Adventures In Attachment Parenting: My New Project by Allison Silver
On Mother’s Day we visited a local flower farm. Besides having beautiful irises they also had chickens. Charley was so intrigued by the chickens while we were there that it made me start to think about having chickens of our own. This would definitely be a new project “adventure” for me since I’ve never owned any type of livestock before. Even though I grew up in the country we never had livestock just horses and dogs. I’m not really sure why I think I need to throw anything else on my plate! Not like chasing a toddler around, making homemade meals, and doing the day to day upkeep of our home isn’t keeping me busy enough.
Now don’t worry I am well aware that my toddler will be interested in the chickens for maybe a few days and then will lose interest. If we are going to get chickens the majority of the responsibility will lie on my shoulders but the idea kind of excites me. We live on five acres and there is an old dog kennel on the property that I could easily convert into a chicken run. When I suggested this idea to my husband he looked at me like I was growing bananas out of my ears. Every time I suggest some new “crunchy” idea he seriously looks at me like I am the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland. Poor guy, he is just getting comfortable with the responsibilities that came with moving to the country and now I’m throwing chickens at him!
Since we are the family that researches everything to death, I have been doing a fair amount of research about chickens this past week. The nice thing about chickens is that the initial investment is not too much and, as far as livestock is considered, they are relatively easy to care for. As long as they have food, water, and shelter they are pretty good to go. Plus I love the fact that we would be eating fresh eggs. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but farm fresh eggs at the grocery store or farmer’s market can be quite costly. The one downside about having chickens is cleaning up after them but it doesn’t take that much time and you can compost their poop and bedding and use it in the garden or on flower beds. I even came home from a visit at the nature center with a pamphlet on composting. Oh no, not only am I throwing chickens at my poor hubby but now composting and all in the same week!
The funniest part of this whole thing is that a mom who is part of my parenting group has a farm with a hundred chickens. She has a three month old baby and has just starting to get into baby wearing. I have been thinking about selling a few of my baby carriers, to pay for some new ones, and I mentioned to her that I would sell her one of my Mei Tai carriers. But since we have decided to get chickens she has agreed to trade me four chickens for my baby carrier. This was almost too hokey for my husband. Not only am I thinking about chickens but now I am trading and bartering! Poor guy, I’m sure he is thinking, “What happened to the girl I married? Where did this country bumpkin come from?”
My husband is also convinced that chickens are the “gateway” livestock! First you start with something simple like chickens and then eventually you move onto bigger more substantial livestock. Before you know it I’ll be telling him that we need a cow for fresh milk. I have reassured him that I would not ask for a cow for milk, but possibly a goat! But for now I think we’ll stick with chickens and see how this new adventure turns out. If nothing else it will be something else for me to blog about, right?
Tags: Allison Silver, Chickens, Composting, farm fresh eggs, Livestock, more responsibility
