Our First Step into Homesteading (City-Style)

We don’t live on a farm. There are no rolling fields or red barns in sight—
just a small city lot and a heart full of dreams. But we’ve come to learn something pretty amazing: homesteading doesn’t have to start with land. It starts with what you have, where you are, and a little faith that it’s worth beginning anyway.

For us, it started with a garden. Seven tomato plants, a few peppers, one tomatillo, and four cucumber plants took root. We added an herb bed filled with basil, cilantro, oregano, and chives—plus two blueberry bushes and one little strawberry plant. That alone felt like a big win. But then… we decided to try something new.

Chickens.

I’ve always wanted chickens. For years, I’d asked Josh if we could build a coop. Each time, he gently turned me down with the same line: “We can’t have chickens in the city.” So, I let the idea go. That is—until his friend (who lives just down the road, I might add) did get chickens… and a coop. And surprise, surprise—we could have them after all.

Still, I didn’t push it. I figured, when the time was right, it would happen. And then one day, my mom started asking around—friends, family, anyone with chickens or fertile eggs. She was on a mission. When she asked me if I’d want to hatch chicks, I didn’t hesitate. I told her, “Yes—but you’ve got to convince Josh.”

And as it turns out, I didn’t have to do much convincing at all. Because once the kids got involved—and then fell completely in love—there was no going back.

My cousin gave us fertilized eggs, and we set up an incubator. The boys were all in. They checked the eggs constantly and asked a hundred questions a day. Even when they weren’t home, they needed to know how the eggs were doing. Every. Single. Day.   

   

Petey

Chicken-Jockey

Over the course of those 21 days—through wild spring storms, power outages, and hauling the incubator back and forth—we questioned whether we’d actually keep the chicks. We had gone into it thinking we’d give them back when the experiment was over. But everything changed when our oldest (who’s never really been an animal person) completely melted over these tiny fluffballs. Josh and I knew right then—we weren’t giving them up.

Four chicks hatched. We called them the OGs.

Each of us got to name one, and it was perfect. Josiah named the firstborn chick Chicken-Jockey (Minecraft fans will understand), I named the secondborn Fern, Josh named the third chick Sunny, and Jeremiah named the last one Petey.

   

Fern

Sunny

And for a couple of days, we thought that was it.

Then came my 30th birthday.

We had just gotten the news that there was an unexpected death in the family, so my birthday wasn’t going to look quite the way we imagined. We packed up to travel and be with family, but before we left, Josh made sure my day started with a smile. He took me to a local coffee shop I’d fallen in love with—and then asked if I wanted to go pick out five more chicks.

Of course, I said yes.

That morning, Justine, Reggie, Pepper, Honey, and Sapphire joined the flock.

They settled in quickly, but one of them—Sapphire—has had a bit of a rough start. We learned the hard way about pasty butt (yes, it’s a real thing), and poor Sapphire has been struggling. We've been giving her warm baths, cleaning her up, and keeping her warm with plenty of snuggles. After one of her baths, she curled up on my chest for nearly an hour to dry off and fluff back up before rejoining her sisters. Hopefully, all sisters.

The boys are completely invested. They hold the chicks carefully, check their food and water, and make sure the grit bowls are full (a word they now use proudly). They’ve learned how to be gentle, how to pay attention, and that sometimes, love looks like watching and waiting and trying again.

We may not have land. But we have a home filled with curiosity, compassion, and tiny chirps echoing through the living room. A garden out back. Chicks in the brooder. And a family learning what it means to slow down and tend to life—one little thing at a time.

We’re doing the best we can with what God has given us right now.

And for us, that’s exactly where homesteading begins.