This little henny girl is Molly. She is an Australorp that we purchased after our beloved Tilly passed away. She has those same big beautiful brown soulful eyes that Tilly did and just like Tilly- she “mutters” to herself during the day. She is curious, silly, delightful, and even carries herself like our Tilly. She has fixed a hole in my family’s heart since she came into our lives. I’m so grateful that she found her way into our flock. I think Tilly is too. I like to think that she had something to do with it from heaven above.
As I’ve been traveling around the country meeting so many people on my journeys, it never ceases to amaze me that lots of you have chicken stories and are quite eager to share them. From people who grew up on or nearby a chicken farm, those who recall them wandering around the yard, those who kept a small flock years ago and even today, I love hearing about them. Chickens are universal. They are found everywhere around the globe and on many levels connect us all.
Sometimes, I am approached by older folks who remember keeping chickens in their backyard as a food source. Now as adults they are revisiting the idea of keeping a small flock of chickens. They are interested in doing it as a hobby and enjoy seeing how chickens are popping up in the backyards of homes around them.
I also have discovered that a lot of nurses keep chickens! It must be our natural tendencies to care and nurture things. I get it!
I meet many who fill their “empty nests” with flocks of chickens after their children have gone away for college and plenty of folks like me who started out with a backyard flock for my young family.
As us chicken keepers know, there is so much more to keeping chickens than the eggs. The companionship cannot be beat. We connect with the chickens at such an amazing level. We get to know their personalities and their quirks. We name them. They look forward to seeing us and we look forward to seeing them. I’m really not sure who gets more excited on some days. They are complete treat addicts. They make us laugh. They touch our hearts. They surprise us in so many ways and on so many levels. They are magical and you can even learn their language if you just give it a go! Being a backyard chicken keeper allows you to connect with them in ways that you never thought possible. I love it when things take our hearts by surprise!
For the past five years I have been sharing our chicken stories with you and now I’d like to ask you, What is Your Chicken Story?™ Please feel free to share your favorite chicken thought, memory, or something that touched your heart with us in the comments below or via email. Did you grow up with chickens?Why did you get chickens? What are your favorite breeds? What did they do to make you laugh? How did they make a bad day better? I’d love to hear from you. Each month I’ll share one of your chicken stories.
Photo Credit: Tilly’s Nest
6 thoughts on “What’s Your Chicken Story?™”
Great story about a sweet girl who stole everyone’s heart.
Thank you for stopping in. I’m so glad you are enjoying the chicken stories.
I did not grow up with chickens but have always loved birds. A friend of mine brought me a beautiful Giant Buff Cochin — I named her Paddles. I was going through a difficult divorce after a long marriage. The kids had left home and if it weren’t for my special friend Paddles, I don’t know how I would have made it. She rode on a beach towel in the passenger seat of the car many places with me and would look out the window. People that drove by were amazed– they laughed, gave me the thumbs up and couldn’t believe a chicken was staring outside the window!!!!! She would come in the house and follow me around. We shared many special times together during that lonely difficult season. I was lucky enough to have her for 9 years which is pretty long for a pet chicken. She passed away in 2010 and I still miss her so much. When I get my own place or can maybe work on a ranch and have a small guest house, I would love to have another Paddles. I now take care of a flock of 45 chickens at a private elementary school in Southern California. Yes, I have names for most of them and they are always looking for treats when I come to see them!
Chickens make great pets — they bond to you just like a dog or cat and they give you such love I can’t believe it. Paddles you will be forever in my heart. I have never had such a wonderful friend and pet in my entire life.
What a lovely story about Paddles. I am sure you will have another one girl one day. In the meantime, how lucky are you to have 45 chickens to tend to! Now that sounds like a dream job!
Just found this lovely site and am enjoying reading all the articles. My love for chickens goes back about 55 years – my parents got me a colored Easter chicken that I named Oscar who turned out to be a hen. She followed me everywhere, all over the yard, was with me when I played and loved being picked up and carried around. We had 2 dogs, a springer spaniel and a poodle, they got along wonderfully until one day the dogs for some unknown reason, right in front of me, attacked and killed her. I was heartbroken – we got another couple of chickens but they weren’t the same. Later after college, I had chickens again at my dad’s farm where we raised horses. When I married and moved to my husband’s grandparents’ farm, they had a chicken coop and of course I had to fill it up! Now living in a different home and still raising horses on a farm, I have expanded my coops and raise Jersey Giants, bantam cochins, a few silkies and cochin/silkie crosses. My 33 year old son adores chickens and when he retires from the Navy, is building a coop of his own. My 3 grandchildren also love chickens – their favorite is Cecil, a white bantam cochin. We decorated his coop for Christmas, now it has Valentine decorations and am sure will have Easter decorations complete with colored eggs! We now have “baby Cecils” that the kids adore. Looking back, chickens have always been a part of my life, like the horses. I am as delighted and fascinated with them as I was so many years ago.
Hi Judith. Thank you so much for sharing your chicken story with me. I love that you have had an appreciation for these beautiful birds from an early age. I’m so sorry that you lost Oscar but that didn’t stop you from adding more and keeping chickens for many more years to come. Thank you for sharing your chicken love with your grandchildren too. I am sure those are some of their favorite memories. Glad you stopped by on the blog today.