To get chickens or not to get chickens, that is the question...

Have you read Farm City by Novella Carpenter?  Ever since I’ve read her book, I have been obsessed with wanting to raise farm animals and growing a garden. I thought if she can do it, so can I!

It was great reading her about her accomplishments and her failures. Little did I know that I would be moving to the state where she was raised and very close to the city where her father currently resides.

Now that we have land and it is ours to do with what we wish, what are we going to do? I know I want to plant a garden and planning has already begun. I need to get some seeds and start sowing. I have some idea of what will grow and what won’t. I’ve gotten advice from many sources and I have a wonderful book to guide me. I think I am in good hands regarding getting started.

I have been doing some research on chickens. My head is spinning with all of the possibilities, but I have serious doubts. Right now, I am overwhelmed taking care of this huge house, homeschooling the kids, training a puppy, maintaining a wood stove, and keeping my sanity. There is enough to keep my busy almost all the time.

Do I have time in my schedule to even care for chickens? Sure as the weather warms up I won’t have to maintain the wood stove for heat. That will certainly be a huge load off my plate. Then I will have the garden to plan, cultivate, build, plant, and maintain.

Yup, I need to build my garden. You see we have a lot of wild animals roaming freely who would love a tasty treat. So far I have seen deer, mice, birds, turkeys, and moose. Although I am enjoying the beauty nature has to offer, I therefore must build at least a 6 foot fence around my garden. Apparently, deer can jump fences! A fact I was certainly not aware.

Luckily, I have already gotten a few offers to help build my garden, but not so confident about chickens.  We would have to build or buy a chicken coop and then figure out where is the best place to house them. Its tough right now because it is still winter and we don’t know what our landscape really looks like with all of the foliage.

So, perhaps we might skip this season getting chickens and may devote our time on other projects. I really do want chickens, but I may just have to set them aside for now. This is a tough realization and heartbreaking for me as you might be able to tell by my post. I will keep the idea on the back of the list and perhaps it might move up as time passes.