(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I raised chickens in rural Connecticut in the late 1980s, but stopped when I moved back to Chicago. I restarted the chicken obsession in 2017 when one of my daughter's school friends had baby chicks but had no idea how to care for them. They were raising them in a parakeet cage(!) but quickly realized that was not going to work. Since my daughter knew I loved chickens and we have a tendency to adopt, we ended up with them. Many thousands of dollars of chicken coops, supplies, and fencing later, we are all hooked on them.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Four
(3) What breeds do you have?
A Buff Orpington rooster (he was *supposed* to be a hen!), plus 3 hens (1 Welsummer and 2 Delawares). In the past, I have had New Hampshire Reds, Speckled Sussex, and Barred Plymouth Rocks.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Eggs! Yum. And of course, watching them. They are hysterical! So fun to observe them moving around the back yard each day, foraging through the leaves or under the plants, fighting over something fresh.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Growing orchids, which I have been doing since 1978 (long before it was commonplace). Calligraphy. Cosplay and Costuming. Stamp art (mostly cards). BICYCLING! I bike commute year round in Chicago where I even do my weekly grocery shopping by bike.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm a teacher with 3 (mostly) raised and fledged children, ages 16-23, soon to be grandma, married for 27 years to an awesome husband who tolerates all of my mad ideas. I teach AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Physics. In the past, I have taught Horticulture, Plant Science and Ag Ed (plant based), Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and French (I minored in French in college, and I lived in Paris for a year and a half in the mid-80s). We have many, many pets: Australian Cattle Dog (red heeler), DLH cat, assorted turtles, lizards, snakes--all rescues or donations--and a large bullfrog rescued from a food purveyor where he narrowly avoided become someone's dinner. We also have a few fish tanks with tropical fish (although those weren't rescue animals). And obviously, we have our mini-flock of Chickens. We live 1 block from the Chicago city limit on a tiny city-size lot, yet we have successfully raised free-ranging chickens for 4 years now, even with a cattle dog sharing the backyard.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Found this site through a web search. It's been a great resource for information.
I raised chickens in rural Connecticut in the late 1980s, but stopped when I moved back to Chicago. I restarted the chicken obsession in 2017 when one of my daughter's school friends had baby chicks but had no idea how to care for them. They were raising them in a parakeet cage(!) but quickly realized that was not going to work. Since my daughter knew I loved chickens and we have a tendency to adopt, we ended up with them. Many thousands of dollars of chicken coops, supplies, and fencing later, we are all hooked on them.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Four
(3) What breeds do you have?
A Buff Orpington rooster (he was *supposed* to be a hen!), plus 3 hens (1 Welsummer and 2 Delawares). In the past, I have had New Hampshire Reds, Speckled Sussex, and Barred Plymouth Rocks.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Eggs! Yum. And of course, watching them. They are hysterical! So fun to observe them moving around the back yard each day, foraging through the leaves or under the plants, fighting over something fresh.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Growing orchids, which I have been doing since 1978 (long before it was commonplace). Calligraphy. Cosplay and Costuming. Stamp art (mostly cards). BICYCLING! I bike commute year round in Chicago where I even do my weekly grocery shopping by bike.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm a teacher with 3 (mostly) raised and fledged children, ages 16-23, soon to be grandma, married for 27 years to an awesome husband who tolerates all of my mad ideas. I teach AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Physics. In the past, I have taught Horticulture, Plant Science and Ag Ed (plant based), Chemistry, Geometry, Algebra, Trigonometry and French (I minored in French in college, and I lived in Paris for a year and a half in the mid-80s). We have many, many pets: Australian Cattle Dog (red heeler), DLH cat, assorted turtles, lizards, snakes--all rescues or donations--and a large bullfrog rescued from a food purveyor where he narrowly avoided become someone's dinner. We also have a few fish tanks with tropical fish (although those weren't rescue animals). And obviously, we have our mini-flock of Chickens. We live 1 block from the Chicago city limit on a tiny city-size lot, yet we have successfully raised free-ranging chickens for 4 years now, even with a cattle dog sharing the backyard.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Found this site through a web search. It's been a great resource for information.
Hello and welcome to BYC, You found an Awesome poultry Forum to be a part of with many great knowledgeable members who are more then willing to jump in and help you with any questions you may have. 
Glad you joined.
