Greeting from the ladies in Alaska...

[GingerAle87]

Hey all! I wanted to introduce myself here and get to know some of you guys. I currently live in Alaska with my husband and small collection. I currently have 2 dogs, 6 cats, 2 rabbits and 7 chickens. As a Veterinary Technician at the local shelter, that is a forever changing number. Currently debating on adding a cichlid because let's be real... who goes to the shelter for a fish.
My husband and I enjoy exploring the local trails and towns in Alaska. I like to do some DIY and crafting. We are always up for an adventure such as camping or glacier hiking! We've lived here about 5 years (originally from St. Louis) and are still finding our favorite things.
As for my ladies, I've had my original 4 for over a year (1 from the shelter and 3 I added to her after a friend moved). I just added 3 pullets about 2 weeks ago and they are working through it. They are the first ladies... Abigail, Eleanor, Mary Todd and Lady Bird are the original four. Florence, Bess and Jackie O are the new girls.
My husband and I bought our first house and then proceeded to build our greenhouse and current coop last summer. I have a smaller coop now but look forward to using the knowledge here to help build my big coop next spring. My rabbits do live with my chickens and I open the greenhouse to them all winter so they have some where sheltered and out of the snow.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have!!

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!! very cool setup!

 

[DiYMama540]

Awesome introduction! Glad you joined our flock! Looking forward to reading your posts! Thank you for all the work you do at your shelter, very rewarding!

 

[so lucky]

Welcome! I guess lights are important when the nights are so long in the winter! You have a lovely set up. How lucky for your chickens that they get to hang out in the greenhouse all winter! Does anything try to grow in there, that the chickens can eat? Or that the rabbits can eat, for that matter.
Do you have heat sinks in your greenhouse? Maybe that's what the rocks are. Anyway, we're glad you are here.

 

[Leahs Coop]

Hello and welcome to Backyard Chickens! So glad you decided to join the flock
Beautiful flock and setup!

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope you will enjoy Backyard Chickens as much as we do.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Great pictures!

 

[feathermaid]

 

[BlueBaby]

Hello, and welcome! Glad that you joined! Good luck with all of those animal's!

 

[GingerAle87]

Does anything try to grow in there, that the chickens can eat? Or that the rabbits can eat, for that matter.
Do you have heat sinks in your greenhouse?

I try to grow kale before winter really sinks in because it does so well in cold weather but I'm still perfecting my timing on getting it good and established before it gets too cold without starting it too early when it's still too hot in the greenhouse.
I don't have any heat outside, though I do have a heated water bowl. I have this strange paranoia about fire. Even with the house, my husband laughs at me because every once in a while my paranoia rears its head and he'll come home to random things unplugged. I have been looking into options for panel heaters as I feel like they may be my safest option in a greenhouse full of straw in the winter!

Thank you for all the work you do at your shelter, very rewarding!

I wasn't sure how I would feel about shelter life. It definitely has its challenges but it can also be very rewarding! I have an revolving door of fosters too. I think the chickens favorite foster was the gecko... they would get his leftover bugs!! As a tech, I tend to take any medical cases. For instance, my 2 recent foster fails... Chalupa (orange) has abnormal anatomy in his throat which causes him to sound like he's purring when he is just breathing. It's minor now but could one day cause severe breathing problems, or even sudden death. Spud (black & white) is almost a year old and hypothyroid, which is rare in cats. He will require lifelong daily medication and yearly bloodwork. These types of animals are hard to ask the general public to take on and usually we look for specific types of adopters. Unfortunately (fortunately for me), we were unable to find the right adopter for these two.

I could talk about these fools all day. The group is alot to have in my little house, but I wouldn't change it for anything!