BYC Member Interview - Speckledhen **UPDATE 01-01-21 page 8**

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allen wranch said:
Oh my gosh!
I am so glad for the update, Cynthia. I am happy to hear you are still active with your animals, but sorry to hear your husband is not feeling as well.

I miss the old days with BYC, and the old friends. But sometimes you have to slow down and take a side path.

However, chickens are always in our lives once we get hooked.
Carla
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Omigosh, Carla! So glad to see you again! What a blast from the past. You know, strangely enough, I thought of you the other day when I was reorganizing some of the barn and I picked up a jar of copper sulfate. I think it was you who told me that was a great treatment for sour crop.
 
When I first read Cynthia's posts (2007) I was just in awe of her as a person who had such sensitivity and love for her chickens,, but could turn around and do necropsies for the sake of her flock health. She always had interesting stories about her chickens and those chickens would become so well known by everyone. I remember having a lump in my throat sometimes when reading about one of her chickens was having a hard time. It's funny how you end up getting attached to someone else's chickens. Thanks, Cynthia!
 
sunflour said:
Love your interview, thank you for sharing your story.

My favorite photo you posted is the hammock scene with your spouse and the lovely chickens.
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Thank you. That's one of my favorite pictures as well.

allen wranch said:
Hey, Cyn,
I loved reading your interview and going down memory lane with you and your chickens. I remember them all from when I was more active with BYC. It is so hard to lose the favorites. I also have a retirement home and hospice for my older birds. Two of my original birds are 12 years old now - OEGB's Spot & Star.

Looking forward to learning more about you.....
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Carla, old friend, so happy to see you here again. My oldest right now is about to turn 8 in January, my last hatchery hen, my Brahma, Caroline. I can't believe I've finally had a hatchery hen live this long! She's a great old gal and there are two BR hens right behind her. It's fabulous that you have 12 year olds! I'm praying that a couple of my super special ones will live that long, one being my beloved black Ameraucana, Gypsy. That hen is just the best. She's 7 now.

We acquired an unexpected new pet this month; well, he acquired us, really. On November 5th, my rooster was following something out toward the woods and I began following him to see what all the fuss was about. It was a big orange tabby. He went through the livestock fencing, but when my DH called to him, he answered and turned around and came back and stayed. Now, he is neutered with the proper shots. Finn has converted my cat-hating DH into a believer. He's never owned a cat and I haven't since I was a kid; we had dogs for many years until the last two became very old and passed away, so we were really dog people. Finn is smart and personable and, most importantly, is chicken-friendly. I crocheted him a bed but DH had already built a cat condo with false floor to put a heating pad in it for winter. He is an outside cat who somehow manages to end up inside more than I had planned (not me letting him in, blame my DH!).






 
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How did I miss this? I really enjoyed reading this about my one of my favorite, (and most feared) people on BYC.

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N F C said:
**UPDATE on speckledhen 01-01-21**
It's been several years since @speckledhen's member interview was first posted; as she was the very first member to be interviewed, it's only fitting she be the first to do an update! Let's catch up with Cynthia! :)​



Not sure I could begin to talk about how much has happened since that time, so many years have passed! We still live on a small mountain acreage at the tail end of the Blue Ridge. In the last two or three years, we've lost about 25+ of our hens and roosters, almost all of them to simple old age, not one to predators. That includes Tiny the Terrorist Attack hen about a month ago-I swear, I thought that cantankerous old gal would live to be 20, but she made it to almost 11 years old. She did get featured in the 2020 Oct/Nov issue of Backyard Poultry magazine before she died, guess fame was just too much for her, LOL. We still have some hens from early in our chicken keeping, some are 12 and 13 years old. Even some of those pesky little Belgian D'Anvers are still here, the oldest are almost 10 now. Lost the longest living hen, a Barred Rock named Amanda, early this year at 13; she even laid eggs every year except this one! The biggest difference in my flocks were the Partridge/Blue partridge Brahmas I hatched over 4 ½ years ago. They have been my main focus, other than my two lines of Barred Plymouth Rocks.

The cat who adopted us in November 2014, Finn, is still with us and an integral part of our lives. Been thinking about the direction my poultry keeping will go soon. We need to change some things up, maybe go back to my original type mixed, fun flock, no separate breeding groups anymore, maybe get guinea fowl again. I have to simplify those chores for personal reasons-my disabled veteran husband's degenerative disc disease has progressed further so we have trouble keeping these 5 ½ acres up, hence simplifying my flocks.

I am involved in my YouTube channel, Roots, Rocks & Feathers, where I do videos about raising chickens, homesteading, frugal and simple living, etc, but I have almost stopped quilting entirely and even plan to sell my machine, just can't keep up with "things" enough to relax and create much.. I haven't been as active as I was in the past on BYC for various reasons, but I still keep my longest running threads updated. This year has me exclaiming repeatedly, "Beam me up, Scotty!" but we've been well, living healthy, growing gardens and canning our food, no "bugs" have invaded other than the stinkbug kind!
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So much fun to read your update. I am amazed that you've had some hens live so long, and laying eggs! I hope my girls make it that stretch, a long happy-chicken-life.
:hugs for all your losses over the years. Your Tiny Terrorist was a celebrity?! Very impressive, any pictures? So funny that your husband didnt like cats. Sometimes it takes one cat to change the heart :p
5.2 acres is big commitment, and very inspiring what you've done with your chicken experience but, I can only imagine how much it takes from other things.
Definitely want to check out your channel :)

Even with life keeping you busy, thank you for updating us peeps!
 

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