- Sep 2, 2014
- 3
- 0
- 14
Hi! I am new to BYC, although I confess that I have been lurking around the site for a couple weeks. Very impressed with the layout, general ease of navigation, stories, pictures and videos, and great advice!
I grew up with chickens, but moved to town when I married. Our city just recently allowed backyard chickens and I couldn't wait to start our very own flock! My husband took a bit of convincing, but when we found our "perfect coop" he completely baulked at the cost. My 9 year old daughter was so determined she organized, set up, and ran a yard sale that weekend, easily raising the money to buy the coop! How could he say no to that?
Our first two chickens were a gift from a co-worker (of unknown breed) and were close to laying age. We named them Ginger and Iridescent. They took to us with as much enthusiasm as we took to them and quickly became a part of our family. My girls giggle hysterically when they come running to greet us, spend hours following them around the yard or simply sitting and talking to them, and cannot wait to get up early in the morning to feed them and check for eggs. Our first egg was a HUGE to do, generating intense excitement that easily rivaled that of a theme park visit!
We added to our flock a few weeks later, with the introduction of a Lavender Orpington (Opi), and a Cream Legbar (Peep), both 8 weeks old. These two little girls are the primary reason I finally decided to be a member of BYC, instead of lurking in the sidelines. We lost both chicks, within a couple weeks of one another and in the course of frantic research, I stumbled across an incredibly informative (and easy to understand) post on the forums here, very accurately describing their symptoms in what I now believe was a coccidiosis infection. I am hoping to gain more knowledge and have better resources to help my family be better chicken guardians and hopefully avoid future tragedies.
I grew up with chickens, but moved to town when I married. Our city just recently allowed backyard chickens and I couldn't wait to start our very own flock! My husband took a bit of convincing, but when we found our "perfect coop" he completely baulked at the cost. My 9 year old daughter was so determined she organized, set up, and ran a yard sale that weekend, easily raising the money to buy the coop! How could he say no to that?
Our first two chickens were a gift from a co-worker (of unknown breed) and were close to laying age. We named them Ginger and Iridescent. They took to us with as much enthusiasm as we took to them and quickly became a part of our family. My girls giggle hysterically when they come running to greet us, spend hours following them around the yard or simply sitting and talking to them, and cannot wait to get up early in the morning to feed them and check for eggs. Our first egg was a HUGE to do, generating intense excitement that easily rivaled that of a theme park visit!
We added to our flock a few weeks later, with the introduction of a Lavender Orpington (Opi), and a Cream Legbar (Peep), both 8 weeks old. These two little girls are the primary reason I finally decided to be a member of BYC, instead of lurking in the sidelines. We lost both chicks, within a couple weeks of one another and in the course of frantic research, I stumbled across an incredibly informative (and easy to understand) post on the forums here, very accurately describing their symptoms in what I now believe was a coccidiosis infection. I am hoping to gain more knowledge and have better resources to help my family be better chicken guardians and hopefully avoid future tragedies.
Glad you joined the flock and are no longer a lurker. Sorry to hear about your birds dying it is such an upsetting thing. Be sure to ask lots of questions every one here very friendly and informative. Good luck with your flock. 
good luck with the rest of the flock!
