@Weeg
Come say hello to Avery! She's been a member since July 2020 and comes to us from Washington.
Come say hello to Avery! She's been a member since July 2020 and comes to us from Washington.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
Outside BYC my name is Avery, I'm a paleo animal lover from Western Washington. I live in a small town surrounded by trees and wildlife, I love where I live. We have 8 acres and the chickens sure do enjoy it. If I'm not hanging with them, you can find me baking (for me, my chickens, or my dogs,) crafting, gardening, riding the horses, and snowboarding and surfing seasonally. I love animals, not only my own, but wildlife. Thats another hobby of mine, I especially love our resident Swallows that occupy our bird houses each Spring.
I dream of becoming a vet someday and have plenty of opportunities to learn on my own time, and spend outdoors. I've been interested in herbal/holistic remedies and treatments ever since I started my dogs on a raw diet. I do tons of research on herbal remedies, and natural nutrition. I want to be a holistic vet, those kinds of things have always been fascinating to me. I think that all animals should have natural nutrition, thats why I switched by dogs to raw, and I can probably thank BYC for that.
Because of this, I decided I should try it myself, so I've been on Paleo for the last 5 or 6 months. I love all the new recipes and ideas its opened up for me! Theres so many recipes out there I would have never tired had I not gone Paleo, I throughly enjoy it so far.
I also love being self sufficient! My dad and brother hunt deer and other wild game such as ducks, grouse and fish seasonally. Almost all of our meat comes from the animals that they hunt, and I am always grateful for it. I love gardening, and do try to grow lots of plants in the spring and summer to eat. Our garden space isn't quite big enough to feed our family of 4 year round, it does make me happy to grow my own vegetables and fruit to eat. I'm continuously working on my herb garden, like mentioned above, the power and benefits of herbs fascinate me. It makes me happy to be able to give home grown vitamins, immune support, and nutrients through the food that I grow to my chickens and pets. It makes me happy to see them happy.
We have a small orchard of young fruit trees on the far end of our property. Most of them are quite young still, but hopefully they will be producing fruit in the next few seasons. We have a few established trees that produced very well last year, and I'm very excited to have more!
Like mentioned above, our home is tucked away in the woods. We're located in a small but growing town nestled in the forests of Western Washington. As wet and cold as it is, I don't see myself ever wanting to leave, I love the place that I live, I can only hope it stays a small quite town forever.
Some river photos from the creek we are lucky to live near. It was a life saver last summer when it got super hot.
Some photos of our forests, I especially love the moss we get here, its very cool, especially in the sunlight.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens? (or any other poultry you have)
We've had chickens for as long as I can remember. My parents got them originally for eggs, but they grew on me as I got older. When I was young, they talked about getting rid of the chickens because they brought in so many predators, and they were a lot of work. I stepped up and took over the responsibility of the chickens, they've been mine ever since.
I've always loved the self sufficiency of having chickens. We never buy eggs, unless we need them for dog food in the winter, then we get them locally. They are fantastic for composting, and they do help with weed control in the summer. They also add a responsibility that I love. Not only are each and every one of them my best friends, but they're so social, and personable. They get me, I think I've had longer lasting, and more meaningful friendships with some of my chickens than people!
We got ducks a few years later, and I love them to death! Our Mallard broods ducklings every year, and they are so entertaining in the summer when they can free range. They are quirkier than chickens, and they crack me up with their wobbly heads! Always bobbing them at you, or looking at you funny. Also great for the slugs! They love them, and I prefer to give them to the ducks rather than dispose of them myself, they're a fantastic nutritious treat.
Plus, ducks running around trying to get slime off their beaks is pretty cute, thats a happy duck.
We have 13 chickens currently, most of which are bantams. 10 ducks, but if you add our most recent additions, Zorro and Birch, 14 chickens, and 11 ducks.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
Definitely the companionship! The antics are endless, they can always find a way to make you laugh or smile. I think they're more personable than many other pets, and can be more hilarious. Dogs are great, but chickens are far less work, and they're more personable.
Like I mentioned above, I don't need the eggs for eating, they're a nice plus, but its definitely an aspect I enjoy! They taste and look delicious, and I know they are being laid by happy hens.
Plus not only are the eggs edible, but I love incubating, who wouldn't! It's an addiction. I currently can't do any incubating with my own flock, but I have been helping a friend who is starting a breeding business, so I can satisfy my addiction with her babies.
It never gets old. I was lucky enough to get to hatch a few batches of chicks last Summer, and it was a truly incredible experience. Watching an egg grow into a chick is so exciting! Genetics isn't something I know much about, but crosses are also very fascinating to me! Its some thing I would love to know more about someday.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
As you all know, I'm going to have to start out with Smudge. The hen that changed my chicken keeping forever.
Smudge was one of two Cornish Cross hens I plucked out of the brooder full of meat birds. I made my parents agree that if we were going to get Cornish to eat, I was going to keep two. I watched them carefully, and at the 3-4 week mark, I plucked the two pullets I liked best out of the crowd, and the rest is history. Smudge and her sister Doodle didn't only enlighten my life, but Smudge taught me more than everything I've learned in my years of chicken keeping. She knew how to make me smile, how to make me laugh, how to coax a larger breakfast out of me, and if all else failed, she knew so well how to break into the feed room.
That hen would not let me take my guard down, as much fun as she was, she was a handful. I loved her for that.
Unfortunetly, Smudge left us all too soon. I was with her, and it was such an unfortunate tragedy. Looking for closure, I decided to take the leap, and do an at home necropsy to justify her passing. After one long day and 3 weeks more, I got papers from the lab saying she passed due to Avian Leukosis Virus. I was heartbroken, but in those 3 weeks, I had learned so much. Smudge gave not only me, but everyone on BYC who helped with, and will find her thread, an opportunity to learn and grow. She taught me how to better protect my flock, and will probably change the lives of all my current, and future flocks for the better. I miss her dearly everyday, but I will always remember her. I'm lucky to still have her sister, Doodle with me, who celebrated her 1st birthday just last week, I was a proud chicken momma that day.
Doodle celebrating her 1st birthday last week. I usually don't pay too much attention to my birds birthdays, but for this hen I did.
Happy birthday Doodle. I sure hope you get a molt for your special day.
I also have to mention Sunshine, Sunny, the Buff Orpington hen who has lived out all of my mistakes and learning curbs.
Not entirely sure how old she is, but she has to be 8 or older at this point. She was a member of our original flock. Unfortunately, I only have 3 birds still remaining from that flock. We didn't know much about protecting them from predators when we got them, so unfortunately a lot of our learning was the hard way. Today, our flock is doing very well and I'm so happy to have Sunny in it. She was always the hen that got bullied, and she has some real bad fights with our rooster, who is the sweetest boy to everyone but her. She would always come to me for protection. We would have our moments and sit together in the sun. I would protect her from Sam, and treat her comb every time anyone drew blood. Being the lowest on the pecking order, Sunny hung out with me quite a bit.
She is also the best broody I've ever had! She's mothered 3 of her own clutches, and even been a step mom to a clutch of eggs that a hen abandoned. She has always been such an amazing mother, and a hen that truly stands out in my flock, I love her dearly.
This is her hatch from last Spring, 5 Serama babies. Good job Sunny!
Lastly, even though he's the bully to our above highlight Sunny, it would be unfair to leave out Sam.
My entire childhood we had aggressive roosters, we could not find a nice one. This was probably because I was very young then, and almost any rooster is going to take advantage of that. We wanted a roo to protect the flock. Honestly, I don't think any of those roo's did much for protecting the hens, but it made us feel better to have one with them.
Sam is an RIR/Buff Orp cross we got from a friend. He was a cockerel when we got him, and he was a good one! Not once has he tried to attack us, even when we were very young, and all these years later he is the best boy. He is a sweetie to the hens. Currently in a small flock of 3 standard and he does great with them.
He is also the best flock guard anyone could ask for. Like Sunny, he's also a survivor. We found him in the coop once after a predator got in. Unfortunately he was the only one who survived. He has seen a lot, and been through so much, it has made him the best rooster any flock could ask for. When free ranging, he takes the hens to hide in the bushes before I even know the hawk is there. He doesn't tell them to come back out of the bushes until he's certain the predator is gone, and even then I have to lure them out. He's the best flock protector I've ever had, a true rooster.
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing that's happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Oh gosh, its hard to pick only one! The antics I swear, they get better everyday!
One that I remember quite well was last year. A friend of ours came to town for the weekend, and stopped by our place one evening. He had chickens of his own, so of course, I grabbed my two sweetest hens and brought them inside. I grabbed Sunny and Starburst, an older hen that was slowing down, but still such a sweetie.
At the counter, we both held them and talked chickens, of course. We hung out with them in the house for about 1/2 an hour, and I decided to go get a bag of mealworms.
We hand fed them a few treats, and then placed the bag back on the table. Starburst, who our friend was holding, was sitting very still and polite, being very tolerant. Everything was going great, until sweet old Star decided to climb onto our friends shoulder, and make a hail marry leap to the counter where the bag of mealworms sat.
Sure enough, she landed smack on the table and knocked the entire bag onto the floor. Then hopped down and commenced eating them.
Sunny quickly joined her. Even those old ladies are unpredictable, especially with mealworms in the mix. You can imagine my parents were very happy about that.
They crack me up every time, but that is a memorable story. Star is no longer with me, but I'm so happy to have story's like this to tell. Sunny will forever be a witness.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
Poultry probably make up the largest portion of the pets I keep, but we have a good handful of other pets I enjoy each day.
To start, we have two Quarter Horses, Misty and Lucy. Misty is mine, I love Lucy to death, but the connection between me and Misty is permanent.
Misty is Grulla, I love her color! Its very unique, and she wears it well. She's a 14h mare and very sporty. Her size and stature makes her the perfect candidate for bareback riding which is my favorite! Neither of them are beginners horses, they could both use some work, but I love them for that.
Above is Misty, being the silly, quirky mare that she is.
I definitely can't discount Lucy. She may not have the same connection that I have with Misty, but I don't love her any less. She's a 15h black Quarter horse. A bit stalkier than Misty, and definitely has more spunk! She is a mare that loves to run. Galloping is one of my favorite things to do, but Lucy takes it to another level. Its something we're working on with her, but her quirks keep us on our toes, I've got nothing against that.
Misty right, Lucy left.
We also have two dogs, Comet and Ember. Comet is a 7 year old Yellow Lab, and Ember is our newest addition, an 11 month old Yellow Lab who will turn 1 on August 5th. Both of them are quirky, and very smart! We chose that breed specifically for duck hunting since that is important to my dad and brother. They are great retrievers, Ember is still getting the hang of it, but Comet adores anything that involves fetch.
Comet in his element. He'll play fetch for hours!
The first photo is Ember at our creek, she was 3 months old. The Second photo is more recent, she was 9 months old. They grow so fast.
We also have 3 cats, Baby, Dupsy, and Stash. Stash is a Siamese mix with a "mustache" and kinked tail, hence her name. Dupsy was originally Sup, but the name morphed pretty quickly. She's a mix of some sort, not entirely sure about her breed. Baby is the youngest, she is a little over a year now? All are indoor outdoor, and Siamese mixes except for Duspy, she was one in a litter of strays that needed a home.
They do wonders for mouse control, and are all very social with the exception of Stash.
Gotta love the kitties.
We also have a fish tank. 10 fish I believe, we have lots of different breeds. Theres not to much to say about them, they aren't the most interactive pets, but they are fun to watch. They add a nice touch to our living room, and give me yet another pet to look after.
Last but certainly not least, Aspen! She's a bunny that I rescued about 5 months ago. She was dumped on a friends property. I don't know much about her, I'm lead to believe she's a rex, and she's a real sweetheart. I do believe she has quite a few underlying issues I'm not aware of. Likely why she was dumped as she is having some issues these days. I hope to get everything sorted out very soon.
Aspen in her digging box, I love the vegetable chews.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I came to BYC for bumble foot treatment and broody questions about two years ago. I had no idea how much I would learn from this site! Everyone is so friendly and helpful, I honestly don't know where me, or my flock would be without it.
I have made so many friends here, and was surprised by how addicting this website can become!
I have learned a ton about not only poultry, but other animals too. This really is such a specially community with lots of great info for new, and seasoned poultry owners.
Everyday I learn something new here, whether its about chickens, or dogs, or rabbits, this site is a wealth of information. I hope that someday I can repay the favor.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to do an interview, it was a lot of fun. I hope you all enjoy reading it, I sure enjoy reading yours!
@Weeg
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
