- Jun 28, 2011
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Robin, known to BYC members as bobbi-j, has been a member of our community since March 2010. Another of our wonderful all rounders, she is known for her friendliness and good advice.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Although I grew up in a suburb near Minneapolis, I have always been a farm girl at heart. I love having animals of any kind.
I married my farmer right out of high school and started raising chickens and turkeys the next spring. We have also raised a calf here and there for beef.
We have three sons, all grown and married. We have two grandchildren and another one due in a few weeks.
DH farms, and I help when I can. I also have a job at our local school as a paraprofessional. I work one to one with one of our special needs students. I love my job, as no two days are the same.
For hobbies, I like to read, play in the garden, bird watch, deer hunt and go for walks.
2. Why and when did you start raising chickens?
I started raising chickens the spring after we got married. We started out with Cornish cross meat birds, because that’s what DH grew up with. We moved on to laying hens a couple of years later.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Pretty much all of it. It’s fun getting or hatching chicks and raising them. I especially enjoy watching a broody hatch and raise chicks.
The dog shown above was Dakota. He thought the chicks were his responsibility. He was also a good mediator for the chickens. Whenever there was a squabble, he'd go break it up. He was one of the best dogs we ever had. Sadly, he got cancer of the mouth and had to be put down a few years ago.
It’s always fun to go out and gather eggs. It’s kind of like Easter every day!
We use our extra cockerels to fill the freezer. It took a long time for me to be willing to process the “pretty ones”, but I did get there. I like the meat better, and I think they’re easier to raise than the Cornish X.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out to you and why?
I don’t have a flock at the moment, due to heavy predator losses last year. (I’m getting chicks this week!) But there are a few past chickens that stand out.
I had a sweet little OEGB named Polly that used to ride around on my shoulder.
My BLRW used to go broody every year, the last weekend of April. You could set a clock by her. (Unfortunately she was killed by a raccoon a few years ago.)
My favorite rooster was a great babysitter. I had a broody with 2-day old babies one time, and she desperately wanted to get out of the coop and take a dust bath. She went out the pop door, and the rooster stood there guarding the babies, keeping them in the coop until she came back in.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as a chicken owner?
This is poultry related, but not chicken related. When we were raising turkeys, they used to follow us everywhere we went. They’d even go on walks down the road with us. We sure got some funny looks when cars would go by!
6. Besides chickens, what other pets do you keep?
We have a dog named Ruger, and a cat named Gus (short for Augustus the Cat). I also have a couple of pasture ornaments named Dudley and Bo.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
This will be an experimental year for me. I have read about the MHP for a couple of years now, and I'm going to give it a try. Here are the ones DH built for me:
Here are a couple of pictures of my coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/bobbi-j.51221/
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
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Although I grew up in a suburb near Minneapolis, I have always been a farm girl at heart. I love having animals of any kind.
I married my farmer right out of high school and started raising chickens and turkeys the next spring. We have also raised a calf here and there for beef.
We have three sons, all grown and married. We have two grandchildren and another one due in a few weeks.
DH farms, and I help when I can. I also have a job at our local school as a paraprofessional. I work one to one with one of our special needs students. I love my job, as no two days are the same.
For hobbies, I like to read, play in the garden, bird watch, deer hunt and go for walks.
2. Why and when did you start raising chickens?
I started raising chickens the spring after we got married. We started out with Cornish cross meat birds, because that’s what DH grew up with. We moved on to laying hens a couple of years later.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Pretty much all of it. It’s fun getting or hatching chicks and raising them. I especially enjoy watching a broody hatch and raise chicks.
The dog shown above was Dakota. He thought the chicks were his responsibility. He was also a good mediator for the chickens. Whenever there was a squabble, he'd go break it up. He was one of the best dogs we ever had. Sadly, he got cancer of the mouth and had to be put down a few years ago.
It’s always fun to go out and gather eggs. It’s kind of like Easter every day!
We use our extra cockerels to fill the freezer. It took a long time for me to be willing to process the “pretty ones”, but I did get there. I like the meat better, and I think they’re easier to raise than the Cornish X.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out to you and why?
I don’t have a flock at the moment, due to heavy predator losses last year. (I’m getting chicks this week!) But there are a few past chickens that stand out.
I had a sweet little OEGB named Polly that used to ride around on my shoulder.
My BLRW used to go broody every year, the last weekend of April. You could set a clock by her. (Unfortunately she was killed by a raccoon a few years ago.)
My favorite rooster was a great babysitter. I had a broody with 2-day old babies one time, and she desperately wanted to get out of the coop and take a dust bath. She went out the pop door, and the rooster stood there guarding the babies, keeping them in the coop until she came back in.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as a chicken owner?
This is poultry related, but not chicken related. When we were raising turkeys, they used to follow us everywhere we went. They’d even go on walks down the road with us. We sure got some funny looks when cars would go by!
6. Besides chickens, what other pets do you keep?
We have a dog named Ruger, and a cat named Gus (short for Augustus the Cat). I also have a couple of pasture ornaments named Dudley and Bo.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
This will be an experimental year for me. I have read about the MHP for a couple of years now, and I'm going to give it a try. Here are the ones DH built for me:
Here are a couple of pictures of my coops:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/bobbi-j.51221/
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
I love all the pix. 
I always think gathering the eggs is like Easter every day here too. 
