A Happy Year

I can't believe that we have had the chickens for almost a year.  2013 was a year of change and many new things for me.  The chickens were just one of them.  The question I get asked the  most often is - "Why?" And my question back is "Why Not?"

And I have determined that "Why Not?" is the theme of my year... Why not figure out what you enjoy doing? Why not try something new? Why not challenge yourself? I have noticed that we get so caught up in what we are "supposed to do" or "supposed to be"... Speaking from experience, I graduated college and I was supposed to get a job that expected me to work at my desk for 45+ hours a week.  But maybe I wanted to do something different.  So Why not take the summer off, go back and learn something new and change my life path?  Well there were lots of reason WHY NOT to do that - money, insurance, stability, and the list goes on. But I decided I would figure it out as I went along.  I spent my summer learning the basics of Pilates, raising chickens, teaching swim lessons and barre classes and being a professional pool cleaner :)  And it was wonderful. 

For being so superstitious - 2013 turned out to be better than I ever expected.  There are so many wonderful people in my life that have supported me along this journey, especially my husband who puts up with my crazy chicken ideas.  Last weekend we added another "addition" to the chicken coop. 

Here are some pictures of the new room...

 This room is fully enclosed and has another roost for them to sleep on.  The hope is that this area will be warmer for the cold nights this winter and will provide more space that is covered and out of the elements - snow, rain, etc.  I plan to paint this addition in the spring. 

Another reason to add on - we are planning to get more baby chicks this spring, and we will offer other family and friends the opportunity to "sponsor" a chicken.  My aunt suggested that they would buy the chickens and pay for the feed, if I was willing to raise them.  So another new adventure will unfold in 2014.  If you are interested in sponsoring a chick - let me know! Once they start laying you will be guaranteed 6 eggs a week for each chicken you sponsor.  Terms and payment is still TBD. 

Thanks for everyone who has followed my blog this year - yet another successful endeavor for me. 

Here is a recap of the photos from 2013:

Final thought for 2013: Each day you only get 86,400 seconds - that's it.  And you will never get those seconds back.  So how will you spend each second of every day in 2014??

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!