@EmmaRainboe
Come say hello to @EmmaRainboe who comes to us from Washington and has been a member since July 2020.
Come say hello to @EmmaRainboe who comes to us from Washington and has been a member since July 2020.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Hi, I'm Emma! Though I actually prefer to go by Em. In my personal life I've been phasing out Emma entirely, I don't dislike it, Em just feels more true to me haha.
I like to ramble. You've been warned.
Funfacts:
My favorite breeds are Ameraucanas and Bantam Cochins
I hate Buff Orpingtons
My favorite gene is the barring gene
Lavender cuckoo is my favorite color pattern
I really love My Little Pony, horses, birds, and rainbows (hence the name). I have a passion for art and genetics!
Rainbow isn't just something I love, it's my lifestyle.
I will take this opportunity to brag about my super cool hair
The story behind my username? Not super exciting, but I'll share. When I was like 9 I got Minecraft console edition for the WiiU, and needed a username. I was (am) OBSESSED with My Little Pony and wanted something Rainbow Dash related. Every variation of anything Rainbow Dash related was taken, so getting frustrated I decided to find something different but still Rainbow related so I typed in the name "Emma-Rainboe" hoping the unique character and misspelt Rainbow would be enough to be a unique name, and it was. The rest is history, for the most part I've eliminated the hyphen in my online presence but on most forums I go by some iteration of the name.
Since we're talking BYC usernames I'll mention my avatar too, which was drawn by the incredible @OneHappyDuckie
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
I started keeping poultry as a teen in early 2020. I had just moved from Texas to Washington and everything got shut down basically as I arrived. We had always planned to keep chickens, it wasn't a COVID influenced decision, though having chickens did help give me something to obsess over, haha.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
Gosh, the cuddles of course. Going outside and having a chicken fly into your arms is an unbeatable experience.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Oh gosh... I could write a novel about each member of my flock, past and present.
3 specific girls come to mind, though many more have a special place in my heart. As a teen I struggled a lot with mental health challenges and as silly as it sounds chickens and the community I found on here is really what pulled me through.
Specifically my girl Poshy. Posh was a failure to thrive chick who probably shouldn't have made it. But she was the chicken who kept me going. She require constant care, she didn't eat on her own so caring for her is what got me out of bed. I told myself daily that as long as Posh was around I had to keep going, and I did. She went on road trips with me, spent every day with me, slept in my room, cried with me (well, I did the crying
) etc. I really did not think she was going to make it. At 8 weeks old she still looked like a tiny chick.I'm trying to find a picture but I can't. About a month later we got a young Frizzle pullet (named Ms. Frizzle, of course) and her and Posh bonded instantly. Posh began growing rapidly. Here's a pic of her at 5 months old, this is the only photo of her I can find, unfortunately my photography career hadn't quite taken off at that point (I don't have a photography career
).
Losing Posh is still the hardest loss I've had to go through, as silly as that sounds. Heck I still cry when I think about her. Once again the community I found here, (and Coldplay
) is what got me through it 
2nd is my girl Luna (for the record, named after Princess Luna from My Little Pony, NOT just a cliche pet name
)
After Posh died I really started pulling away from my flock, being afraid of getting attached and going through the same grief, especially because around the same time it was suspected my flock had contracted mareks.
But with a lot of support from a member who is no longer active, and @ShrekDawg who had both gone through similar things in their flock I began opening myself up again, hoping to cherish the time I did have left with each of them rather than fearing the pain when they died. Most of my flock was and is unvaccinated for mareks, and even though I knew it wasn't how the vaccine worked in my head it was safer to love a vaccinated bird - hence Luna. My bantam cochins really were where my heart was. And when I began opening myself back up I really focused on Luna, because in my head it was safe to love her because she was vaccinated, even though in reality I knew that wasnt the case. She was so cuddly and if I was outside, she was in my arms or following behind me. Slowly she stopped eating and though she appeared to be getting better with regular tube feeding, I went out to the coop one night to find her on the ground under the roost. I held her in my arms where she died about ten minutes later. I had her autopsied and the presence of mareks was confirmed.
3rd girl is Nugget, she is the most recent loss of the three, and was the last member of my original batch of chicks. Nugget and her sister Peepers were my first taste into bantam cochins, and let me tell you I've been hooked since haha. The cuddle factor is on a whole other level. Nugget was the first broody bird I let hatch chicks, she was constantly broody and I wanted her to have the opportunity to be a mom at least once, and let me tell you she was the best Mama ever. She raised my current rooster Dino Nugget, who hatched from her egg.
Dino, he's the sweetest boy ever
I'll leave it here, but I could talk about every bird I've ever had for hours haha. They're just each so unique.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Oh gosh there's so many. None that are super haha funny, but they're special to me nontheless. The silliest moment isnt just one, but my white Ameraucana, Celestia, is the weirdest bird I've ever had. She chooses to do things in the most unefficient way possible. One thing she has done for years is if I am in her way, rather than walking around me, even if my legs are touched completely together she will force her way between them and squeeeeeeeze through, haha. I don't know why
.6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
I have raised quail in the past thanks to @Kiki for getting me hooked up, they've all since passed though. I was at a farm store the other day which had falb fee coturnix quail and I was very much tempted haha. My falb fees and italians were my favorite.
Currently I have: a dog, Coco;
two budgies, Moonshine (named after the one and only @The Moonshiner, because everyone needs a Moony in their life
)
and Pistachio;
and a pineapple green cheek conure, Jellybean.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Just want to say thank you to the incredible people I've met on here, all my girls. Thanks for always being here. Y'all know who you are
@EmmaRainboe
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
Your flock and other creature photos are just adorable! 
I am so sorry losing Posh was so difficult on your heart, 
I too have been crushed by the loss of a couple cherished birds in my flocks, shatters the heart. 
