@thecatumbrella
Come say hello to April who has been a member since March 2023 and comes to us from New Hampshire.
Come say hello to April who has been a member since March 2023 and comes to us from New Hampshire.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Hi, everyone! My name's April, and I live in New Hampshire with my husband of almost 20 years. There's not much of an exciting backstory; we live a peaceful, (mostly) quiet, boring life, and that's exactly what I love about it. Though... there was that time when I correctly guessed the number of candy pieces in this massive container. I got to keep the candy as my reward. Most of it was stale. That was pretty exciting?
My username is a relic from my freshman year of college. I had a set of flannel sheets with cats holding umbrellas. Again, really exciting stuff...
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
Like many millennials, I became enamored with the idea of homesteading from carefully curated social media posts (circa 2023). However, I'm a practical person and decided to start with a tiny number of chickens and a 4x5 plot of corn. The corn died. The chickens were a disaster. But I learned a lot from BYC and decided to keep with it! With the chickens, not the corn. Homesteading is just too much work when you live 10 minutes from 5 different grocery stores.
(My little chicken/garden plot with failed corn bed.)
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
I very much enjoy learning and talking in-depth about chicken keeping experiences with other people. I've certainly set my flock to "hard mode" by keeping a small number in a semi-limited space, but that forces me to use my brain and problem solve. All good things. The chickens themselves have also been an unexpected delight. I assumed I'd only be able to love on them from afar, but all of our birds have really bonded to us and enjoy our company. It's very therapeutic to just sit out with them and be in the moment. Until they peck me, that is.
(Current flock of bantam boogers
)4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
My first flock had a Black Australorp named Mushroom. She was adorable, goofy, photogenic, and - best of all - a snuggly lap chicken. My current flock has a d'Uccle named Poppy. Poppy is none of these things. I'm not even convinced a d'Uccle is a real chicken. She makes these bizarre noises that sound like a printer from 1982, cackles like a witch when she's excited to see me, and is the most uptight animal I've ever had the pleasure of keeping. We love her.
(My Mushroom)
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
I'm trying to think of a story that doesn't involve poop or cecals, but it's impossible, sorry. I was hoping to keep this interview classy. Let's see...
There was the time that Poppy jumped onto my husband's hand, feet covered in cecals. She proceeded to travel up his arm, towards the shoulder, leaving a smear trail along the way. So my husband puts out his other hand in an attempt to get her down. She jumps over and starts traveling up the other arm. The cecal trail still going strong. He's retelling this to me and yelling, "It wouldn't end! I thought I'd be good after the first arm, but it JUST KEPT GOING!" It's hysterical when it happens to someone else.
(Poppy, whose feet may or may not be covered in poop at any given time.)
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
Nothing right now. We kept a dog for many years, but I've been spoiled having chickens as an outdoor pet. I would like to get a Standard Poodle someday, especially since I've vacuumed enough hair for a lifetime after having a Pug.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I'm just very grateful for BYC. There are some truly kind souls here, folks that crack me up, and just an endless patience to help people like myself. People that read and read and read, but still have no idea what they're doing. So thank you for having me.
@thecatumbrella
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
Mushroom is adorable, my first flock was all Black Australorps, the most interesting breed I have ever kept. 
Love Poppy's cheeks, you just want to smooze them. 
She's adorable! 
