BYC Member Interview - Yorkshire Coop

sumi

Rest in Peace 1980-2020
Premium Feather Member
Jun 28, 2011
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Kim, known to BYC members as Yorkshire coop, has been a member of our community since August 2014. Another of our wonderful all-rounders she is known for her friendliness, good advice and beautiful flock of chickens.

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.

I live in Yorkshire England and have been with my fantastic other half for 16 years and we have one fantastic son who is 13 years old.

We run our own business as health and safety and training providers. This is very useful for keeping all my animals as I can fit them in around work. I also like to ride and have 1 horse of my own. We are a quite laid back family just being the 3 of us we have a good laugh and a giggle and our son is our pride and joy. Somehow he has managed to turn out to be a polite young man who has a quick wit and has most people in stiches laughing. I often think he is 13 going on 30. An old head on young shoulders. He has taken up clay shooting with his Dad and can now whoop him on certain clays. It's something he enjoys very much and its great for him and his Dad to spend some father and son time together. I've had a go myself at the clays but have never managed to hit any yet, really not my forte in life.
Here is our son with some of his friends:




2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?

Well chicken keeping was not my idea at all. My other half was in the pub and a friend said to him that his brother had a coop and run for sale as he was not getting anymore chickens and needed the room in his garden. So the other said yes I will buy it and surprise our lass!! Well needless to say when I collected him and he announced we were getting chickens I was not impressed at all. I was bird phobic and he knew it, yes hard to believe now but I was petrified of them. Not just chickens any bird was scary. The thought of wings flapping and beaks pecking was horrific and scared me to death. He pressed ahead with his chickens though and off he went to collect 2 red sex link hens once the coop and run had been delivered and painted up. He said it would be good for our son to care for some animals. He returned with Amy and Penny. Our son named them from "The Big Bang Theory" Well the chicken journey got under way for him and my son. They made a good start but I found myself going out more and more to the chickens. They then started going out less and less. Amy and Penny grew on me and I got to the point I could stroke them without panic. And so the chickens became mine then things just sort of escalated a bit. All this was coming up for 3 years ago now and the time has really flown by.

3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?

I really cannot answer this with one so I have to say everything about keeping them!! Even the dirty jobs. I suppose incubating, hatching and raising chicks has to be up near the top as this is such an amazing thing to watch. As the new life emerges into this world I really do feel like a crazy mother hen. Worry, excitement and happiness all rolled into one as they hatch.
Also I love sitting out and watching them. Chicken TV is great and they are all so happy to see me when I go out not just for food but cuddles and strokes too. I also have some pirate parrot chickens they love shoulders to get the best view.

My incubator which I love:



4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?

My stand out bird has to be "Poppet" A blue polish frizzle cockerel. I hatched him out and he was my only blue from a batch of eggs I got from a breeder. I lost him to wry neck which was an awful thing to go through. I had nursed him once through it and was hopeful that it would not return. He was such a loving and friendly bird just super. I was keeping him because I loved him and not for breeding. But it returned despite my best efforts with him. I had to make the difficult decision to cull him. Well in fact I had to take him to a friend as neither me nor my other half could do it as he was that much of a pet. My other half is not as soft as I am. I know he had a happy life when he was well and was dearly loved. Here is my favourite pic of him:



God bless him.

5. What was the funniest (chicken related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as chicken owner?

This had to be the time one of the Amber ladies came into the house and into the office hopped up on the desk and proceeded to walk poop and then sit on the other halfs laptop and he caught her in the act!! She had been a bit of a nuisance for a while and I was in the process of changing my run setups so she could not escape. Needless to say I rehomed her at the farm where I keep the horse with their chickens or I feel she may have ended up in the pot. It was the last straw for my other half with her. She could just not stay out of the house. I get to see her everyday which is great and I know she has a great home.


6. Beside chickens, what other pets do you keep?

I have an ex race horse called Harry. I've had him for 12 years and I love him to bits too. Horses are very therapeutic for the mind and soul. I got him as a surprise for my birthday all those years ago. I also have 2 Jack Russell dogs, 2 house cats but one has decided to move for half his time to the retired couple down the road. I have three yard cats at the farm where I keep the horse.







7. Anything you'd like to add?

I would just like to add that I am very grateful for BYC and all it's wonderful members who make it the place it is. Even though I've only been on here for 8 nearly 9 months I really do feel I've found a whole new family. It's so nice to come to a place where everyone gets on , everyone can have there say on things that have worked for them and not be told no you are wrong. I love the fact it so diverse with all coming together united by chickens.

A big Thank you to all staff and mods for a super site.

A few picks of my current birds and some chicks pics which I will sneak in!! I also have started keeping bonsai:











https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/303768/yorkshire-coop

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
 
Awesome interview and fabulous photos!!! It is so nice to get to know more about you, Kim, as you are truly one I look forward to reading on any thread I see you have posted on.
 
Hi Kim! Wonderful interview, just very, very nice. Loved the pictures and learning more about your life. Thank you so much for sharing. And for sharing so much of your time and knowledge here on BYC. Your a real asset to our community.
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I was surprised to find out you were afraid of birds. That, I never would have guessed. I suppose that means all phobias can be cured in the pub?
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...In a round about way.
 
Finally an interview with Yorkshire Coop!!
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I have always known you were a fantastic lady, but a bird a phobic?! You? From a "bird-a-phobic to a hatch-a-holic!!
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I am VERY happy to know you got over that and love them as much as you do now.

I can certainly understand how difficult it must have been to lose Poppet. I truly sorry Kim.
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They sure do get intertwined in our hearts.

Lovely interview and thank you so much for sharing!!
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Great interview!
I love the English colloquialisms.

and this too "......then things just sort of escalated a bit"
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Thankyou all for your replies on my interview :thumbsup

Yes I can hardly believe it myself that I was bird phobic!! Amy and penny really did change my life and most certainly for the better the day they arrived. As they were just there all the time and I could go out to them when I wanted it was far easier than forcing myself to stroke or touch a bird. It sort of snuck on me the chicken addiction and became less scary. Boy was it scary at first, even with them in the run if they flapped I was running in the other direction!! So so silly now when I think back. It all started when I was a kid with geese, I got chased by my grandads and the guard geese at the farm. At one point the guard geese at the farm had me and my friend trapped in the tack room. Every time we opened the door they came at us hissing and wings flapping and when your small they seem really scary and big. Budgies too when we were kids dive bombed us in the house, all in all not a good start with birds when I was small.

@3goodeggs Oh yes the pub can cure most things I'm quite sure on that ;) If only I had more time to go!! I'm just grateful my other half went out that day or I may not have started on this great adventure.

@TwoCrows Oh no I'm a hatch -a- holic :oops: I won't be giving up my addiction anytime soon :D

@aart Yes I do have to watch what I write as Yorkshire slang does not compute on the iPad!! Spell check gets very confused and some things I write make sense to me but would be very strange to read.
 

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