To Chicken or Not Chicken, Again...

I love chickens.  I have had many in my life time.  It is part of my frustrated farmer thing.  The life I want is really that of a gentleman farmer...I wake up and take care of animals for fun and for free.  Spending time with them and just enjoying their quirkiness.  In my ideal world, I would have the following at my home:

Chickens

A donkey

A horse

Several goats

An alpaca or two

A mini highland cow

A crow

And a couple black faced sheep

And of course, the cats and my dog.  

I do not have room at my house for all of the above so I have limited myself to just the cats and dogs.  And yes, I know saying limiting yourself and then mentioning that you have 11 cats is hardly limiting.

But I have.  I have had a lot of the above but have let them go because I didn’t have time to take care of them, and my children, who also desperately wanted them, didn’t pull their own weight and help me.

But now it is just me.  And I have the time.  Even when I go back to work after my neck heals, I will have the time for chickens.  Just chickens.  I will not get any of the others until and unless I have the land to support them and the time to enjoy them.  But right now, I could totally have some chickens.

And unlike my usual course, I am thinking it through. I have a pro/con list going.  And if I do it, I am going to make sure that I have the tools to make it safe and enjoyable for all.  If I do it, I am going to get a door installed in the coop that will automatically open and close at dawn and dusk so that a pet sitter isn’t burdened with their care.  I will also get automatic waterers and feeders for the same reason.  And I will get ones that are rat proof.

I know that I don’t NEED chickens.  I know this.  But I want them.  I miss having them.  My dog misses having them so she can herd them.  I want to get them as chicks and hold them.  I want to sit the backyard and watch them hunt for things only chickens see.

I spent yesterday cleaning up the old coop area. And contemplating...

So far I am 70/30 in favor of getting them.  But I am waiting...

If I do it this time, I am going to get it all ready and THEN get them.  This is not how I usually acquire pets.  I get them and then scramble to get everything in order for them.  I do not want that kind of energy in my life anymore.  No scrambling.  Just peaceful contentedness which is how it has been lately around here.

Maybe chickens are a direct expression of my grief at my kids leaving.  Maybe this is just what I do with myself when faced with pain and loss and suffering.  I know chickens do not really make it all better and add a layer (pun intended)  of complication that isn’t warranted.  But it is also being true to myself.  I love chickens.  I love their funny ways and their intensity.  I love their clucking sounds and the sounds they make when they are laying.  I am NOT the biggest fan of eggs but I also hate buying eggs when I live in the country.  I may never have the acreage to have the farm I want, but I can have backyard chickens...I can and might. Jury is still out.

Life is complicated.  I am complicated.  But I will tell you that making these changes to my life and home feels good.  It feels like resurrection and reclamation.  And I am excited about all of that.  I do not have a large property but I have a lovely piece of land that is mine, that I have curated and lovingly made my own over the last decade.    And every moment I spend in my backyard feels good and right and somehow, it just feels like chickens are a part of that...

Again, still?

I will let you know!