Chicken Run in Olathe, Part One

My very dear Lovely Assistant--

Cackle Hatchery's Chicken Car, 2023

I asked you what you would like me to chronicle next, thinking that you would ask for something easy to write about such as your beloved strawflowers, but...you asked for the chickens! Usually, I wait until we have a few years' experience in something before we chronicle it, so that all the triumphs and tragedies have been experienced and the lessons learned thoroughly digested. This is going to be different, as I will be reporting as we go along. I grew up with chickens on the farm in the country, but urban chickens are definitely a new experience for all of us! I can see there are going to be many differences (but yet also similarities) in this type of chicken keeping.

First we should explore WHY we are we doing this? Many neighbors have encouraged us to get a dog (and both of us grew up with both dogs and cats, loving all of them dearly). There were so many reasons to go with poultry than a cat or a dog this time around.

1. They live outdoors 100 percent of the time. We have multiple allergies, so the fewer allergy triggers we have on the property, the better life is. Outdoor triggers are easier to avoid than indoor triggers.

2. Their poop and pee is not toxic to plants--a HUGE plus over cats and dogs.

3. Nobody gets upset if they are confined constantly...in fact, most prefer it.

4. When was the last time you ate something your pet produced? We are looking forward to consuming eggs for breakfast, in desserts, etc.

5. They eat bugs. Larger birds can eat larger bugs. We are hoping they take a bite out of our Japanese beetle population, as well as other pests. The local songbirds do not eat Japanese beetles.

6. My Lovely Assistant needed to have more animal experiences to prepare her for her intended college studies.

We will explore this subject more in other posts! Have a beautiful day!