@HorseGirlAbby
Come say hello to @HorseGirlAbby (Abby) who has been a member since May 2021 and comes to us from eastern Washington.
Come say hello to @HorseGirlAbby (Abby) who has been a member since May 2021 and comes to us from eastern Washington.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Hi everyone, I'm Abby! I live in eastern Washington state with my family, chickens and two crazy cats. I'm currently in my first year of nursing school, which is fun and hard at the same time. I'm also an avid artist and photographer, as many of you know
One of my favorite pastimes is spinning wool and crocheting with it. I'm still not perfect at that, but it's really relaxing.My username? Well, my name is Abby, and when I joined BYC almost four years ago (wow, that was a long time ago!) I was pretty horse crazy. I've since grown out of that a bit, but I still love horses a lot, so I decided to keep it. Besides, I've been HorseGirlAbby so long I think it would mess a lot of people up
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
We'd been thinking about getting chickens for a couple years before we actually did. My dad grew up on a farm, and even though my mom didn't, she was willing to try chickens. So, we started keeping chickens in March of 2017. Out of those six hens, one, Peeper, is still kicking. My family moved across the state later that year, and took our hens with us, so they're well traveled chickens! A couple of them even laid eggs in the moving van
In spring of 2018, chicken math really took hold, and we added ten more straight run chicks to the coop. Amazingly, really, not a single one of them was a rooster! For a couple years, we enjoyed the status quo of sixteen hens. Then, as it always does, chicken math reared its head again...
In early 2021, we drove a ways to pick up a gorgeous Ameraucana rooster. We didn't know anything about him, just the Craigslist ad and seeing him for a couple minutes at the farm we got him from. He turned out to be one of the sweetest roosters ever! He's pretty skittish, but is really nice to the hens and has never once attempted to attack a human.
So, now that we had a rooster, it was time to hatch chicks! Peeper was a very willing mother, and soon we had eight little babies running around. Of course half of those turned out to be cockerels, and made really good soup, but the other four were gorgeous pullets.
In fall of 2022, we got four more pullets from a local person, because we wanted to be sure we didn't get any more cockerels.
So that's my chicken journey! The flock has been dwindling a bit lately, as I lost three of my oldest hens this year. That was sad, but it means I get to hatch more next spring, which is always super exciting.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
They're so calming to watch. After I've had a tough day at school, one of my favorite things is to just go and sit with the hens. There's nothing like hugging a fluffy chicken to make you feel better!
Their personalities are also so funny. There are the divas, the wimpy ones, the leaders, and the followers. My family thinks it's really weird that I can tell each chicken apart by their voice, but I don't see anything odd about that
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Oh goodness, there are so many! Peeper, my Mottled Java, was one of my first, and she holds a special place in my heart. She's a quirky girl, has some weird foot problems, and goes broody at least three times a summer, but she's wonderful.
Another who's pretty amazing is Gidget, an Easter Egger. She's one of the second batch of chicks I got in 2018. Last spring, I noticed her eyes were getting cloudy and it looked like she was having a hard time getting around. Over that summer, her eyes got progressively worse, and soon she could barely see at all. I had to separate her, and worried that I might have to put her down. She quickly proved me wrong, and now, a year and a half later, she's thriving! She shares the chicken tractor with her friend Delaware, and she's clearly the boss in that relationship
I don't want to make this super super long, so I'll just talk about a couple more. Cleo, another Easter Egger, is one of the pullets we got in late 2022. When the four of them got here, they were the most scared chickens ever. I'm used to hens being a bit wary, but these girls, especially the two little Welsummers, took flighty to another level. Gradually, they got used to people, but the Welsummers never quite warmed up totally...Cleo and her sister Charlotte, on the other hand, are now the ultimate lap chickens. If you crouch down on the ground near them, you will get mobbed by these two. They take it as a personal insult if you don't hug them right when you walk in...
Cleo:
Charlotte:
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Probably the absolute funniest, that had me nearly rolling on the ground laughing, was when Mr. Beard, my rooster, decided to take on one of my cats, Mandy. I like to let the chickens out for an hour or so before dark, so they can run around and eat some grass for a bit. Mandy had been stalking the chickens for a couple days, and they were wary, but not too worried, as she was smaller than just about all of them. One evening though, Mo, one of my largest hens, ventured a little too close to where Mandy was hiding. Mandy pounced on her, thankfully only coming away with a mouthful of tail feathers. Mr. Beard had been on the other side of the coop, but when he heard Mo squawk, he came flying over. Mandy is a speedy little cat, but boy, that rooster was hard on her heels for at least a hundred yards until she found the safety of a tree. He was so proud when he came strutting back!
There was another time, also featuring Mo (who may be lacking in a few brain cells.) She was on the other side of the run from where I was, and she got stuck between the run fence and some long grass. There was plenty of room for her to turn around, but she panicked and tried to go backwards. She started squawking and trying to go through the fence, which of course didn't work too well. Mr. Beard came running over and tried to help her, but that just made her more scared. Finally I had to grab her and pull her out, and, as she's one of my flightier birds, that was also an ordeal. I got them all sorted out, and thankfully she didn't try that again...
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
Aside from my fifteen chickens, I've got the aforementioned insane kitties, Mandy and Champ. Champ is a chill orange senior cat, and he was the only cat until January of this year, when we took in a rescue kitty, Mandy. At the time, she was about six months old, and as playful a kitten as you've ever seen. Champ was not pleased, especially when Mandy went into heat and became enamored with him
We were finally able to get her spayed, and they get along better now, but hardly a day goes by where she doesn't annoy him. Some days they curl up together, but that never lasts long. She wants to play, and he's a grumpy old man that wants to sleep all day.Champ:
Mandy:
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Just that I'm so glad to be a part of this wonderful community! Oh, and here are a few more random photos...
My favorite things to photograph are birds, both my chickens and the wild birds.
Bugs and flowers are next:
And Bob the squirrel:
I was blessed to be able to see the northern lights this May, it was a once in a lifetime experience.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, everyone!
@HorseGirlAbby
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