Hello all! My name is Hope and I live in Thunder Bay Ontario. I have been married for 23 years and have 2 grown children, 3 dogs, a guinea pig, 4 fish, a budgie and my outdoor birds! I work in youth justice with 12 to 17 year old males who are in conflict with the law and have done so for 24 years. I started my own little flock of egg layers last year near the end of summer. My husbands cousin started me off with some 18 month old Columbian X girls. I loved the eggs and have had people after me to sell them. Come spring I ventured out a little and got 10 day old guinea fowl. About a month later I got 15 day old chicks, the nursery's special dual purpose birds. I love the birds!! My chickens love tomatoes, so I make sure they get a fresh tomato every day. Happy chickens make happy eggs!! I recently bought 10 year old layers and 10 12 week old pullets that should be laying in the next few weeks. I lost 2 of my first flock. one last year, one this year. I also lost one of my newer addition year olds. She wandered a llittle too far and got picked off by a predator. I started with 15 birds and now have 55!!! My husband enjoys the birds as well and is becoming more involved...planning on new birds to add again in the spring. Just trying to decide on the breed. I recently lost 2 guinea fowl, which has been upsetting for me. I calll them my 'uglies", intended in a loving way of course! Out of the 10 guineas I got in the spring, only 3 were female. The two that I lost were female, one which fought very hard to be here and overcame some challenges, It makes me very sad that they are gone. In the spring, I have decided to expand again and will getting some heritage breed turkeys. Of course they will be housed separately from the chickens. We are going to try to hatch our own chicks next year as well! Its hard not to get totally engrossed in it all. Sometimes when I need a llittle quiet time or need to just slow it all down, I like to just sit and watch my my birds. They make me smile, make me laugh and help me relax! I should have a very nice set up by the time I retire and will be able to enjoy my little hobby farm all the more! By that time I will have added some goats and a donkey! well thats a little bit of me!
from Missouri 
