- Jun 28, 2011
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Robin, known to BYC members as EweSheep has been with our community from it's earliest days, back in 2012. She is known for her good advice, no nonsense approach and her beautiful flock of Welsummers and Spitzhaubens.
1. Robin, tell us about yourself.
Greetings! I am Robin and I'm 49 years old, and live in Decatur, IL, one of the biggest agricultural and manufacturing companies in Central Illinois. Married to my best friend of ten years and have one daughter, whom both of them love animals as much as I do. I grew up in various cities around Illinois and once in Louisiana due to my father's employment and we settled on the rental farm in Brimfield, Illinois where I got my start with larger animals and my love for horses for years, finally, my parents allowed to get me my very first horse in 1981. Started with Arabians, I went into Paso Finos and Miniature Horses for a long time until we lost the farm due to lightening fire in 1993. I have fondest memories of my horses and chickens and I carried on to this day, lucky to have "city chickens" in our town. Presently I am a stay at home mom and active in several clubs.
The Brimfield Farm, right on Claybaugh Road. The only thing left today are the silos, implement shed and the hay barn. It was owned by the Stahl family for years, the house was built around 1898 as we found the writing on the plaster wall in my bedroom when we took off several layers of wall paper. The house and outlying buildings are now gone, torn down in 1994. I love this farmhouse, the old wood charm and good memories of farm life!
2. When and why did you start keeping chickens?
When my family and I moved to Brimfield, a neighbor down the road who raised show Dobermans had asked me to take care of her livestock and pets while she went on vacation to her family down in Texas. That was my first experience with learning and caring for her chickens which were Easter Eggers, Buttercups, Phoenix, Barred Rocks, and all the different breeds she would order from McMurray Hatchery. At first, I thought they were nasty and filthy but little did I know that there ARE better ways to deal with the downside of having chickens were the fresh eggs they supplied every morning. She also had Nubian goats and various animals and a horse for her kid's 4H projects. Then several years later, met another friend, after we moved to a second Brimfield farm, her place was so much better and she was into Buff Orpingtons and aiming for the Buff Barred Orpingtons.....she encouraged me to get into poultry and handed me a catalog from McMurray and Welp Hatchery. From then on, I was hooked, getting different Rare and Unusual breeds, filling up my horse stall with chickens. It was beautiful seeing chickens free roaming the pastures with my horses and goats. To come home after school, seeing the chickens and horses grazing were one of the peaceful sight to behold and learning animal behaviors.
Sarah with her new Welsummer chicks, foraging in garden
3. Which aspects of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Breeding to SOP on my Welsummers and Spitzhaubens.
Seeing a broody hen raising her chicks without the aid of brood lights, no mess to change out daily. Seeing them roaming around the yard, catching bugs, clucking and sitting out there watching is the most peaceful thing to observe. No medicine can replace that...calms the mind and soothes the soul!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
In the past, I had a Silver Duckwing Phoenix roo named Charles (after my uncle) who was the best "gentleman" of a rooster there ever was to date. I got him for my 12 White Leghorn pullets and I enjoyed watching him watch over his girls, clucked "Here are the treats" to his girls and a very doting father to his chicks.
As for the present time, I love my Welsummers and Appenzeller Spitzhaubens. I do not have any particular favorites but my beloved Summer had passed away a few years back was my "ambassador" for the Welsummer breed and encouraged me to continue to breed more and without a certain BYC member here That encouraged me to start a club, I created a club (Welsummer Club of North America) which has been ongoing since 2007. It was not an easy feat to run a club without any real good experience, AND I am continuing to work and assist getting the Appenzeller Spitzhaubens accepted in the APA. We have a lot of work to do but with people backing us up, promoting the breed, and exhibiting them really put them in the front, letting people know about these breeds.
5. What is the funniest chicken related thing happened to you in your years of chicken keeping?
Mrs Doberman and her chicks....she was feisty, "in your face", madwoman kind of chicken. You mess with her chicks, you are liable to get your butt and heels pinched and flogged. So many times I had to dump water and feed in containers and bailed out of the stall as FAST as I can. The only protection I had was a garbage can lid but she managed to get around that barrier to make a bee line for my calves. I had a couple of bruises from her assaults until her chicks were old enough to be on their own. Like a flip switch, she no longer attacked me. Just wait for the next batch of chicks she manages to hide in the corner of the cow manager, the vicious cycle starts again!
6. Besides chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Presently, we have two pet chinchillas, a Siamese cat, several Champagne d'Argents and Argente Bruns pretty much what we have around here.
8. Anything you would like to add?
Chickens are hardy, hardier than we credited them for. No need for heat lamps since I learned that on my first time when we had a heat lamp fire while I was pregnant, trying to save my prized Salmon Faverolles. I was just heartsick about it and I swore from then on, no heat lamps for the adults or for their coop. I love hearing about our grandparents and older folks telling me about their childhood years of living on the farm and enjoying chickens, including the grossiness of going barefooted in the coop, poop squishing between their toes.......and it is a wonder how far we have been removed from the "ickness" of chicken husbandry of today. Got poop on your shoe? Just wipe it on the grass and carry on! I would encourage city folks to try to raise their own chickens for fun and fresh eggs!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/80/ewesheep
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. Robin, tell us about yourself.
Greetings! I am Robin and I'm 49 years old, and live in Decatur, IL, one of the biggest agricultural and manufacturing companies in Central Illinois. Married to my best friend of ten years and have one daughter, whom both of them love animals as much as I do. I grew up in various cities around Illinois and once in Louisiana due to my father's employment and we settled on the rental farm in Brimfield, Illinois where I got my start with larger animals and my love for horses for years, finally, my parents allowed to get me my very first horse in 1981. Started with Arabians, I went into Paso Finos and Miniature Horses for a long time until we lost the farm due to lightening fire in 1993. I have fondest memories of my horses and chickens and I carried on to this day, lucky to have "city chickens" in our town. Presently I am a stay at home mom and active in several clubs.
The Brimfield Farm, right on Claybaugh Road. The only thing left today are the silos, implement shed and the hay barn. It was owned by the Stahl family for years, the house was built around 1898 as we found the writing on the plaster wall in my bedroom when we took off several layers of wall paper. The house and outlying buildings are now gone, torn down in 1994. I love this farmhouse, the old wood charm and good memories of farm life!
2. When and why did you start keeping chickens?
When my family and I moved to Brimfield, a neighbor down the road who raised show Dobermans had asked me to take care of her livestock and pets while she went on vacation to her family down in Texas. That was my first experience with learning and caring for her chickens which were Easter Eggers, Buttercups, Phoenix, Barred Rocks, and all the different breeds she would order from McMurray Hatchery. At first, I thought they were nasty and filthy but little did I know that there ARE better ways to deal with the downside of having chickens were the fresh eggs they supplied every morning. She also had Nubian goats and various animals and a horse for her kid's 4H projects. Then several years later, met another friend, after we moved to a second Brimfield farm, her place was so much better and she was into Buff Orpingtons and aiming for the Buff Barred Orpingtons.....she encouraged me to get into poultry and handed me a catalog from McMurray and Welp Hatchery. From then on, I was hooked, getting different Rare and Unusual breeds, filling up my horse stall with chickens. It was beautiful seeing chickens free roaming the pastures with my horses and goats. To come home after school, seeing the chickens and horses grazing were one of the peaceful sight to behold and learning animal behaviors.
Sarah with her new Welsummer chicks, foraging in garden
3. Which aspects of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Breeding to SOP on my Welsummers and Spitzhaubens.
Seeing a broody hen raising her chicks without the aid of brood lights, no mess to change out daily. Seeing them roaming around the yard, catching bugs, clucking and sitting out there watching is the most peaceful thing to observe. No medicine can replace that...calms the mind and soothes the soul!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
In the past, I had a Silver Duckwing Phoenix roo named Charles (after my uncle) who was the best "gentleman" of a rooster there ever was to date. I got him for my 12 White Leghorn pullets and I enjoyed watching him watch over his girls, clucked "Here are the treats" to his girls and a very doting father to his chicks.
As for the present time, I love my Welsummers and Appenzeller Spitzhaubens. I do not have any particular favorites but my beloved Summer had passed away a few years back was my "ambassador" for the Welsummer breed and encouraged me to continue to breed more and without a certain BYC member here That encouraged me to start a club, I created a club (Welsummer Club of North America) which has been ongoing since 2007. It was not an easy feat to run a club without any real good experience, AND I am continuing to work and assist getting the Appenzeller Spitzhaubens accepted in the APA. We have a lot of work to do but with people backing us up, promoting the breed, and exhibiting them really put them in the front, letting people know about these breeds.
5. What is the funniest chicken related thing happened to you in your years of chicken keeping?
Mrs Doberman and her chicks....she was feisty, "in your face", madwoman kind of chicken. You mess with her chicks, you are liable to get your butt and heels pinched and flogged. So many times I had to dump water and feed in containers and bailed out of the stall as FAST as I can. The only protection I had was a garbage can lid but she managed to get around that barrier to make a bee line for my calves. I had a couple of bruises from her assaults until her chicks were old enough to be on their own. Like a flip switch, she no longer attacked me. Just wait for the next batch of chicks she manages to hide in the corner of the cow manager, the vicious cycle starts again!
6. Besides chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Presently, we have two pet chinchillas, a Siamese cat, several Champagne d'Argents and Argente Bruns pretty much what we have around here.
8. Anything you would like to add?
Chickens are hardy, hardier than we credited them for. No need for heat lamps since I learned that on my first time when we had a heat lamp fire while I was pregnant, trying to save my prized Salmon Faverolles. I was just heartsick about it and I swore from then on, no heat lamps for the adults or for their coop. I love hearing about our grandparents and older folks telling me about their childhood years of living on the farm and enjoying chickens, including the grossiness of going barefooted in the coop, poop squishing between their toes.......and it is a wonder how far we have been removed from the "ickness" of chicken husbandry of today. Got poop on your shoe? Just wipe it on the grass and carry on! I would encourage city folks to try to raise their own chickens for fun and fresh eggs!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/80/ewesheep
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
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