In my late teens, a friend's cousin up in Idaho had some 'Araucana' chickens who laid the most beautiful turquoise eggs. They made an impact on me, because, almost 15 years later, I got the bug to have chickens of my own.I talked to people who had them, went to visit people who had them, and asked lots of questions. Living in the burbs didn't deter me, and I had not heard of the 'backyard chicken' movement. Never-the-less, I built a small henhouse with the help of my dad, put it in a dog run, and bought an 'Araucana', Silver Laced Wyandotte, and red sex-linked hen. It was so cool! Fresh eggs and my own hens to patrol the yard for ticks and bugs.
I later moved out to the 'real' country with small acreage of my own, and a huge 36'x36' coop (dog pen) with large, long dog house that I added a front wall to. I brought out my girls, and for the first time was able to have a rooster. It was great for about the first two years, then the predators hit. Eventually, all of my birds were killed, and I decided to stop keeping them. Unfortunately, a friend later decided that I needed them again, and bought me a flock of EE and a BO rooster. So I dusted off the house, made the coop much smaller and predator proof (fingers crossed!), and put the new kids in their home. After a couple of losses (a hen managed to strangle herself in a corner, and one mysteriously disappeared) it seems fairly secure.I also decided to try my hand at hatching out my first clutch . I bought some EE eggs on Ebay and hatched a few of my own EExBO crosses. It's been a lot of fun, and I look forward to seeing how my mixes mature.I have to say that hand raised babies are SO much more fun and easier to handle than the flighty things I've dealt with so far. Not their fault, just never got the handling they needed to be tame.
I recently had an old shed donated from a neighbor, and have refurbished it into my new henhouse.The price was right, as all I had to buy was hardware. All of the wood was laying around unused. And while it may not be something out of Home and Garden, it is functional, light and airy.
Like a lot of you, I'm also a life long dog and horse lover. I have 2 Belgian Tervuren, a pit bull (Am Staff) and a Catahoula wanna-be mix. All but one of my dogs are rescues, and most of my cats were, too.
I've been riding since I was a child, and had a thoroughbred gelding that I showed in 4-h and just generally adored. Though he is no longer with me, I ride often on my neighbor's horses and get to enjoy the world of horses without most of the drawbacks. Although my ultimate goal is to get my fence up and have my own horse again to ride and keep the lawn mowed. Guess the little girl inside me never really grew up.
Thanks for reading my page!
