@alwaystj9
Come say hello to @alwaystj9 who comes to us from Louisiana and has been a member since August 2019.
Come say hello to @alwaystj9 who comes to us from Louisiana and has been a member since August 2019.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
My member name is alwaystj9, because I have always been TJ. I have used that name since dial-up, I only changed the @ part when AOL went away and I've moved to other services. Makes it easy to remember. I am retired in south Louisiana and have a 5 acre goat farm. I have been raising goats and chickens there since 1991. The goat sales always supported the chickens until about 3 years when the chickens & egg sales now underwrite the goats. The goat market (except for meat goats) has pretty much disappeared.
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
I was living in the Carolinas in the early '80's and someone gave me 5 bantams. They were friendly and busy and I really enjoyed them. My house in Louisiana came with a chicken coop so I bought some chicks at the feed store (probably 1991 or 1992) and I have had some ever since.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
I am not a chicken cuddler but I am most impressed by their actual joy in life. When I open that gate out to the pasture each day they explode out into the world! They are socially busy, nosy and active. I really enjoy watching them.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Most of my flock drowned or got displaced during the 2016 Louisiana flood but 4 hens and a roo survived. The best and brightest, of course, were lost, leaving the 5 most disliked chickens from the flock. The most notable was "The Dragon Chicken" who possibly never actually even laid an egg but was always broody. She'd hunker down in the back of the box, well camouflaged, and strike out suddenly if you went near the nest boxes. She'd draw blood, too. The surviving roo was a strange and crooked little guy who was so timid and pathetic that, before the flood, none of the other roosters even bothered to pick at. Even when he became the lone rooster he was absolutely useless, apparently sterile and never developed even a full crow. He sounded like he was choking or gargling.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
**Warning
this next part talks about butchering roosters!** One problem with hatching out your own birds is excess roosters. I had to learn all this the hard way (I was actually raised in the Washington, DC area - no farm background). I dispatched and processed for a few years by beheading. I didn't like doing it and no matter where I put them after the act, seemed like I ended up being chased by the headless birds. So someone suggested I try using a chicken cone, instead. Someone else suggested I repurpose a traffic cone for this. So I stole a traffic cone from the side of a road and rigged it to hang evenly upside down. Put a bucket under, got my knife and caught the first victim. Well, he didn't fit. Not even a little bit of his head stuck out. So I had to pull him out, cut a little off the cone and try again. Took me 4 tries to get the cone cut to where the poor confused roo's head and neck were hanging out. I felt so bad, like I was torturing him.Poor guy. I did eventually get him and the other 5 processed but butchering has never been an act I do lightly.6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
I usually have about 30 chickens, 20-25 goats, 3 LGD dogs and a Shetland sheepdog who identifies as an LGD. 3 barn cats and probably a few more feral cats. Sometimes rehab horses, sometimes school animals during holidays.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Chickens are fun to have around. I can't imagine not having chickens anymore. Plus, well, the best eggs ever! BYC has been a great resource over the years and I am happy it's available, user friendly and welcoming. I have been priveleged to meet several members over the years and they have all been pretty cool people.
Brooder, made from a "Tortoise table" with inmates close to release. This is a very flexible setup in my carport that I can use with overhead heat, mama heating pads, brinsea heaters or even seedling mats. I can also add fans for gnat control.
Inmates outside acclimatizing (actually allowing me to clean their cage). I have multiple sizes & shapes of kennels due to the rescue animals and goats. I have found baby chicks can escape from some and snakes can enter others. This one has been wrapped in hardware cloth and opens from the top. I leave the tray out of the bottom and use it like a mini-tractor.
I bought this nest box on after-Christmas sale after a falling branch took out the boxes that had been on the end of the coop. Took quite awhile for the hens to start using it. I think it's from Garvee.
@alwaystj9
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For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
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