- Jun 28, 2011
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I have a very special interviewee for you all this week. Rob Ludlow, known to our members as Nifty-Chicken, is the owner of this wonderful website. (Read more about the history of BYC here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/9631/backyardchickens-com-history/0_30). Rob will most often be found behind the scenes, working on keeping this great big ship sailing smoothly, in the BYC Website & Forum Feedback & Announcements section helping members with queries and questions and occasionally having a spot of fun on the forum, like here... We couldn't bring our new friend back with us from vacation! 
Thanks for that, Rob!
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I live in the San Francisco East Bay Area with my wife and two daughters that are 11 and 8. Both my wife and I were born and raised in the area and we’re lucky to have a lot of family that still live in the area. I’m the youngest of 6 kids (1 girl, 5 boys) and live in the house I grew up in while my mom lives in an in-law addition we built 8 years ago… which makes babysitting REALLY convenient!
I’ve always been entrepreneurial (friends and neighbors tell stories of how I used to try to sell dirt, drawings, trees, and do all manner of yard businesses, etc. when I was young). Currently I’m an online business consultant and specialize in social media and online communities. I help businesses develop and market their online products and services. I also own and maintain a portfolio of websites that include www.BackYardChickens.com. You can read more about that here: www.RobLudlow.com
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
In 2004 a friend at church had a clutch of eggs hatch, and offered us 5 chicks. Even though 4 of them ended up being roosters (which we needed to “re-home” because of local ordinances), we fell in love with backyard chickens and have been hooked ever since!
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Originally it was the uniqueness of having chickens as pets that piqued our interest. After that, we got hooked on the fact that we had a “pet that makes breakfast”! There have also been a lot of surprise benefits, for example: Our children learning more about self-sufficiency, knowing where their food comes from, etc. We’ve also been very surprised how much our family has become attached to them as pets.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
We’ve had a few different hens through our flock over the years, and of course there are some favorites that have stood out for various reasons. When we first got chickens we thought we would rotate through them as they got older, but we quickly realized that we kept finding reasons to keep each one, for example: “Blackie was our first chicken, so we have to keep her!” or “Goldie is the most beautiful chicken, so we have to keep her!” Right now, it’s pretty easy to say that Ginger, our olive-egger, is the family favorite. She’s beautiful and super friendly… our girls just adore her!
Our girls with Ginger
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
One of our favorite things about our chickens is when they would come to our back sliding-glass door to hang out and wait for attention or treats. A few of our girls were so anxious that they would start pecking on the glass to get our attention… it was pretty cute!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Over the years, we’ve had ducks (super fun to watch, but so terribly messy), lizards, snakes, etc. Our daughters would love to have dogs, cats, horses, etc., but we’re not sure we’re ready for the extra commitment right now with how busy things already are.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
It’s been an amazing 10 years! When we got our first chicks those many years ago, I would have never imagined that I’d end up running the largest resource and most awesome community of chicken enthusiasts in the world and that I’d also become the co-author of 4 “For Dummies” books about chickens! I’m amazingly humbled and grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had and friends I’ve made through BYC!
First chickens in our compost bin
Letherby's ice cream... YUM!!
Making plum jam with the family
I've always loved animals! Here I am with my absolute BEST FRIEND in the world growing up. Gamay (the half yellow lab / golden retriever):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/2/Nifty-Chicken
See here for more about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905602/introducing-vip-member-interviews/0_30
Thanks for that, Rob!
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I live in the San Francisco East Bay Area with my wife and two daughters that are 11 and 8. Both my wife and I were born and raised in the area and we’re lucky to have a lot of family that still live in the area. I’m the youngest of 6 kids (1 girl, 5 boys) and live in the house I grew up in while my mom lives in an in-law addition we built 8 years ago… which makes babysitting REALLY convenient!
I’ve always been entrepreneurial (friends and neighbors tell stories of how I used to try to sell dirt, drawings, trees, and do all manner of yard businesses, etc. when I was young). Currently I’m an online business consultant and specialize in social media and online communities. I help businesses develop and market their online products and services. I also own and maintain a portfolio of websites that include www.BackYardChickens.com. You can read more about that here: www.RobLudlow.com2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
In 2004 a friend at church had a clutch of eggs hatch, and offered us 5 chicks. Even though 4 of them ended up being roosters (which we needed to “re-home” because of local ordinances), we fell in love with backyard chickens and have been hooked ever since!
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Originally it was the uniqueness of having chickens as pets that piqued our interest. After that, we got hooked on the fact that we had a “pet that makes breakfast”! There have also been a lot of surprise benefits, for example: Our children learning more about self-sufficiency, knowing where their food comes from, etc. We’ve also been very surprised how much our family has become attached to them as pets.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
We’ve had a few different hens through our flock over the years, and of course there are some favorites that have stood out for various reasons. When we first got chickens we thought we would rotate through them as they got older, but we quickly realized that we kept finding reasons to keep each one, for example: “Blackie was our first chicken, so we have to keep her!” or “Goldie is the most beautiful chicken, so we have to keep her!” Right now, it’s pretty easy to say that Ginger, our olive-egger, is the family favorite. She’s beautiful and super friendly… our girls just adore her!
Our girls with Ginger
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
One of our favorite things about our chickens is when they would come to our back sliding-glass door to hang out and wait for attention or treats. A few of our girls were so anxious that they would start pecking on the glass to get our attention… it was pretty cute!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Over the years, we’ve had ducks (super fun to watch, but so terribly messy), lizards, snakes, etc. Our daughters would love to have dogs, cats, horses, etc., but we’re not sure we’re ready for the extra commitment right now with how busy things already are.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
It’s been an amazing 10 years! When we got our first chicks those many years ago, I would have never imagined that I’d end up running the largest resource and most awesome community of chicken enthusiasts in the world and that I’d also become the co-author of 4 “For Dummies” books about chickens! I’m amazingly humbled and grateful for the amazing opportunities I’ve had and friends I’ve made through BYC!
First chickens in our compost bin
Letherby's ice cream... YUM!!
Making plum jam with the family
I've always loved animals! Here I am with my absolute BEST FRIEND in the world growing up. Gamay (the half yellow lab / golden retriever):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/2/Nifty-Chicken
See here for more about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905602/introducing-vip-member-interviews/0_30
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