BYC Member Interview - Akrnaf2

Date sort Score sort
sumi said:
Benny, known to BYC members as Akrnaf2, has been a member of our community since May 2014. Another of our wonderful all-rounders, he is known for his friendliness and good advice.

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.

My name is Benjamin, but all my friends and family calls me Benny.
I live in Israel but I was born in Tripoli Libya.
For the last 20 years, I am happily married to the most beautiful Lady in the world and we have together 3 wonderful children.
I am a zoologist by academic education but I work, (it is 26 years now!) as a Biology teacher, in several high schools here.
I prepare my students for the matriculation exams and I have more then 1500 former students.
My M.Sc thesis dealt with the genetics of Broad lipped (white) rhino. In the research I had to do some paternal exams to the rhinos.
To do that I needed some Genetics material from the rhinos, after months of brain storming to find a way to get the DNA WITHOUT putting asleep the animals, the only option that we found was to use the DNA from some of the rhino hair follicles.
If you know how rhinos are built, you should know that they are virtually hair less, so the only option was to pluck hairs from.... the tip of their ears! I THINK that I am the only person in the world that plucked rhino's hair and survived to tell that!
I have many hobbies and fields of interest. I love to paint, especially animals and flowers. I also love very much to read and learn, and I am interested almost in everything. I truly want to know EVERYTHING about EVERYTHING! So I read a lot, and learn a lot. I also love very much to scuba dive and spear fishing, I love to cook, and to eat. And I am always in the search for the best Cosher food I can find. I love to travel, and to do sport, power lifting especially!
One of the biggest hobbies of mine, is of course raising chickens.
And that was the reason that brought me to BYC, and gave me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people from all over the world.

2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?

I am keeping only hens, no roosters and no ducks, and it all started by a coincidence!
One evening, a few years back I went for a jog and returned home 5 minutes after I started with a chicken I have found sitting on my yard fence! And this one chicken began this wonderful hobby! My wife laughed at me and said that I am like Shaul the biblical king, that went to search for donkeys and found monarchy, but in my case it was a chicken and not monarchy........
I raise chicken because I am enjoying their colour, shape, and of course I enjoy very much the wonderful eggs they produce for my family and me.

3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?

Chicken are pure fun! And every one that have them know exactly what I mean, no explanation required.
The most important aspect of this Hobby, from my point of view, is that it MAKES me learn, search and read about chickens history, genetics, breeds, feeding, incubating, ect. I guess its fills my desire of scientific research. The big bonus is that I made, through this hobby, connection with people from all over the world! I am member in chickens forums in New Zeeland, Britain and of course the most important are all my Americans friends in BYC!
Another thing is that my knowledge in biology and especially in microbiology give me the opportunity to help some other breeders with their chickens health problems, so it's "tickle " the dormant Veterinarian in me.

4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?

I have some health issues that make me hear sounds much louder than they really are, so I can't stand loud noise. This is the reason that I don't have roosters.
I have a beautiful BPR hen called BR ( "Black Right" she has a black zip tie on her right leg), a gifted layer, and she is the alfa hen in the flock. I think that the alfa position confused her and she thinks that she is a ROOSTER!
So she usually stand on the highest point in the yard, which is exactly near my bedroom, and starts to HONK! It feels like a train coming at you.
The situation usually ends when she gets a 50 MPH encounter with a half rotten Guava......

5. What was the funniest (chicken/duck related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as poultry owner?

3 years ago, my youngest daughter that was then 5 years old, decided that she wants to present in front of her kindergarten friends her chickens and to pass a lesson of what is the meaning of being a veterinarian, (that what she want to be, so she said..)
So we prepared a very nice poster, we brought a stethoscope, chicken, colouring pics..
And some fake eggs as present, AND one of my BPR hens in a box.
The lesson was terrific until I took out the chicken. In that moment, I think she stressed out from the situation and all the children around, she laid an egg on the table. The faces and the reaction of the children that understood that eggs comes from chicken B.....t was incredible!

6. Beside chickens and ducks, what other pets do you keep?

I currently don't keep any other pets, but before we had children, we had in one time, in apartment of 70 sqM: 3 scorpions ,2 cats, 4 love birds, 1 squirrel (yes they are pets here...) a big aquarium AKA fish tank, and......3 meter Burmese python!

7. Anything you'd like to add?

Yes, I love all my BYC friends!

Aaaaa here is the selfie of the one and only ME!
lau.gif




https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/296003/akrnaf2

See here for more about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905602/introducing-vip-member-interviews/0_30
Click to expand...

Very interesting, Benny! You sure do have some pretty funny stories! :lol: They gave me a good laugh! :lau:gig

Akrnaf2 said:
Now you made me blush! Thanks granny :hugs

Here som of my drawings

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]


1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000


Sorry for the angels! :lol:
The have been exposed to water, this is the reason for the stains on them!
Click to expand...
Those are such beautiful drawings! Good job on them! :)
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom