Chicken mom

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Chicken moms buy the strangest things. Case in point: a giant bag of black soldier fly larvae and mealworms. Not only is this enormous bag filled with pure grossness, but it also costs nearly $60. Crazy, right? But sometimes the girls deserve a treat, so I splurge.

When you really think about it, each egg probably costs about $20 with all the care, feed, and upkeep that goes into raising chickens. I’m kidding… sort of. It’s a good thing I love my girls for more reasons than just the eggs they provide.

Our flock gives Tim and me endless entertainment, though they also come with plenty of nighttime predator watches that keep us on our toes and sleeping with one eye open. Someday we’ll probably scale things down, build a smaller coop, and keep just a few hens. But for now, we’re embracing our large, slightly monstrous coop filled with a colorful variety of hens laying beautiful eggs in every shade.

Honestly, I’m not sure how I’d manage without pets. Apparently, I need animals in my life. Even our scaredy-cat basement cat makes our house complete. My mornings would feel incomplete without tending to the chickens.

My son often tells me I create extra work for myself between seasonal decorating and adding chickens to my world. He’s probably right. But those things bring me so much joy that the balance almost always tips in favor of the joy, making the work feel completely worth it.

Traveling, however, is another story. Finding someone who truly understands how to care for chickens isn’t always easy. And I’m fairly certain if Tim and I went away right now, our cat would never come out for a house sitter. She has been making progress, though. She comes upstairs from the basement every day now, which feels like a major victory. I’m still waiting for the day she ventures all the way upstairs, curls up on my lap, or even sits beside me on the couch. These things take time.

Of course, she gets fancy treats too, so it’s not just the chickens who are spoiled. And as for me, I've been called a lot of things, so why not add chicken mom to the list. I may create a lot of work for myself, but somehow I also seem to create a life filled with joy and happiness. 

“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” — Charles Darwin