- Jun 28, 2011
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Joe, known to BYC members as Joeschooks, has been a member of our community since February 2018. He can often be found in the New Member Introductions section, where he is known for his friendliness and helpfulness.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I am 33 years old and I live on the south coast of UK in the suburbs with my partner and a growing menagerie. I am a landlord and self employed property manager by day and my partner manages a local hair salon. I am fortunate to work from home which ties in nicely with my chicken hobby; it’s handy to be around to top up the incubator humidity, watch a hatch or simply keep an eye on the flock!
Apart from the chickens I enjoy woodwork, going to the gym, eating out, entertaining at home or just relaxing with a good film and a glass of wine!
Clearing some ground for a new chicken run!
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
Well, my parents had an ever-expanding flock of all sorts of birds; chickens, quail, turkeys, parakeets. They always used to have a few hatches going and I used to love cuddling those little baby chicks! Anyway, sadly they split up and Mum decided not to continue with the birds on her own. I had bought my own house by then but it was near the city centre and had a tiny garden that really did not lend itself to keeping chickens but I knew I wanted a flock of my own one day. Fast-forward a few years and my OH and I bought our current house. We have a very long garden and I quickly filled the end 70ft with chickens! The flock is always changing and evolving but we currently have 10 full time residents in the main run. We also have two growers pens and the brooding shed which are full most of the year!
We are fortunate that most of our neighbours keep chickens or ducks so everyone is used to the morning egg songs reverberating around the neighbourhood! I even supply a few neighbours with POL chickens!
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Oh I love the whole lot, from hatching chicks to scooping the poop! I think if I had to choose I’d say the most enjoyable bit has to be watching a hatch; seeing all those new lives coming into the world is very rewarding. I also love just relaxing in the garden and observing all the different personalities! The chickens give me so much enjoyment and I find myself wandering down the garden every couple of hours to check on them!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
I love them all for different reasons. I have recently hatched some very rare Russian Pavlovskaya and one in particular has developed the most impressive mohican; I might just have to keep her! But my favourite chicken is a Lavender Araucana named Audrey. When I hatched her she suffered from wry neck and I nursed her back to health feeding vitamin E solution in a syringe. She recovered very quickly and since then she has always been the most friendly of my flock and will be around my feet wanting cuddles as soon as I walk in the run. She is naughty and never goes in the coop to roost at night with the others - but she’s still my favourite! Shhh!
Pavlovskaya chick with a funky hairdo at the back of the photo
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Well, it’s sort of chicken related... I have an electric fence around my pens. The neighbours came round for a BBQ a few weeks ago and the guy next door showed his courage by grasping hold of the electric fence. He told me it wasn’t giving much of a kick. I said “well, step off the rubber mat [which I keep at the entrance to wipe poo off your feet] and get those thick soled shoes off and try again.” He confidently obliged and let’s just say he very quickly let go while exclaiming with a loud profanity! I struggled to contain my laughter!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
We have a gorgeous 4 year old Blue British Shorthair cat called Harley. He is an indoor cat and is absolutely spoilt!
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I’ve always hatched eggs which I’ve bought or that have been given to me by friends but I have now decided to keep a cockerel from a recent hatch so I can breed my own line of Lavender Araucanas (UK Standard). Our local authority allows cockerels so long as they don’t cause a nuisance. Fortunately my immediate neighbours are early risers and like the sound of my growers crowing and the others are not bothered or far enough away for it not to be an issue. Nonetheless I’m currently working on a new coop lined with MLV for acoustic reduction for my breeding boy. I’ll probably write a BYC article on that if it turns out to be as effective as I’m hoping!
The plan for the future is to move up the road into the countryside with an acre or so of land. There I would like to have a few breeding groups and a couple of alpacas. I love the thought of a more relaxed way of life.
Finally, thanks to everyone who nominated me for this interview. I am honoured to have been put forward. BYC is a wonderful, community and I thoroughly enjoy being part of the family. You’ll most likely find me welcoming new members or in the Incubating & hatching eggs and Raising baby chicks forums.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/joeschooks.502798/
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. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I am 33 years old and I live on the south coast of UK in the suburbs with my partner and a growing menagerie. I am a landlord and self employed property manager by day and my partner manages a local hair salon. I am fortunate to work from home which ties in nicely with my chicken hobby; it’s handy to be around to top up the incubator humidity, watch a hatch or simply keep an eye on the flock!
Apart from the chickens I enjoy woodwork, going to the gym, eating out, entertaining at home or just relaxing with a good film and a glass of wine!
Clearing some ground for a new chicken run!
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
Well, my parents had an ever-expanding flock of all sorts of birds; chickens, quail, turkeys, parakeets. They always used to have a few hatches going and I used to love cuddling those little baby chicks! Anyway, sadly they split up and Mum decided not to continue with the birds on her own. I had bought my own house by then but it was near the city centre and had a tiny garden that really did not lend itself to keeping chickens but I knew I wanted a flock of my own one day. Fast-forward a few years and my OH and I bought our current house. We have a very long garden and I quickly filled the end 70ft with chickens! The flock is always changing and evolving but we currently have 10 full time residents in the main run. We also have two growers pens and the brooding shed which are full most of the year!
We are fortunate that most of our neighbours keep chickens or ducks so everyone is used to the morning egg songs reverberating around the neighbourhood! I even supply a few neighbours with POL chickens!
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Oh I love the whole lot, from hatching chicks to scooping the poop! I think if I had to choose I’d say the most enjoyable bit has to be watching a hatch; seeing all those new lives coming into the world is very rewarding. I also love just relaxing in the garden and observing all the different personalities! The chickens give me so much enjoyment and I find myself wandering down the garden every couple of hours to check on them!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
I love them all for different reasons. I have recently hatched some very rare Russian Pavlovskaya and one in particular has developed the most impressive mohican; I might just have to keep her! But my favourite chicken is a Lavender Araucana named Audrey. When I hatched her she suffered from wry neck and I nursed her back to health feeding vitamin E solution in a syringe. She recovered very quickly and since then she has always been the most friendly of my flock and will be around my feet wanting cuddles as soon as I walk in the run. She is naughty and never goes in the coop to roost at night with the others - but she’s still my favourite! Shhh!
Pavlovskaya chick with a funky hairdo at the back of the photo
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Well, it’s sort of chicken related... I have an electric fence around my pens. The neighbours came round for a BBQ a few weeks ago and the guy next door showed his courage by grasping hold of the electric fence. He told me it wasn’t giving much of a kick. I said “well, step off the rubber mat [which I keep at the entrance to wipe poo off your feet] and get those thick soled shoes off and try again.” He confidently obliged and let’s just say he very quickly let go while exclaiming with a loud profanity! I struggled to contain my laughter!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
We have a gorgeous 4 year old Blue British Shorthair cat called Harley. He is an indoor cat and is absolutely spoilt!
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I’ve always hatched eggs which I’ve bought or that have been given to me by friends but I have now decided to keep a cockerel from a recent hatch so I can breed my own line of Lavender Araucanas (UK Standard). Our local authority allows cockerels so long as they don’t cause a nuisance. Fortunately my immediate neighbours are early risers and like the sound of my growers crowing and the others are not bothered or far enough away for it not to be an issue. Nonetheless I’m currently working on a new coop lined with MLV for acoustic reduction for my breeding boy. I’ll probably write a BYC article on that if it turns out to be as effective as I’m hoping!
The plan for the future is to move up the road into the countryside with an acre or so of land. There I would like to have a few breeding groups and a couple of alpacas. I love the thought of a more relaxed way of life.
Finally, thanks to everyone who nominated me for this interview. I am honoured to have been put forward. BYC is a wonderful, community and I thoroughly enjoy being part of the family. You’ll most likely find me welcoming new members or in the Incubating & hatching eggs and Raising baby chicks forums.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/joeschooks.502798/
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
