Hi! I am a grad student who is trying to turn his house into a homestead. I am brand new to raising chickens and will be getting my first six (five hens and a rooster) from a good friend on Monday! I have been looking around the forums for about 2 weeks now and thought I'd better go ahead and join. I've raised a lot of different types of pets over the years; dogs, cats, fish, a coyote, geckos (which I breed), snakes, etc... I even took care of an alligator for about a month until he could return to his home. But, this will be my first time with birds. I've been around friends with them plenty of times though. (This site has already taught me a ton)
Oh, if anyone is wondering my username, "Fjalar", is the name of a rooster in Norse mythology who will crow to warn of the apocalypse (Im a literature major focusing on Norse mythology)
from Ohio, so glad you joined. 
