- Jun 28, 2011
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Holly, known to BYC members as lazy gardener, has been a member of our community since November 2012. A keen gardener and chicken keeper, when she's not talking chickens, she will often be found in the Gardening section, sharing ideas.
Jack, my EE roo.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I am a mother of 2, grand mother of 3, and live with my husband (who was my highschool sweet heart) in a home we built. We will celebrate 41 years of marriage this fall. He's my best friend. He is strong where I am weak. We also share our home with a 14 year old grand son, and a very affectionate cat. My faith and church family are very important to me. I recently returned from a mission trip to Guatemala. Aside from my passion for gardening, and raising chickens to help with that hobby, I love to kayak, do building projects (making basic furniture, tiling, home improvement). I work per-diem as a Physical Therapist Assistant. In the last 3 years, I have built a green house, 2 chicken tractors, a 2 level hoop coop, and most recently, hubby and I built a 10 x 12 coop. I hate housework. I'd rather be outside shoveling manure!
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
We were doing an incubation project in 6th grade, and I offered to supply the eggs, in exchange for the honor of getting to “tend” the incubator, and take the hatchlings home. We had 100% hatch with the 4 bantams. After building our home, I started a flock with some rejects from a friend, followed by: BSL, mini-leghorns, and some CXR. Most recently, I got back into poultry raising in 2013. I got chickens to help with my gardening: insect control, tilling, fertilizing. Eggs and meat, and the infinite entertainment as well as associated exercise are an added bonus.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
What's not to love? I love the research. Started that in 2012. I love to incubate eggs, (home made bator). There's a sense of awe that goes along with candling a warm egg in your hand and watching a chick dance inside that egg. Then, to see that new life push out of the egg. Truly a miracle. I love watching my flock contentedly patrolling my yard. I love to watch the communication between flock members. They have such language skills! And I love seeing how the patterns of genetic diversity play out when hatching chicks.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
The first was Aunt Alma. A bantam roo, hatched in 6th grade. I'd toss him out my upstairs bedroom window, he'd fly down, and fling his head back to crow about his successful landing. Now there's Jack. He's master of the current gene pool. He loves to tidbit his ladies, and has shown great interest in the chicks.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Aunt Alma was a sketch. He was always up for a flight out the bedroom window, and often rode around on my shoulder. He hated rubber boots, and stuffed monkeys. He'd spar with either. Jack: He reminds me of Kramer when he dances for the ladies. I swear, one of these days he's gonna trip over his wing and fall down! He loves to sit in a nest box and invite his ladies to join him.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Currently one cat, who likes to watch the chickens. Grew up with a menagerie: salamanders, snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, crayfish, birds, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, hampsters, horses, sheep, and several memorable dogs. At one time I had 900 Angel fish. That's a story for an other day!
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Current projects: We recently had a lot of land cleared (we own 4.3 acres in a rural town, on a dead end road) The excavator buried all of the beautiful top soil, and left behind a land mine of big boulders and heavy clay subsoil. So, we've been working on that: I've dragged and tilled, planted a front lawn, working on the back now: lots of boulders to move, building a stone wall, building (in small increments) a hugelkulture mound, planting a mini orchard, working on Back To Eden concept for the orchard, and hoping to convert the garden to the same this fall. I've been gardening under mulch for over 30 years, and am convinced that it's the only way to garden. Thus the “Lazy gardener” name.
Many thanks to the BYC family for the education and friendship over the years. Beekissed, Sally Sunshine, Blooie, Donrae, Ridgerunner, and many others, too many to mention!
Finally: never put off starting to learn or do something new, because you're “too old”. If you do or don't follow your dreams, you're still gonna be a year older next year... Take time for God, and every thing else will fall into place.
Rock on new front lawn
New coop 10 x 12
Dominique broody w/6 chicks hatched 8/9/15
I love my day lilies!
Hand held Japanese Beetle trap.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/173150/lazy-gardener
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
Jack, my EE roo.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I am a mother of 2, grand mother of 3, and live with my husband (who was my highschool sweet heart) in a home we built. We will celebrate 41 years of marriage this fall. He's my best friend. He is strong where I am weak. We also share our home with a 14 year old grand son, and a very affectionate cat. My faith and church family are very important to me. I recently returned from a mission trip to Guatemala. Aside from my passion for gardening, and raising chickens to help with that hobby, I love to kayak, do building projects (making basic furniture, tiling, home improvement). I work per-diem as a Physical Therapist Assistant. In the last 3 years, I have built a green house, 2 chicken tractors, a 2 level hoop coop, and most recently, hubby and I built a 10 x 12 coop. I hate housework. I'd rather be outside shoveling manure!
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
We were doing an incubation project in 6th grade, and I offered to supply the eggs, in exchange for the honor of getting to “tend” the incubator, and take the hatchlings home. We had 100% hatch with the 4 bantams. After building our home, I started a flock with some rejects from a friend, followed by: BSL, mini-leghorns, and some CXR. Most recently, I got back into poultry raising in 2013. I got chickens to help with my gardening: insect control, tilling, fertilizing. Eggs and meat, and the infinite entertainment as well as associated exercise are an added bonus.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
What's not to love? I love the research. Started that in 2012. I love to incubate eggs, (home made bator). There's a sense of awe that goes along with candling a warm egg in your hand and watching a chick dance inside that egg. Then, to see that new life push out of the egg. Truly a miracle. I love watching my flock contentedly patrolling my yard. I love to watch the communication between flock members. They have such language skills! And I love seeing how the patterns of genetic diversity play out when hatching chicks.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
The first was Aunt Alma. A bantam roo, hatched in 6th grade. I'd toss him out my upstairs bedroom window, he'd fly down, and fling his head back to crow about his successful landing. Now there's Jack. He's master of the current gene pool. He loves to tidbit his ladies, and has shown great interest in the chicks.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Aunt Alma was a sketch. He was always up for a flight out the bedroom window, and often rode around on my shoulder. He hated rubber boots, and stuffed monkeys. He'd spar with either. Jack: He reminds me of Kramer when he dances for the ladies. I swear, one of these days he's gonna trip over his wing and fall down! He loves to sit in a nest box and invite his ladies to join him.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Currently one cat, who likes to watch the chickens. Grew up with a menagerie: salamanders, snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs, crayfish, birds, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, hampsters, horses, sheep, and several memorable dogs. At one time I had 900 Angel fish. That's a story for an other day!
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Current projects: We recently had a lot of land cleared (we own 4.3 acres in a rural town, on a dead end road) The excavator buried all of the beautiful top soil, and left behind a land mine of big boulders and heavy clay subsoil. So, we've been working on that: I've dragged and tilled, planted a front lawn, working on the back now: lots of boulders to move, building a stone wall, building (in small increments) a hugelkulture mound, planting a mini orchard, working on Back To Eden concept for the orchard, and hoping to convert the garden to the same this fall. I've been gardening under mulch for over 30 years, and am convinced that it's the only way to garden. Thus the “Lazy gardener” name.
Many thanks to the BYC family for the education and friendship over the years. Beekissed, Sally Sunshine, Blooie, Donrae, Ridgerunner, and many others, too many to mention!
Finally: never put off starting to learn or do something new, because you're “too old”. If you do or don't follow your dreams, you're still gonna be a year older next year... Take time for God, and every thing else will fall into place.
Rock on new front lawn
New coop 10 x 12
Dominique broody w/6 chicks hatched 8/9/15
I love my day lilies!
Hand held Japanese Beetle trap.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/173150/lazy-gardener
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
