Come say hello to @CindyinSD! Cindy has been a member since August 2018 and comes to us from the Black Hills of South Dakota.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Thanks for inviting me to do this interview! I love BYC! Best resource on poultry, probably in the whole English-speaking world.
I live with my husband and our three dogs in the Black Hills, SD. We love it here. We can have some long winters, but it's worth it to be able to enjoy the relative seclusion of being surrounded by National Forest.
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
There are two houses on our property (12.5 acres); ours & my mother's. She built here to be near us and so we could help her when she needed it. She lived fairly independently for many years, but in the last couple of years we decided we needed to move into her house so we could be with her all the time.
That's when I started thinking about getting chickens. I'd always had something of a desire to raise livestock, but hesitated because I didn't want to be tied down. With my mom needing care, I figured we weren't going anywhere anyway; so I started researching chicken-keeping.
I almost researched myself right out of the idea, but then I thought, Hmm... lots of people keep chickens. Pioneers who could hardly feed themselves kept chickens. How can it be as complicated and tricky as all these books make it seem?
So, I started building a chicken coop and ordered some chicks from Cackle Hatchery to arrive in mid-September, 2018. The coop plans I had chosen were for twelve birds but I didn't want to pay the small-order fee, so I went with fifteen (hey, what's three more, right?) They sent eighteen. All of them lived & flourished. What had I done? Chicken math had kicked in before I even retrieved my first fluff ball from the post office. At 0200. Fourty-five minutes from home. It was a beautiful sunrise, with a box of peeping cuteness in the passenger seat. I turned on the seat heater to keep them warm.
Since then my flock has grown beyond any standards of common sense. I have sixteen geese, four (surviving) ducks, a whole bunch of turkeys and a whole bunch of chickens of all ages. We will be eating chicken and goose and turkey for a long time, with plenty to spare and share. The goal was to provide food in an uncertain world. I think I have achieved that... I'm gonna have to break out the canner, though. The freezers are nearly full.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
It's always fun to watch these birds. I just came back from a chicken (and turkey and duck) parade. The geese couldn't be bothered.
I want the birds to forage the upper pasture instead of hanging around the house all the time, so I dipped out a bit of grain and they followed me up there, not even taking time to eat the bits I dribbled out along the way. So funny. They do love to flock around me. It's fun, but challenging not to step on anyone.
One of the best things for me this spring/summer has been watching my mama hens. SO cute! Here's my first broody; a Buckeye (Wilma; her broody friend is Betty
) and a very good mommy. 
She's sitting on another clutch now. 
I do not need more chickens, but I don't have the heart to deny her. She's such a sweetie.4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you, and why?
My first hens have a special place in my heart. I had plenty of time to spend with them and watch them watching me. I have five varieties and painted a pic of one of each, just for fun.
5. Besides poultry, what other pets do you keep?
Shortly after getting my brand new baby dinosaurs, I drove across the state to pick up three Scottish Highland heifers. I kind of over did it though... the next year I brought them a handsome bull. This spring two of them calved and the third one was due when we decided (after a long, expensive winter of feeding purchased hay) that we had too many.
I sold two cows and a calf, plus my bull to a local homesteader who has a hekuva lot more pasture than we do. So now it's just my favorite girl and her calf here with us. They're supposed to be livestock, but really, they're pets just like the doggies (except they don't get to sleep in the living room.)6. Anything you'd like to add?
I'm thinking maybe an Icelandic ewe next? Eden seems lonely and doesn't have much in common with the birds. Perhaps a wooly friend is in order... one who doesn't eat quite so much. After all, there's a Forest Service trail all along our east boundary. Gotta give the ATVers something to look at.
If chickens are the gateway "drug" of farm critters, then maybe I have a "problem," but if so, I think I'll be happy to carry on this addiction for many years to come.
@CindyinSD
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews.905602
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews.905602
