- Jun 28, 2011
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Theresa, known to BYC members as theoldchick has been a member of our community since May 2010. She is well known for her wonderful chicken pics, good advice and her great sense of humour. And her beautiful flock of chickens of course!
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I've been a licensed veterinary technician for 28 years. An exciting job for sure! I've been married to the same man for over 33 years. He recently retired from the State Highway Patrol and now operates his own transmission shop. I enjoy yoga, horseback riding, reading, writing, hiking, photography.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
I started keeping chickens when I was about 5-6 years old. My parents had moved to Oklahoma and purchased 50 chickens from Sears. My job (with supervision) was to watch over the chickens and collect the eggs. Well, this flock turned out to be roosters so they were traded for pullets. However, at 5 years of age, I didn't understand the term 'trade' and simply thought the boys had turned into girls. For the longest time I thought all cockerels turned to pullets when they reached a certain age. I took care of my hens. Every day I would take them out to the pasture and stand guard over them while they foraged. It was common to find me sitting with my flock whispering to them. Thus I earned the name 'The Chicken Whisperer'.
When my family moved from Oklahoma we were chicken-less. I begged and pleaded until my mother purchased a chick from a feed store. I was 12 years old and loved her dearly. She grew into a fine Rhode Island Red hen and lived in my bedroom. Since we lived in the city, chickens weren't allowed, my father built a 4x4 cage for her to live in and Clucker settled in with all my other pets. She was a great house pet. She learned to walk on a leash and we became famous in our neighborhood as I walked her along the roadside. She died when she was 10 years old and I was 22. I was married by then and when my husband and I settled in the country we had Silkies, Old English Bantams, and several mixed laying hens. When he was transferred we were chicken-less for several years. Once we moved to place where we could safely keep chickens, he hired a man to build the Fortress and told me to get chickens or he would get them for me. And so I ended up with Jersey Giants from Cackle Hatchery. They've been wonderful reintroduction to chickens. I also have horses, one dog, a turtle, parakeets, cockatiels, two Amazon Parrots, and a tank full of Tiger Barbs, and a peacock named George. I recently purchased a quad of chicks which are Black Copper Marans. I don't have any human children as all my maternal instinct went to the animals.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy watching and photographing chickens. Actually, I enjoy photographing anything that doesn't outrun me. I like going out to the coop and sitting with my chickens. If I have my camera, I'll snap photos of them. If I don't have my camera, I sit on the ground with them and whisper to them. Fortunately, I live in the country so nobody will say I'm the Crazy Chicken Lady.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
My most favorite chicken of all time was Clucker. She was my childhood pet who taught me many lessons about responsibility and her final lesson was about death. When she died I realized life was fleeting, time passed and you did not get it back. My current favorite chicken is Askew. Her orange eyes are all wrong for the Jersey Giant breed but she is the best photographer's assistant you could ever want. She's a great model, too! Never shies away from the camera, and is always ready to hold the lens cap for you when you drop it. She loves sitting in my lap and going to sleep. She is the best stress reliever anybody could ever want.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
The funniest chicken related thing happened recently. The security cameras caught this: Our Blue Copper Marans Rooster, Steele was on yard patrol when a human intruder invaded his domain. The man was an uninvited guest who was peering in the back windows and most likely had intentions of taking something that was not his. We are not sure of what his intentions were as Steele went after the man and flogged his kneecaps with the intensity of a crazed Ninja. The man tried to swat him back but Steele was not having any of that. Although his spurs are blunted, Steele managed to force the man to retreat. Even out of camera range you could hear the scuffling going on. I'm sure Steele slapped him with his magnificent wattles to get his point across.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
I've already mentioned my menagerie and I must say I love them all.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Never stop learning about what you love.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/57171/theoldchick
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've been a licensed veterinary technician for 28 years. An exciting job for sure! I've been married to the same man for over 33 years. He recently retired from the State Highway Patrol and now operates his own transmission shop. I enjoy yoga, horseback riding, reading, writing, hiking, photography.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
I started keeping chickens when I was about 5-6 years old. My parents had moved to Oklahoma and purchased 50 chickens from Sears. My job (with supervision) was to watch over the chickens and collect the eggs. Well, this flock turned out to be roosters so they were traded for pullets. However, at 5 years of age, I didn't understand the term 'trade' and simply thought the boys had turned into girls. For the longest time I thought all cockerels turned to pullets when they reached a certain age. I took care of my hens. Every day I would take them out to the pasture and stand guard over them while they foraged. It was common to find me sitting with my flock whispering to them. Thus I earned the name 'The Chicken Whisperer'.
When my family moved from Oklahoma we were chicken-less. I begged and pleaded until my mother purchased a chick from a feed store. I was 12 years old and loved her dearly. She grew into a fine Rhode Island Red hen and lived in my bedroom. Since we lived in the city, chickens weren't allowed, my father built a 4x4 cage for her to live in and Clucker settled in with all my other pets. She was a great house pet. She learned to walk on a leash and we became famous in our neighborhood as I walked her along the roadside. She died when she was 10 years old and I was 22. I was married by then and when my husband and I settled in the country we had Silkies, Old English Bantams, and several mixed laying hens. When he was transferred we were chicken-less for several years. Once we moved to place where we could safely keep chickens, he hired a man to build the Fortress and told me to get chickens or he would get them for me. And so I ended up with Jersey Giants from Cackle Hatchery. They've been wonderful reintroduction to chickens. I also have horses, one dog, a turtle, parakeets, cockatiels, two Amazon Parrots, and a tank full of Tiger Barbs, and a peacock named George. I recently purchased a quad of chicks which are Black Copper Marans. I don't have any human children as all my maternal instinct went to the animals.
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy watching and photographing chickens. Actually, I enjoy photographing anything that doesn't outrun me. I like going out to the coop and sitting with my chickens. If I have my camera, I'll snap photos of them. If I don't have my camera, I sit on the ground with them and whisper to them. Fortunately, I live in the country so nobody will say I'm the Crazy Chicken Lady.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
My most favorite chicken of all time was Clucker. She was my childhood pet who taught me many lessons about responsibility and her final lesson was about death. When she died I realized life was fleeting, time passed and you did not get it back. My current favorite chicken is Askew. Her orange eyes are all wrong for the Jersey Giant breed but she is the best photographer's assistant you could ever want. She's a great model, too! Never shies away from the camera, and is always ready to hold the lens cap for you when you drop it. She loves sitting in my lap and going to sleep. She is the best stress reliever anybody could ever want.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
The funniest chicken related thing happened recently. The security cameras caught this: Our Blue Copper Marans Rooster, Steele was on yard patrol when a human intruder invaded his domain. The man was an uninvited guest who was peering in the back windows and most likely had intentions of taking something that was not his. We are not sure of what his intentions were as Steele went after the man and flogged his kneecaps with the intensity of a crazed Ninja. The man tried to swat him back but Steele was not having any of that. Although his spurs are blunted, Steele managed to force the man to retreat. Even out of camera range you could hear the scuffling going on. I'm sure Steele slapped him with his magnificent wattles to get his point across.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
I've already mentioned my menagerie and I must say I love them all.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Never stop learning about what you love.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/57171/theoldchick
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
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