I had a small flock of Buff Brah mas and Black Sex-link chickens this summer but had to give them away before they could lay eggs. It was a case of waiting forever for my husband to decide to retire; or for me togive up and move back to Dallas to wait with him. I loved being with my husband as we have only been married 47 years – been with him so long it feels like I am missing part of my body when he is not there.
Back in Dallas, things settled down but I keep making plans in my mind for when we moved back to the old home place in Mississippi. There will be chickens to order, new better coops to be build, and raised, square-foot gardens to create (or made ready to plant for the fall).
In my mind, I plan and replan all these things especially the chickens. I read and talked so much about chickens that Tom told the family, “She clucks when she reads, she clucks when she is at the computer, and she clucks when she sits down to talk.” Tom is not the chicken person I am.
I have not revealed to him all my hopes, dreams and plans. He would not understand. It is enough that he says we can have chickens even when he asks, “Why do you want more than one breed. Just get 100 hundred of one breed?”
When he says that he is remembering what his mama and grandmother used to do. They bought 100, raised them up to eating size and cut the flock down until there were about 12 good hens and one rooster. I want 4 breeds and for various reasons. I want Salmon Faverolles because of their friendly nature, beauty and all around usefulness. (I want them for pets and eggs.) I want Delawares for similar reasons and because they are good for eating at most any age. I want Americanas for the beauty of their eggs. I also want some Silkies because of their nature – friendly, broody – and because of their beauty. This means having 4 different coops and our big back yard fenced. We can do this.
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