flachicwhisperer
In the Brooder
- Jul 12, 2021
- 2
- 20
- 29
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I grew up on the West coast of Florida and my family had a pet chicken. Last year my husband and I sold our home in Tampa and bought a 91 year old bungalow, on a quarter of an acre in downtown St. Petersburg. Shortly after we moved in, we found out that urban chicken farms were "a thing" here. It took me 7 months to talk my husband into the idea of having chickens in our backyard. Once my husband was on board he bought me a coop for my birthday, went with me to Rural King to get supplies to make a brooder, helped pick out our chicks, checked the temps in the brooder several times a night to make sure they were not getting too cold, and super-rodent/hurricane proofed the coop and the run. The girls first night in the coop, my husband worried about them all night and the next day installed a solar powered Ring camera we call the "coop-cam" that we keep tabs on girls from our phones while we are working. He also made them a huge jungle gym with 3 roosting levels so they have something to play on during the day, lets the girls out and cleans the coop every morning at 6:30 and visits them frequently during the day to hang out with them and give them treats. We were out in the yard hanging with the girls the other day, and my husband asked me why with the pandemic and being locked down FOR 18 MONTHS, why didn't we do the chicken thing sooner and my response was "BECAUSE IT TOOK ME 7 MONTHS TO TALK YOU INTO IT"
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have 4 girls and would love to have more but our coop is not big enough but I'm already planning our coop expansion
(3) What breeds are your chickens?
Lucy is a Rhode Island Red, Ethel is a Brahma, Laverne is a Sapphire Gem, and Shirley is an Ameraucana
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
OMG, they are just so funny. Cracks me up when they sit on the stairs at my backdoor wanting to come inside the house or trying to get me to come out and give them treats. All the different looks and sounds they make are hilarious (some of the sounds are kind of scary
). I also love how they come running to us no matter where they are in the yard the second we open our backdoor. It's also funny how many everyday phrases people use that originated from chicken behavior. Laverne is the head hen so "she's top of the pecking order" and "rules the roost". Shirley is at the bottom of the pecking order and she gets "hen pecked", and when one of them get annoyed, they get their "feathers ruffled".
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Running, rowing, hiking, traveling, cooking, working in the yard and home improvement projects
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I am a native Floridian and my husband and I have a blended family with 5-adult children, 2-grandchildren, and 3-Boston Terriers. I work as a project manager for an IT consulting company.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I found BYC by browsing the internet and I like reading all the posts about different chicken raising topics and I get some great advice about caring for my chickens. I'm on the site several times a day for different topics such how to tell if your chicken has parasites and how to treat, what is the best feed to feed my chickens for each stage, etc.
I grew up on the West coast of Florida and my family had a pet chicken. Last year my husband and I sold our home in Tampa and bought a 91 year old bungalow, on a quarter of an acre in downtown St. Petersburg. Shortly after we moved in, we found out that urban chicken farms were "a thing" here. It took me 7 months to talk my husband into the idea of having chickens in our backyard. Once my husband was on board he bought me a coop for my birthday, went with me to Rural King to get supplies to make a brooder, helped pick out our chicks, checked the temps in the brooder several times a night to make sure they were not getting too cold, and super-rodent/hurricane proofed the coop and the run. The girls first night in the coop, my husband worried about them all night and the next day installed a solar powered Ring camera we call the "coop-cam" that we keep tabs on girls from our phones while we are working. He also made them a huge jungle gym with 3 roosting levels so they have something to play on during the day, lets the girls out and cleans the coop every morning at 6:30 and visits them frequently during the day to hang out with them and give them treats. We were out in the yard hanging with the girls the other day, and my husband asked me why with the pandemic and being locked down FOR 18 MONTHS, why didn't we do the chicken thing sooner and my response was "BECAUSE IT TOOK ME 7 MONTHS TO TALK YOU INTO IT"
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have 4 girls and would love to have more but our coop is not big enough but I'm already planning our coop expansion
(3) What breeds are your chickens?
Lucy is a Rhode Island Red, Ethel is a Brahma, Laverne is a Sapphire Gem, and Shirley is an Ameraucana
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
OMG, they are just so funny. Cracks me up when they sit on the stairs at my backdoor wanting to come inside the house or trying to get me to come out and give them treats. All the different looks and sounds they make are hilarious (some of the sounds are kind of scary
). I also love how they come running to us no matter where they are in the yard the second we open our backdoor. It's also funny how many everyday phrases people use that originated from chicken behavior. Laverne is the head hen so "she's top of the pecking order" and "rules the roost". Shirley is at the bottom of the pecking order and she gets "hen pecked", and when one of them get annoyed, they get their "feathers ruffled".(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Running, rowing, hiking, traveling, cooking, working in the yard and home improvement projects
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I am a native Floridian and my husband and I have a blended family with 5-adult children, 2-grandchildren, and 3-Boston Terriers. I work as a project manager for an IT consulting company.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I found BYC by browsing the internet and I like reading all the posts about different chicken raising topics and I get some great advice about caring for my chickens. I'm on the site several times a day for different topics such how to tell if your chicken has parasites and how to treat, what is the best feed to feed my chickens for each stage, etc.
You're nearby! Glad you joined our community. Everyone here is very kind and helpful 
