Five years after he promised I could have chickens in Kenya, Pete came through on his word. We have hens! Mother’s Day weekend brought five laying chickens to our coop. I went to sleep on Friday night and woke up to their little clucks on Saturday morning. Pete had arranged with his friend to bring the girls by during the night so I’d be surprised. I had no idea they were coming!
Layers are hard to purchase in our area. No one wants to sell them because the eggs usually create an income. I thought it would take longer to find our chickens, which made the surprise so sweet last weekend.
I was thrilled to welcome our five girls, but Ella has been beyond excited all week, checking for eggs and playing with the hens multiple times a day.
Sam adores them, too, but prefers to sit back and watch as they play in the yard.
These two haven’t had pets before, besides the fish Ella had for a little while when she was three. It’s been pretty wonderful watching them fall in love with the girls.
We weren’t sure the hens would start laying right away, since they had taken a long, bumpy ride to get to us and were in a new setting. We were wrong! They each laid an egg on their first day with us.
Ella has a perfect view of the coop from her bedroom window. As soon as she wakes in the morning, she runs out to feed the girls and then keeps a close eye on them throughout the day.
The girls are super sweet and have had a lot of attention in the last week. What a dream to finally have our hens!
Have you had chickens? Or did you grow up with other pets? I grew up on a hobby farm and loved having pets. I’m so, so happy our kids have pets of their own now!
Happy Hen Day!! Glad to see you guys are getting pets for the kids to grow with. I know it’s been tough with Pete’s allergies but now they can have the responsibilities that being “ranchers” brings to life. Have fun Ella!!
Thanks, Dad! We’re super happy to have them!