- Jun 28, 2011
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Beth, known to BYC members as PirateGirl, has been a member of our community since March, 2017. Another of our wonderful all rounders, she is known for her friendliness and good advice.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
My real name is Beth. I once had a notion that the pirates have it figured out because they do what they want and take what they need and explore the world and don't have to answer to anyone. I currently live in the Rocky Mountains at 10,000 ft. above sea level in perpetual winter with my husband and the occasional stray that ends up as a temporary roommate. In summer I make an attempt at gardening, but the prairie dogs (and rabbits) are my enemies and the sun tends to burn the leaves off plants (it's more intense at this altitude), and it's essentially a high desert so there's not much precipitation, so it's difficult to say the least; if you've seen Caddyshack you have some notion of my struggle. I enjoy climbing mountains in the summer (including some of the highest peaks in the continental US) and snowboarding in the winter (and snowskating, look it up) and hiking with my dogs in the National Forest year round and target shooting. The more time I can spend outdoors the better.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
I always had a thing for animals. My first job when I was 16 was working in a pet store with exotics (my boss didn't believe that dogs and cats belonged in a pet store and it was all fish and lizards and birds). I've had just about any sort of small caged animal a person could have at some point in my life as a pet, parakeets, a parrot, hamsters, mice, lizards, a python, a rabbit, etc. and I enjoy them all. When I envisioned my own home as an adult, it included large outdoor animals as well. You know that thing where they say if money wasn't an issue what would you do with your life... I'd probably have an animal rescue.
My first "home" after a slew of rentals with even more random roommates was a 500 square foot condo. As many of you know, living in a condo means living with an HOA. HOA is a dirty word on BYC, but let me tell you that having an HOA isn't all bad, you just have to learn how to work it from the inside to get what you want. Be active in your HOA, trust me, I know, and I spent about 6 years as board president on mine, and it's probably the only way I managed to accept it, and get what I wanted.
After that, my husband and I were determined to buy a house, preferably where we could have some land, and NO HOA. It's expensive living near a ski resort so this proved to be a difficult mission. In the end it seems we could afford land OR a house, so we now have a modest house on about 1/3 of an acre where I can finally have some chickens and ducks and a garden and we can send the dogs out on their own without a leash and without 3 floors of steps and without neighbors through the walls and life is much improved.
![IMG_7636[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7636-1-jpg.1862632/ "IMG_7636[1].jpg")
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Everyone has bad things they have to deal with in their lives, and let's just say the chickens and ducks seem to make those things a bit more tolerable and seem to turn them into background noise. Is it bad that I'd rather be home mucking out the duck coop, shoveling piles of poop, than sitting at my desk at my job? What does that say about my life that duck poop is better than work? I think I need a new job. If anyone knows any legit work from home opportunities feel free to PM me.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Harriet. Hands down. Harriet is a bielefelder that I got on recommendation from the farmer when I was selecting my first pullets. I told him I wanted layers that were docile and cold hardy, and of the birds he had available at the time, this is what he recommended. Since you folks have chickens, I think you will understand, some just have a better personality than others. Harriet is brave, and curious, and smart, and docile, and friendly, and nice, and an excellent layer of huge dark brown speckled eggs, and just generally has the best personality of them all. She used to even tuck the runt of the bunch under her wing to roost at night.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Little Dot was, well, little, and sick, maybe 8 weeks old, with a respiratory infection. She became known as "sneezy" and sounded like she was snoring, and she was one of my first chickens and this was the first illness I had to deal with and I was fairly convinced she was going to die. I put her in a box about the size of a shoe box in my laundry room (it was cold and snowy outside), and gave her Tylan orally for days. She barely ate and declined and I could hear her "snoring" from the next room. I left for work. All I could think about was my poor chicken all day. I got home and went straight to the laundry room fearing the worst. I was 99% certain I was coming home to my first dead chicken, but the box was empty! There was Dot, up and about, exploring the laundry room, escaped from her hospital box, and seemingly healthy!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Well, I have ducks, and honestly, if I'd had ducks first, I'm not sure I'd have ever gotten chickens. They do so much better in our harsh environment and never seem to get sick or get parasites and will sleep outside in a blizzard by choice, and lay bigger and better eggs more consistently. I love my ducks, including my drake. Currently I have 4 chickens, 6 ducks (one is a drake), and two ducklings that I hatched with a broody chicken (my first hatching experience). The ducklings are going to their new home soon; I am being an enabler and giving them to a friend that recently bought a home on some land nearby and currently has NOT a single chicken or duck (tragedy).
![IMG_7532[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7532-1-jpg.1862633/ "IMG_7532[1].jpg")
I have a 14 year old golden retriever, Miss Sunshine, that is the love of my life. I also have a rescue mutt that is mostly catahoula/aussie, Nollie (named after a skateboard/snowboard trick), and has learned that my chickens are her chickens and she defends them and does a good job, all for the reward of eating chicken poop. Last night she chased off the fox for me that chose our neighborhood to make a den and raise its kits this summer; it's been after my flock for weeks now. We have lots of neighborhood coyotes, which are kinda like pets, right? Our town only has a population of about 600 and is surrounded by ranch land and national forest, so they pass through, a lot.
We also have two cats that are polar opposites. One is my husband's cat, and one I adopted and gave the job to kill the things that kill my garden, Athena and Mr. Ruger. One is black, one white, one male, one female, one indoor, one outdoor, one is a good hunter, one is not, one snuggles, one will claw out your eyes, one is mean, one is nice, and the list goes on, oh, and Mr. Ruger thinks my dog is his girlfriend.
![IMG_7390[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7390-1-jpg.1862637/ "IMG_7390[1].jpg")
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Dreams for future. I think we all need to dream of our future. We all need something to work towards. We all need a glimmer of hope in the distance. One day I will have human children. One day I will have more land. One day I will be able to quit my day job and work on my own farm. One day I will raise yaks. One day I will have goats. One day I will have a mini burro (did you know they race burros here?) and some geese as guards for my flock. Oh, and I will travel the world (one time I spent a month living in my tent in New Zealand and exploring their national parks).
I also want to thank my husband who has been my biggest supporter in all this. He always says at least it's not drugs and then helps me build fences and coops and takes trips to the feed store with me etc. He even bought me a chicken sign at a garage sale once while I was at work.
![IMG_7419[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7419-1-jpg.1862638/ "IMG_7419[1].jpg")
![IMG_7635[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7635-1-jpg.1862640/ "IMG_7635[1].jpg")
![IMG_7634[1].jpg](https://www.backyardchickens.com/attachments/img_7634-1-jpg.1862641/ "IMG_7634[1].jpg")
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/pirategirl.464384/
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.
My real name is Beth. I once had a notion that the pirates have it figured out because they do what they want and take what they need and explore the world and don't have to answer to anyone. I currently live in the Rocky Mountains at 10,000 ft. above sea level in perpetual winter with my husband and the occasional stray that ends up as a temporary roommate. In summer I make an attempt at gardening, but the prairie dogs (and rabbits) are my enemies and the sun tends to burn the leaves off plants (it's more intense at this altitude), and it's essentially a high desert so there's not much precipitation, so it's difficult to say the least; if you've seen Caddyshack you have some notion of my struggle. I enjoy climbing mountains in the summer (including some of the highest peaks in the continental US) and snowboarding in the winter (and snowskating, look it up) and hiking with my dogs in the National Forest year round and target shooting. The more time I can spend outdoors the better.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
I always had a thing for animals. My first job when I was 16 was working in a pet store with exotics (my boss didn't believe that dogs and cats belonged in a pet store and it was all fish and lizards and birds). I've had just about any sort of small caged animal a person could have at some point in my life as a pet, parakeets, a parrot, hamsters, mice, lizards, a python, a rabbit, etc. and I enjoy them all. When I envisioned my own home as an adult, it included large outdoor animals as well. You know that thing where they say if money wasn't an issue what would you do with your life... I'd probably have an animal rescue.
My first "home" after a slew of rentals with even more random roommates was a 500 square foot condo. As many of you know, living in a condo means living with an HOA. HOA is a dirty word on BYC, but let me tell you that having an HOA isn't all bad, you just have to learn how to work it from the inside to get what you want. Be active in your HOA, trust me, I know, and I spent about 6 years as board president on mine, and it's probably the only way I managed to accept it, and get what I wanted.
After that, my husband and I were determined to buy a house, preferably where we could have some land, and NO HOA. It's expensive living near a ski resort so this proved to be a difficult mission. In the end it seems we could afford land OR a house, so we now have a modest house on about 1/3 of an acre where I can finally have some chickens and ducks and a garden and we can send the dogs out on their own without a leash and without 3 floors of steps and without neighbors through the walls and life is much improved.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
Everyone has bad things they have to deal with in their lives, and let's just say the chickens and ducks seem to make those things a bit more tolerable and seem to turn them into background noise. Is it bad that I'd rather be home mucking out the duck coop, shoveling piles of poop, than sitting at my desk at my job? What does that say about my life that duck poop is better than work? I think I need a new job. If anyone knows any legit work from home opportunities feel free to PM me.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Harriet. Hands down. Harriet is a bielefelder that I got on recommendation from the farmer when I was selecting my first pullets. I told him I wanted layers that were docile and cold hardy, and of the birds he had available at the time, this is what he recommended. Since you folks have chickens, I think you will understand, some just have a better personality than others. Harriet is brave, and curious, and smart, and docile, and friendly, and nice, and an excellent layer of huge dark brown speckled eggs, and just generally has the best personality of them all. She used to even tuck the runt of the bunch under her wing to roost at night.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Little Dot was, well, little, and sick, maybe 8 weeks old, with a respiratory infection. She became known as "sneezy" and sounded like she was snoring, and she was one of my first chickens and this was the first illness I had to deal with and I was fairly convinced she was going to die. I put her in a box about the size of a shoe box in my laundry room (it was cold and snowy outside), and gave her Tylan orally for days. She barely ate and declined and I could hear her "snoring" from the next room. I left for work. All I could think about was my poor chicken all day. I got home and went straight to the laundry room fearing the worst. I was 99% certain I was coming home to my first dead chicken, but the box was empty! There was Dot, up and about, exploring the laundry room, escaped from her hospital box, and seemingly healthy!
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
Well, I have ducks, and honestly, if I'd had ducks first, I'm not sure I'd have ever gotten chickens. They do so much better in our harsh environment and never seem to get sick or get parasites and will sleep outside in a blizzard by choice, and lay bigger and better eggs more consistently. I love my ducks, including my drake. Currently I have 4 chickens, 6 ducks (one is a drake), and two ducklings that I hatched with a broody chicken (my first hatching experience). The ducklings are going to their new home soon; I am being an enabler and giving them to a friend that recently bought a home on some land nearby and currently has NOT a single chicken or duck (tragedy).
I have a 14 year old golden retriever, Miss Sunshine, that is the love of my life. I also have a rescue mutt that is mostly catahoula/aussie, Nollie (named after a skateboard/snowboard trick), and has learned that my chickens are her chickens and she defends them and does a good job, all for the reward of eating chicken poop. Last night she chased off the fox for me that chose our neighborhood to make a den and raise its kits this summer; it's been after my flock for weeks now. We have lots of neighborhood coyotes, which are kinda like pets, right? Our town only has a population of about 600 and is surrounded by ranch land and national forest, so they pass through, a lot.
We also have two cats that are polar opposites. One is my husband's cat, and one I adopted and gave the job to kill the things that kill my garden, Athena and Mr. Ruger. One is black, one white, one male, one female, one indoor, one outdoor, one is a good hunter, one is not, one snuggles, one will claw out your eyes, one is mean, one is nice, and the list goes on, oh, and Mr. Ruger thinks my dog is his girlfriend.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Dreams for future. I think we all need to dream of our future. We all need something to work towards. We all need a glimmer of hope in the distance. One day I will have human children. One day I will have more land. One day I will be able to quit my day job and work on my own farm. One day I will raise yaks. One day I will have goats. One day I will have a mini burro (did you know they race burros here?) and some geese as guards for my flock. Oh, and I will travel the world (one time I spent a month living in my tent in New Zealand and exploring their national parks).
I also want to thank my husband who has been my biggest supporter in all this. He always says at least it's not drugs and then helps me build fences and coops and takes trips to the feed store with me etc. He even bought me a chicken sign at a garage sale once while I was at work.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/members/pirategirl.464384/
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
