@Tookie
Come say hello to Claire! She's been a member since December 2021 and comes to us from central Texas.
Come say hello to Claire! She's been a member since December 2021 and comes to us from central Texas.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Greetings BYC family! Claire is my name and chickens are my game!
I am a homeschool student and the oldest of three siblings. I was born in Florida and
lived there for 3 ½ years, we then moved to Texas and have been here ever since.
On our homestead we do lots of gardening and have a variety of plants and trees. We grow peppers, tomatoes, melons, squashes, pears, mulberries, and peaches to name a few.
I enjoy taking care of animals, and hope to do something oriented around them in the future, preferably chickens. Since 2018, I have been taking care of the chickens by myself. As I take on more responsibility we are continuously improving the coop to hold an ever growing flock!
My other hobbies include fishing, snowboarding, hiking, baking, church choir, some gaming, and “playing” BYC.
There is a bit of a story behind my username. My username is the name of one of my chickens.
My little sister was so happy to see me come home with our first chickens, that right away she shouted, “That one's Tookie!” and pointed at a small black pullet. Tookie became one of our favorites with a spunky personality. This unique chicken came first to my mind while I was thinking of a username.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
We started keeping chickens in spring 2015. My parents decided to get chickens to give
my siblings and I an enriched homeschooling experience, while collecting eggs as a food source.
We started off with four chickens. One rooster and three hens are still alive, which
includes Tookie.
These were our first chicken in the garden.->
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
I like spending time with them and observing their unique personalities. Also the colorful eggs. Its a very enjoyable hobby.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
There was one rooster, his name was Tuff Boy. We hatched him in our first and only hatch along with some others in 2016. His original name was Tuff Girl, as we thought he was a she. He looked almost identical to his father, Brutus. We culled Tuff Boy's brothers, and he stayed. We kept him for many years until he started to fight with Brutus, we then had to cull him.
These are the two roosters fighting, Brutus is on the left and Tuff Boy on the right.->
Tookie is one that stands out. She is from our original flock, alive and active at 7 ½ years old. She doesn't lay eggs anymore, but that's fine. We enjoy having her as a pet.
She used to fly over our chain link fence and wander around the yard, which encouraged many other hens to do the same. The silly girl would do it all the time, risking her life until she eventually stopped.
This is Tookie.->
Angel is another one that stands out. On February 24, 2022, we went to the post office to pick up a box of 7 little fluff balls, Angel included. Once she started growing in her wing feathers I noticed her right wing feathers were hanging down and sticking out. I didn't really know why but I thought it could be angel wing (that's where her name comes from). As she got older it wasn't getting any better and I tried wrapping her wing up, which didn't go very well. So at 9 weeks old we took her to the vet to see what was wrong. I knew there was nothing we could do, I just wanted to know what happened. The vet said that she broke her wing and it didn't heal right, and while the wing was trying to heal the bone thickened and the supporting tissue had “contractures,” paralyzing her wing. I think she broke her wing during hatching, handling at the hatchery, or during shipping. I gave her extra attention because of her wing, and still do. Many times I would just find her on her back not being able to get up, I'm pretty sure she was tripping on her wing. That mostly happened when she was younger, she doesn't do it much now, if at all. Because of that I've brought her on two vacations. She is a well-traveled chicken!
This is Angel.->
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
There have been many funny things that our chickens have done, but here are a few, I don't really have one long story.
Many years ago I went outside to check on the chickens and witnessed our rooster on top of the coop crowing, with a hen next to him. They likely jumped on the nesting box, and then onto the roof. It was so cute and funny!
There is also something humorous that occurs daily when I let the chickens out to free range. When they exit the run to free range they start frantically flying everywhere! They love to free range and are always excited to be free!
Another time, I saw one of the hens being chased around the yard by the other chickens, while holding something In her mouth. I caught her and saw that she had found a small 8 inch garter snake. Since then she has snacked on one other snake.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
I have two dogs, a Corgi Australian Shepherd mix named Luanne (Lulu for short) who is 11 years old, and a German Shepherd named Cleo, who will be 2 years old in November. Both of them are great with the chickens, which is awesome, and they like to free range together.
We also have indoor and outdoor fish. The indoor tank has neon tetras and the outside tank has comet goldfish used for aquaponics.
That's all the pets we keep, although I would like some more animals like goats, horses, and ducks.
These are our dogs, Cleo on the right and Lulu on the left.->
And since halloween is soon...
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I would like to say BYC is an amazing community and I have learned so much from it, I don't know what I would do without it! Everyone here is so nice and helpful!
One more thing, more pictures!
Cocoa is on the left and Princess on the right. Both are mixed breeds.->
This is Chick-A-Dee the Buff Orpington.->
Scratcher is on the left and Hawk on the right, Hawk is part of the original flock. They are both mixed breeds.->
This is Egghead, she's a mixed breed.->
Tookie is on the left and Tookie Two is one the right, both are mixed breeds.->
This is Ulysses, he's an Easter Egger.->
Oyster Cracker is an Easter Egger, she's on the left. Rocky is a Barred Rock, she's in the middle. Oreo is a Barred Rock also, she's on the right.->
This is Muffin the Easter Egger.->
This is Willow the Easter Egger.->
This is Chippie the Welsummer.->
This is Domino the Dominique.->
That's the whole flock! Eighteen chickens in total.
Some of you may be reading this months or years later so I'm sure some will have passed by then.
This interview has gotten long, so I'll be done. I appreciate all of you who have read it!
@Tookie
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews.905602
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews.905602
