [...]
ReplyDelete