- Jun 28, 2011
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Natalie, known to BYC members as WVduckchick, has been a member of our community since February 2015. Yet another of our wonderful all rounders, she is known for a her friendliness and good advice.
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
I’ve been married to my wonderful husband and best friend for 10 years. I grew up in a small city, but he turned me into a country girl! I only had cats and dogs as a child, but his family had many farm animals. These days, I have many hobbies, most of which I don’t have enough time to devote to… I enjoy woodworking, sewing, crafting, hunting, fishing, riding my motorcycle, building stuff, and tinkering with anything.
Several years ago, we met an older gentleman with a cabin on about 80 acres of beautiful land. He allowed us to use his cabin for hunting seasons. A few years ago, we acquired a piece of the land and started building our own cabin. We hope it will be our retirement home. Its not far from our house, so we get to spend most weekends there, vacation time, and any time we have to get away. We have since acquired the entire property. Its our little slice of heaven. And its home to many of our animals.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
When we started building our “camp”, we mentioned someday having cattle, then other animals came into consideration. Hubby built a beautiful pond on the property, and last fall, several wild ducks visited it. I asked my sister-in-law how I could keep the lovely ducks around? Well, she just so happened to have 3 extra drakes that she would give me to keep on my pond!! Yeah!! She also had 5 extra roosters, so she brought them too. I was not prepared for chickens! Within the week it took for us to build a coop and run, 3 had become victims of predators. But the 2 that survived are still with us today! Unfortunately, the 3 drakes were lost in a horrible snow storm. So I decided I’d hatch more! There’s when the addiction really hit me. I hatched 4 beautiful ducklings and 1 turkey. I was in love. I then purchased a couple chicks to befriend my turkey. Then chicken math set in. I bought more chicks, then hatched more chicks, and then hatched bantam chicks! Eventually the large ones will live on the camp property, and the bantams will stay at home with me. I can’t imagine not having chickens in my backyard now!
My original 3 drakes on the frozen pond...
And Dudley checking them out..
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
I love it when I walk outside in the morning and I’m greeted by their cooing and special sounds. I take a walk around the pens, checking for anything out of the ordinary, and they follow me around the edge. Its so heartwarming. I could sit and watch them for hours! Oh, and I love the fresh eggs!!
Chicks on the left.... ducks on the right... babies in the middle! My woodshop is surrounded!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
I think my standout member is my male Swedish duck, Opie. He has the cutest crest on his head, all white, but the front feather or two are black. His body is about half black/half white, and so pretty. He was a big help to his final hatch-mate, and even helped him out of his shell. He has such a sweet personality, is always the first to come running to me for treats, and he is so photogenic! I have so many pictures of him!
Opie's newborn pic
And a couple of recent ones:
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Since I haven’t been keeping them for very long, I would have to say the first morning that I went out and caught one of my roosters trying to crow! I laughed so hard, I felt sorry for him.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
As mentioned before, I have one turkey (looking to get more) and the 4 ducks, plus I have 2 dogs.
Dudley
And Gemma:
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I love BYC and have “met” so many fabulous people! Many that I now consider true friends! Thank you BYC!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/327564/wvduckchick
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 married to my wonderful husband and best friend for 10 years. I grew up in a small city, but he turned me into a country girl! I only had cats and dogs as a child, but his family had many farm animals. These days, I have many hobbies, most of which I don’t have enough time to devote to… I enjoy woodworking, sewing, crafting, hunting, fishing, riding my motorcycle, building stuff, and tinkering with anything.
Several years ago, we met an older gentleman with a cabin on about 80 acres of beautiful land. He allowed us to use his cabin for hunting seasons. A few years ago, we acquired a piece of the land and started building our own cabin. We hope it will be our retirement home. Its not far from our house, so we get to spend most weekends there, vacation time, and any time we have to get away. We have since acquired the entire property. Its our little slice of heaven. And its home to many of our animals.
2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?
When we started building our “camp”, we mentioned someday having cattle, then other animals came into consideration. Hubby built a beautiful pond on the property, and last fall, several wild ducks visited it. I asked my sister-in-law how I could keep the lovely ducks around? Well, she just so happened to have 3 extra drakes that she would give me to keep on my pond!! Yeah!! She also had 5 extra roosters, so she brought them too. I was not prepared for chickens! Within the week it took for us to build a coop and run, 3 had become victims of predators. But the 2 that survived are still with us today! Unfortunately, the 3 drakes were lost in a horrible snow storm. So I decided I’d hatch more! There’s when the addiction really hit me. I hatched 4 beautiful ducklings and 1 turkey. I was in love. I then purchased a couple chicks to befriend my turkey. Then chicken math set in. I bought more chicks, then hatched more chicks, and then hatched bantam chicks! Eventually the large ones will live on the camp property, and the bantams will stay at home with me. I can’t imagine not having chickens in my backyard now!
My original 3 drakes on the frozen pond...
And Dudley checking them out..
3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?
I love it when I walk outside in the morning and I’m greeted by their cooing and special sounds. I take a walk around the pens, checking for anything out of the ordinary, and they follow me around the edge. Its so heartwarming. I could sit and watch them for hours! Oh, and I love the fresh eggs!!
Chicks on the left.... ducks on the right... babies in the middle! My woodshop is surrounded!
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
I think my standout member is my male Swedish duck, Opie. He has the cutest crest on his head, all white, but the front feather or two are black. His body is about half black/half white, and so pretty. He was a big help to his final hatch-mate, and even helped him out of his shell. He has such a sweet personality, is always the first to come running to me for treats, and he is so photogenic! I have so many pictures of him!
Opie's newborn pic
And a couple of recent ones:
5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?
Since I haven’t been keeping them for very long, I would have to say the first morning that I went out and caught one of my roosters trying to crow! I laughed so hard, I felt sorry for him.
6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?
As mentioned before, I have one turkey (looking to get more) and the 4 ducks, plus I have 2 dogs.
Dudley
And Gemma:
7. Anything you'd like to add?
I love BYC and have “met” so many fabulous people! Many that I now consider true friends! Thank you BYC!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/327564/wvduckchick
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
