Hi everybody! I have loved chickens my whole life and always wanted some. Most of my adult life, I've lived in tiny apartments so I couldn't really have any, but recently I moved to my grandfather's old house in a farm town. He used to raise chickens, and though the giant chicken shed has since been converted to a garage, we still have a large fenced pasture. So I found a small coop on craigslist and will be picking it up today!
I'm living with my mom to help her out with things. Though she does not have fond memories of having to care for the chickens as a kid (she hates bantams because she said they would chase her around), she's excited about my excitement and said she could be OK with four chickens. She really likes Rhode Island Reds, and I really like Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas, so we'll want to get a mix of those. I also really like Jersey Giants, but I can't find any hatcheries around here that has them.
I've read things on BYC for years now, as I dreamed about getting chickens, but I never started an account. Now, of course, I have a lot of reading to do to, so I've spent a lot of time here the past couple of days. I don't only need to make sure I know how to take care of my chickens, but I have to keep reassuring my mom it's going to be fine (she keeps coming up with what-ifs, like, what if the chickens get lice, that kind of thing). Right now, I'm reading up on people's experiences with feeding frozen food, because my grandpa had a tendency to keep a lot of stuff in the freezer, and we need to thin it out a bit.
Grandpa is still around, but has to live in a home for folks with dementia, and has recently started hospice. It's been really hard for my mom-hard for me too, but mom's the one who has been taking care of him for years now as he's been declining. But now I'm here with her and after years of not being able to do the stuff she used to do before grandpa started going downhill, I'm learning how to garden so she can grow the fruits and vegetables loves (I'm sure excited about the prospect of home grown tomatoes among other things). It's been nice visiting grandpa and telling him about what we're planing, and it will be nice to tell him about the chickens too. I'm not sure he remembers who I am, but he remembers his gardens, and the chickens, and other things from when he was a young man, so he smiles and nods in approval to hear about it all now.
Haha, that got more emotional than I meant. Our family here also includes three cats and two chihuahuas. The cats are all indoors only, and the dogs have a yard for themselves, separate from the pasture, but I'll still try to introduce them to the chickens just in case of encounters. My own cat likes to go for walks on a leash, and I figure he wouldn't mind checking out the chickens. I'm also a big fan of bees. I got us a mason bee house some cocoons, and they've been fun to watch. We also have a honey bee hive in our garage (in a part we don't use). I can't access the honey comb, but it makes me happy to have them there. Maybe someday I'll get into beekeeping.
Neither my mom nor I work right now. Besides gardening, we spend a lot of time going through my grandparents' stuff. The past four generations of my family kept everything, and it's all stuffed away into every available space in this (really big) house. There's a lot of junk that just needs to be tossed, but a lot of treasures too. Anything that family members don't want are getting sold on ebay (well, we're trying to do that, at least). Lots of vintage glass. The coolest thing we've found so far are a pair of binoculars from WWI.
I tend to be really wordy, so sorry about that. How about some pictures now?
Pacey starts all his walks by rolling around in dirt. His previous owners let him be an indoor/outdoor cat, but I am not OK with leaving cats outside unattended. I'm glad he took to a harness well so he can still go out every day (though he really wants to try to crawl into grandpa's old cellar and I do not want to go down there).
Pacey used to be an only cat. He's adjusting to the other kitties pretty well. Chloe is just a couple of years old and teaching Pacey how to play. Lucy is an ooold little gray kitty who has some physical issues which prevented her from getting spayed. She has decided Pacey is her boyfriend.
Sweetpea is my mom's chihuahua, and Tempe belongs to my uncle but is staying with us indefinitely. Sweetie loves being held, but poor Tempe was abused before my uncle rescued her, so we have to be pretty gentle with her.
Grandpa and me!
I'm living with my mom to help her out with things. Though she does not have fond memories of having to care for the chickens as a kid (she hates bantams because she said they would chase her around), she's excited about my excitement and said she could be OK with four chickens. She really likes Rhode Island Reds, and I really like Easter Eggers and Ameraucanas, so we'll want to get a mix of those. I also really like Jersey Giants, but I can't find any hatcheries around here that has them.
I've read things on BYC for years now, as I dreamed about getting chickens, but I never started an account. Now, of course, I have a lot of reading to do to, so I've spent a lot of time here the past couple of days. I don't only need to make sure I know how to take care of my chickens, but I have to keep reassuring my mom it's going to be fine (she keeps coming up with what-ifs, like, what if the chickens get lice, that kind of thing). Right now, I'm reading up on people's experiences with feeding frozen food, because my grandpa had a tendency to keep a lot of stuff in the freezer, and we need to thin it out a bit.
Grandpa is still around, but has to live in a home for folks with dementia, and has recently started hospice. It's been really hard for my mom-hard for me too, but mom's the one who has been taking care of him for years now as he's been declining. But now I'm here with her and after years of not being able to do the stuff she used to do before grandpa started going downhill, I'm learning how to garden so she can grow the fruits and vegetables loves (I'm sure excited about the prospect of home grown tomatoes among other things). It's been nice visiting grandpa and telling him about what we're planing, and it will be nice to tell him about the chickens too. I'm not sure he remembers who I am, but he remembers his gardens, and the chickens, and other things from when he was a young man, so he smiles and nods in approval to hear about it all now.
Haha, that got more emotional than I meant. Our family here also includes three cats and two chihuahuas. The cats are all indoors only, and the dogs have a yard for themselves, separate from the pasture, but I'll still try to introduce them to the chickens just in case of encounters. My own cat likes to go for walks on a leash, and I figure he wouldn't mind checking out the chickens. I'm also a big fan of bees. I got us a mason bee house some cocoons, and they've been fun to watch. We also have a honey bee hive in our garage (in a part we don't use). I can't access the honey comb, but it makes me happy to have them there. Maybe someday I'll get into beekeeping.
Neither my mom nor I work right now. Besides gardening, we spend a lot of time going through my grandparents' stuff. The past four generations of my family kept everything, and it's all stuffed away into every available space in this (really big) house. There's a lot of junk that just needs to be tossed, but a lot of treasures too. Anything that family members don't want are getting sold on ebay (well, we're trying to do that, at least). Lots of vintage glass. The coolest thing we've found so far are a pair of binoculars from WWI.
I tend to be really wordy, so sorry about that. How about some pictures now?
Pacey starts all his walks by rolling around in dirt. His previous owners let him be an indoor/outdoor cat, but I am not OK with leaving cats outside unattended. I'm glad he took to a harness well so he can still go out every day (though he really wants to try to crawl into grandpa's old cellar and I do not want to go down there).
Pacey used to be an only cat. He's adjusting to the other kitties pretty well. Chloe is just a couple of years old and teaching Pacey how to play. Lucy is an ooold little gray kitty who has some physical issues which prevented her from getting spayed. She has decided Pacey is her boyfriend.
Sweetpea is my mom's chihuahua, and Tempe belongs to my uncle but is staying with us indefinitely. Sweetie loves being held, but poor Tempe was abused before my uncle rescued her, so we have to be pretty gentle with her.
Grandpa and me!
and Welcome To BYC! Nice intro! Good luck with your projects and the soon to be chickens!
