BYC Member Interview - Evadig

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Wonderful interview and -- as always -- photos! You are an excellent storyteller.

We've had some conversations in the past, and I knew you had a variety of critters. But I never realized how many. :)

Best wishes on wrapping up your college education and taking on your next set of challenges, Catherine. I just hope you still have time to spend on BYC!
 
Catherine, I'm glad you took the time to do an interview! I've read a lot of your posts and seen quite a few of your animals and always enjoyed them...it's nice to get to know you a bit better. Best wishes with school! :)
 
N F C said:
@Evadig


Come say hello to Catherine who comes to us from the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Eastern Seaboard and has been a member since May 2023.​



1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
My name is Catherine, and I will be graduating college in August with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies – only seven more weeks to go!
I am interested in most everything. I used to be a voracious reader, before I became overwhelmed with schoolwork, and can still tell you the summary of nearly every book in the house (we have at least a few hundred).

My favorite hobby is sewing, especially vintage clothes. I found a website where you can buy original vintage patterns as far back as 1920. I could have bought out almost the whole store!

I love history, especially American and military history (even better if it’s American military history). I also love traveling and have been to 80% of the USA.

My member name comes from my dog. Her name is Evangeline, and she likes to dig. Somewhere I began calling her Evadig, and when I was trying to think of a username that sounded like a name, that was the only thing I could think of.
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2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
My parents decided to get a couple chickens about ten years ago as part of our homeschooling experience. They all died within a few years, but when we moved to our current two acre property in 2021 we knew we wanted chickens as lawn ornaments and for fresh eggs. Then I had always wanted ducks…and my sister really liked turkeys…and we both thought geese would be a good idea…and then we needed more hens…you see where this is going! A couple weeks ago our turkey Matilda (Narragansett) and ducks Hilda (Silver Appleyard) and Winnifred (Welsh Harlequin) hatched out two out of twenty duck eggs, but one died (RIP Josie); they weren't interested in taking care of the other (Lucas) so I ordered two more ducklings Maggie (Magpie) and Claire (Duclair) - really creative names, right?


3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
I love how everyone has a distinct personality, even within the same breed. Lily thinks only of food and is very skittish, and Lucy is always underfoot and unafraid of people. They’re sisters and both Naked Necks. I like watching everyone scratch for worms in the early morning sunlight and most especially enjoy putting them to bed in the evening.
Since Jen hatched out two chicks, I enjoy watching her teach them and cuddle them under her wings.
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4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
They all stand out…they’re just all so different. But Janice was especially special – she was my first hen. She was also the first death I personally experienced.

There’s also Henry, nicknamed Napoleon and General McClellan. He is a Saxony drake with the biggest ego. He loves to tantalize Eva by pulling her tail until she pounces on him. Then he runs away when she lets him up only to do it again as soon as he gets the chance.

Prudence, a Plymouth Rock, is the queen of the coop. She is above the pecking order. She pecks and is pecked by no one. All the other hens, and even Winston Churchill the rooster, usually defer to her wishes.
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Vivienne is shaping up to be Prud’s successor. She is a Buff Orpington and is extremely confident. She knows how to manage even the older hens, but she’s not bossy either. She lays beautiful pink eggs.

Finally, (though I could go on!) there’s Jenny, a Jubilee Orpington. Jenny is special because she survived a trip as a ten-week-old pullet from Illinois to the East Coast. The USPS did not update me on her whereabouts until she was almost at the local post office. She had been in transit for four days. She is very motherly and the first of all my hens to go broody. She has two foster children (the eggs she hatched were not her own) named Honor and Liberty (thanks @N F C for the suggestion!)
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The others are:
Rose – Delaware
Wilhelmina – Cream Legbar
Lydwinne – Welsummer
Dolores – Australorp
Faith, Hope, and Charity – Mottled Java
Patience – Buff Brahma
Winston Churchill - Phoenix
Stanislaw – Yokohama
George, Matt, Frank, Rita - Chinese Geese
Helen (RIP) - Bourbon Red Turkey


5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Oh, too many to count! The standoffs between Henry and Eva are hilarious. But recently, our new puppy Annie was walking by the coop and Jen flew at her like a rooster ‘cause she doesn’t know Annie very well and assumed she was a threat to her chicks. That thirty lb. pup took off with her tail between her legs!
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6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
We have two dogs, two cats, a parakeet, two rabbits, and several box turtles.


7. Anything you'd like to add?
Thanks y’all (especially the moderators) for contributing to a family friendly atmosphere. I've learned a lot from the "I Remember When..." thread by @LTAY1946 - it is really nice to hear firsthand what life was like back then. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Left to Right: Winnifred - Lydwinne - Lucas, Maggie, Claire
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Left to Right: Hilda - Wilhelmina - Stanislaw
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Left to Right: Winston Churchill - Constance - Rose
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Left to Right: Dolores, Vivienne - Faith, Hope, Charity, Patience - Henry
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Left to Right: Matilda, Helen - George, Matt, Frank, Rita - Brianna
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@Evadig

For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews​
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Nice intro, My friend!
 

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