Can't wait to get involved!

Hello all, my name is CluelessKittens! I recently bought a house in a medium-sized city where I live with my husband, dog, cat and turtle. I am so excited to finally have an outdoor space where I will be starting a garden this spring and where we will (hopefully) be adding 4-6 chickens.

I have lived with debilitating anxiety and depression my entire life, so I have found that hobbies are difficult for me to maintain. I dabble in many things such as writing, painting, learning various instruments, photography, pottery, coloring, etc. The only things I have ever really stuck with are activities with plants and animals. When I graduated college and moved in with my husband we adopted our dog who is the highlight of my life (sorry boyfriend, but it's true). Two years later we rescued our cat from a friend who could no longer care for her. I noticed my anxiety was considerably more manageable after spending quality time with my fur-babies; taking care of something and receiving love from them has done so much for my mental health, and I truly enjoy every minute of it (even the stinky ones lol).

I started thinking about chickens when I became seriously interested in cooking. I discovered Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan and it literally changed my life and the way I think about creating meals. I don't adhere strictly to the Paleo lifestyle but I have strived to add more plants into my diet, and have become very aware of how little I know about food. Now that we live in a house and have 2,000 sqft of outdoor space, I am determined to grow as much of our own food as we can. Chickens were naturally a part of that plan as they provide eggs, the single most versatile element in the kitchen (in my opinion). A little surprising to me, my husband is just as excited about the idea of keeping backyard chickens as I am! We are planning on building our own coop our of recycled materials found in our home (the people before us left A LOT of construction wood and tools behind) and keeping between 3-6 laying chickens. Breeds we are most interested in keeping are Wyandottes, Black Australorps and Buckeyes, and are intrigued by the idea of also keeping ducks maybe.

I stumbled upon Back Yard Chickens while searching for coop designs and plans. I joined the community here so I have a place to ask questions or get advice because backyard chickens are not a very common thing where I live.