@redinator
Come say hello to Stacy who comes to us from Louisiana and has been a member since January 2025.
Come say hello to Stacy who comes to us from Louisiana and has been a member since January 2025.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
My name is Stacy, and I currently live in Slidell, La. I have a grown son (25) who lives at home, and we both take care of my dad, who is an 83-year-old disabled veteran.
I grew up in New Orleans, La., and I've been an animal lover all my life. As a kid, I was always bringing home the saddest-looking dogs and cats you could find. I've had all kinds of pets and I’ve even nursed a few baby birds and a baby squirrel back to good health and set them free in a local park. But if you asked anyone who knew me if I'd end up raising chickens, they'd laugh at the idea. But here I am living just outside the city limits, and 8 months into raising chickens, and I have over 50.
My member’s name is a nickname my older brother gave after watching The Terminator a VERY long time ago.
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
My dad's health, physical and mental, has been declining in the past few years. He would become stressed when my son and I were both out of the house for long periods. He'd constantly call to ask where we were and when we were getting home. At one point, he literally worried himself sick, and he landed in the hospital with a 'mild' (the doctors’ words) heart attack. After that, it became evident that one of us would have to stay home with him.
I started keeping chickens in December of 2024 (yes, only that long ago) to give me something to do at home. I've always loved animals, and I have two dogs, but they honestly didn't keep me busy enough.
I went from working 10-12 hours a day to sitting around the house practically overnight, and I was going a bit stir crazy. I needed something to occupy my time, get me outside more, and that I didn't have to leave the house to do.
One night, I was browsing Amazon looking for . . . I don't even remember what... and an incubator popped up in my "recommended for you". I blew it off ... What on Earth would I do with an incubator? Amazon's algorithm must be broken! Next thing I know, I'm checking prices for hatching eggs . . . reading about incubating eggs . . . checking out all the different breeds of chicken, feather colors, COLORED EGGS. . ok, I'm in!
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
Honestly, I love all of it! Um, well, except the poop, I could do with less poop, but everything else . . . breeding, hatching, raising, feeding, cuddling, etc. I can easily 'waste' hours in the yard just watching them be chickens.
The SUPER best part, though, CHICKS! Once the youngest reach 6 weeks, I want to hatch more. I’m generally a reasonable person, but the chicks cast some crazy spell on me and next thing I know, I have another incubator full of eggs. What kind of voodoo is this, it’s insane!
I still want to get breeds that lay colored eggs; currently, mine are all laying brown eggs, so I need to make space for some colored egg layers.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Sweety is by far my favorite chicken. She was the first to hatch from my first batch of hatching eggs. She was alone for nearly an hour until the next chick hatched. I held her, talked to her, and snuggled her until the next chick hatched. If it weren't for her, I'd probably see chickens as more of a resource, not pets. She is currently 7 months old and has a batch of 3 chicks she decided to bless me with. She never pecked me once while she was broody and brought the chicks over and onto my lap for pets and cuddles. I absolutely LOVE that bird. If this whole chicken-keeping thing goes sideways, she'll be a house chicken.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
The first story that comes to mind is:
They aren't dead or dying, they're sun/dust bathing - the first morning after putting my first batch of 5-week-olds outside, they just started dropping at my feet and thrashing around. I thought they were having seizures! I looked around for anything they may've gotten into, nothing... I bent over to pick one of them up, and it immediately got up and walked off, then another. . . it took a minute for me to realize they were dustbathing. On occasion, my dad will see them flailing around in the dirt and tell me I need to go check on them, lol.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
I have two dogs, Daisy, my Chihuahua/Husky mix, and Brutus, my Maltese mix.
Brutus is the sweetest, but not so bright, typical lap dog. He follows me around while I tend the chickens and occasionally finds himself surrounded by chickens that want to dustbathe in the hole he dug for himself to roll in. He quietly obliges and goes to dig another hole. He’s a small black dog and I have several black chickens. Sometimes I mistake him for a chicken when I’m doing a headcount.
Daisy has turned into quite the chicken guardian. She absolutely loves the chicks. When I have a brood in the house she sleeps by their pen at night and doesn’t go to sleep herself until they all settle down.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
This is my ongoing thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...nus-broody-and-everything-thereafter.1672919/ I treat it as my journal. I intend to keep it updated as much as possible. It’s a little slow sometimes, other times I’m hatching eggs, integrating, debating with myself on which breed to get next. Feel free to drop in and say Hi.
@redinator
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
It's nice to get to know you a bit better Stacy, I recognize many of your birds and pets names having tagged along in your Incubation thread. 
(Which again I apologize for not stopping by enough lately. 
) Thanks for sharing yourself with us here today, give Sweety a hug for me! 
Chickens really are a great way to "waste time" aren't they? 
and thank you for sharing your interview.
