For the Love of Chickens!

Life is tough. Very tough. It is also filled with many wonderful things. One of those is CHICKENS! We started our first backyard flock in the Spring of 2012, inspired by friends. We decided to keep it small...it has since filled our lives and we've expanded (a lot). For the full story visit our website and blog at Favara Flocks. It's just getting started so do follow us there and come back for more soon. 

I know some of you are probably thinking, what the heck is this lady talking about chickens for? Isn't this a cancer blog? Well yes it is...but it's also just about the life. Cancer, my mom's, is just part of that life. A huge part, don't get me wrong. On a good day is it all consuming. But, I am learning that there are these little things in life that I or my family or all of us together enjoy so much, that for a few seconds there is some reprieve from our fears and we find joy. 

Chickens are the greatest little things. They have personalities like you wouldn't believe, until you've spent time with them. We've not named any of ours because we respect the fact that they are also food or provide food and life is delicate. We lost our beautiful dog, Sasha Girl, a sweet English Bull Mastiff this summer and it was very hard on the entire family. Sometimes I think deep down it is more self preservation to refrain from naming them than anything else. Although, we've become quite attached to our chickens, so much so we might as well get on with it and name them. 

Today we added an additional 26 baby chicks to our existing flock of 7 full grown chickens and 4 other chicks that are now 3.5 weeks old. I spent the better part of the afternoon worrying about chicks sitting in a box at the Post Office, having arrived 2 full days early while I was 30 minutes away at work. Turns out they were fine, and I spent a few hours worrying about something different today. Coming home with my little guy and spending a few moments getting the chicks settled and watching them was the JOY. 

There are many wonderful things about raising chickens: 

• Although a great responsibility they are far less work than say having a dog. 
• They are quite funny. 
• Fun to watch.
• Delicious, healthy, local (in my yard) eggs that are more nutritious than store bought and free of all things unnatural. 
• Meat if you are someone who can do that, I can't and so I won't. 
• Great learning experience for children. 
• Wonderful distractions from the very serious nature of life. 
• Did I mention they eat bugs (especially ticks) and make great fertilizer (organic) for the garden.
• You feel like your doing something important, something that is worth doing. 

Having a mom with Cancer makes you suddenly aware or more aware and concerned with what you consume. So, we raise chickens (and someday soon, honey bees and goats and maybe a horse), compost, plant gardens and do our best to make good choices. 

Most of all we have the chickens, for the love of chickens! I know, I know sound like a crazy bird lady but that is not at all the case. You'll have to take my word on it.