mum-2-olly Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Hi all, i have been on a the forum a few weeks so nice to be here with you all! i went on the eglu course on saturday! it was fab and so much fun,,,however on saturday morning i found out that i am expecting a lil chick of my own!!! i already have a little boy and then will have another in 7 months time. so the question is to chicken or not to chicken?? will it be too much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Depends if you have help or not. They need a bit of care, just a few minutes a day, and a good sort out every now and then. Depends how you are feeling I suppose. Congratulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I agree depends if you have help. They can be very calming at times. Our friends had girls (before the fox got them) and his wife was pregnant and she just went out for a couple of minutes or more everyday and talk to them and stroke them. So it depends if you have help and how you feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Congratulations on your good news Children are hard work and 2 is going to obviously be a lot harder than it was the first time around. At least with a first baby you can concentrate on being a mum, whereas when you already have another child you have to spread yourself more thinly and apart from all the extra work there is at some point the interaction between your 2 children. Although it is true that keeping hens doesn't necessarily mean a lot of work, there is indeed some work that has to be done every day and I guess you have to ask yourself how you will feel after possibly a sleepless night with a new baby and having to balance that with feeding and watering them every day and cleaning out their trays etc., never mind the regular thorough cleaning of their houses and access to somewhere to free range during the day. There is a thread on the Eglu/Cube selling part of the forum where someone is now selling all the expensive things they have bought from Omlet as they are having a baby and have decided to concentrate on their baby rather than their hens. Perhaps it would be better to have your baby first and see if you think you can fit in keeping hens once things have settled down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I would wait and get your chickens when you know that you will have the time to sit and enjoy them and share them with your children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxjam Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 As a stay at home Dad that has looked after 2 children from birth I found it pretty easy juggle my time between chickens and children. And we all know how much better women are at multi-tasking... Chickens don't tend to require much in the way of looking after on a daily basis, although I do clean the coop out properly once a week which can take half an hour or so. My only concern would be the period after you've given birth, I guess you'll be pretty tired and sore for a while and not upto looking after chickens. My wife was rushed in for an emergency caesarean and couldn't move for 6 weeks, but I still managed to look after her, a 5yo, a baby, 3 chickens and a dog! Perhaps you just need to buy your other half some rubber gloves and book on looking after chickens... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sezra Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Congratulations! I cant believe I am going to say this as I am the most impatient person in the world , but I would wait. Your newborn baby will take up so much time, especially if you are breast feeding, I remember I just seemed to be sat feeding for most of the day! When you do have a moment to spare I expect you will want to spend it with your little boy so that he has some special Mummy time. Maybe wait until the baby is six months old and not so time demanding unless you have an easy baby, trouble is you never know what they are going to be like until they arrive! As I said, I am the sort of person who listens to everyone's wonderful advice and then do what I want anyway so you probably shouldn't listen to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 thanks for all your replies. well i did feed myself and had a horrendous birth first time round, so much so that i have to have a c section this time to stop me from..wel...dying! gulp! i have an amazing hubby and a fun beautiful son, i thought it might be nice for my lil one to have his own pets (althought they are secretly mine!!) i might leave it a week or 2 and see, my hubby has said that if i wanted them then he would help after the baby (bless him!) i think i would just make sure that i had just cleaned them out week before the baby was induced. then it wont have to be done for a lil while. ahh i am excited, if a bit shellshocked! nearly crashed the car on way to eglu course! lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabel Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Congrats on your pregnancy - that's wonderful and so exciting to look forward to ... and for your little boy too who is going to be a big brother. I've just got chickens and look after them along with 2 yr old twins, a 6 and an 8 yr old. I love getting out to the chickens - for a bit of peace and quiet ! - and the children loooove them to bits. Do what you feel most comfortable with ... if you have the help and think you'll have the time and energy, then go for it. Like the others said, it's a few mins a day but a little extra time once a month or so for a big clean-out .... and being pregnant is a great excuse for your DH to do that one for a while!! On one hand you could get them now and you'll have 6/7 months to settle them in before the baby arrives (which is oodles of time) but on the other hand, you could wait til spring. The weather will be better, the baby will be a couple of months old. Your decision will be the right one for you, whatever it may be! We'll look forward to both chicken and baby pics from you! Isabel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roobaloo Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I'm not a mother so I personally don't know how it would effect you.. The main thing is - can you give them enough care when you're 8 months pregnant, tired and bloated...? Then when you're exhausted with a newborn as well as another child...or, as already mentioned, after the birth? As I said, I've never experienced it so I don't know how it feels...but you have...you know your body and you know how you are when you're pregnant. Also, you know if your family will help with the heavy work when you can't! If you're in ANY doubt, then wait...it's better to delay it then to be overwelmed and have to rehome beloved pets. Good luck with it all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertrum Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I'm with Isabel, you will know what is right. I'd either do it now so you are used to the hens when the baby comes or wait until spring so you are used to the baby when the hens come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mum-2-olly Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 well i think i am just gonna wait a week or 2 more. i think telling my mum and dad that we are having another and 3 chickens would be a bit much for them! i think it would be a lovely hobby for me to escape for a bit of me time when the baby comes and if i got them soon i woukdl be experience enough to be in a routine with them all. i have a freind that said she will take them also for a week or 2 whilst i recover. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jill the potter Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Congrats on your news!! Sounds like you will be having a winter baby, and thinking of how bad the weather was this winter (It was -9 here at one point!) It is a consideration as someone said before, having to sort out chickens when your tired, with a baby to feed, and then having to go out on a cold, possibly snowy, dark morning to defrost the chicks water and sort out their food.........I would personally leave getting the chicks till next spring. (Says she who can't wait for anything!!!! ) It will also give you time to plan for both new arrivals!!! Maybe arrange to go and see a few omleteers set ups to give you an idea. I know my way of keeping chicks has changed since I got them as I had no idea how destructive they would be to the garden and now have them confined in a walk-in run with only a small area of the garden to free range in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleTree Posted July 27, 2010 Share Posted July 27, 2010 I've just had our 3rd son, Ben, 3 weeks ago, by c-section. I've also just re-homed our chickens and sold the eglu, they're all going on Thursday. The reason wasn't really anything to do with having a new baby, but that I wanted the garden back for the boys. The chickens usually free-range most of the day, and so produce a lot of poo, and make a mess of the garden. The older boys are good at dodging the poo and always put wellies on to go outside (and are trained to take them off as soon as they come back inside), but I didn't fancy the idea of having a toddling baby land in a pile of poo. So the chickens would've been spending more time in their run, which I didn't feel was fair. I coped fine with the day to day care of the chickens while I was pregnant, it only takes 10 minutes (bit hairy in the snow and ice we had earlier in the year, I was terrified I would slip over). I even did a full clean 3 days before having him. I did show hubby the basics and he took care of them for a week or so after I had Ben, by then I couldn't wait to get back outside I think it depends on your garden, and how much they are going to free-range. If I had space for a walk in run, which the chickens could stay in all the time, I would consider keeping them. As it is I haven't. I can always get more once the boys are older and spending less time in the garden - or when I win the lottery and have my huge country house with massive garden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
