FuriousDee
In the Brooder
- Mar 19, 2025
- 11
- 44
- 46
Hey everybody, I've been a lurker for years getting useful info/experience from the BYC forums. On the day we got our first new chickens to add to the flock we have, it felt like a good time to step in and introduce myself... BTW - I may freely switch between "I" and "we" here, either way that will generally include me, my wife, and our two children.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Got our first flock of chickens in Spring 2022. We had long been interested in chickens but didn't have the space until we moved onto a piece of retired farmland in western Howard County, MD. By 2022 we had gotten the property together well enough that it was time to get some chickens.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
9 hens, down from a maximum of 12 hens. When we started, our goal was a flock of 6-8 so we bumped our hatchery order up to 9 assuming that some might not survive. Apparently the hatchery ALSO boosts the numbers so they can keep their guarantee, which meant we received TWELVE chicks! After the first year, our all-cause mortality rate was zero and the girls were putting out nearly a dozen eggs every day... That was also the time my children decided they no longer liked eating eggs!
Since then, 3 of the girls including my beloved Artichoke have passed, all of natural causes. We decided this spring to bring in a new batch of chicks, only 3 this time, to begin spreading out the ages of the birds in our flock. Of course, when we ordered 3 they sent 5—thankfully all have survived shipment and the first ::looks at watch:: 6 hours at home with me.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Barred Rocks, Bielefelders, Black Jersey Giants, and now Buff Orpingtons. The barred rocks have been my favorite so far in terms of interesting personalities. The Billies are the best looking but much more skittish. The Jersey Girls have been the most irritating, both going broody and getting lost in the run the most of the bunch.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Silly chickens. Forcing large quantities of eggs onto our family, neighbors, and friends. Free fertilizer and insect management in our garden.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Gardening, farming, unusually sized animals
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Absurdly large housecats and Flemish Giant bunnies
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
There's this thing called Google, you might have heard of it? Ended up finding good information at BYC often enough that it became a go-to resource for our chicken addiction.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Got our first flock of chickens in Spring 2022. We had long been interested in chickens but didn't have the space until we moved onto a piece of retired farmland in western Howard County, MD. By 2022 we had gotten the property together well enough that it was time to get some chickens.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
9 hens, down from a maximum of 12 hens. When we started, our goal was a flock of 6-8 so we bumped our hatchery order up to 9 assuming that some might not survive. Apparently the hatchery ALSO boosts the numbers so they can keep their guarantee, which meant we received TWELVE chicks! After the first year, our all-cause mortality rate was zero and the girls were putting out nearly a dozen eggs every day... That was also the time my children decided they no longer liked eating eggs!
Since then, 3 of the girls including my beloved Artichoke have passed, all of natural causes. We decided this spring to bring in a new batch of chicks, only 3 this time, to begin spreading out the ages of the birds in our flock. Of course, when we ordered 3 they sent 5—thankfully all have survived shipment and the first ::looks at watch:: 6 hours at home with me.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Barred Rocks, Bielefelders, Black Jersey Giants, and now Buff Orpingtons. The barred rocks have been my favorite so far in terms of interesting personalities. The Billies are the best looking but much more skittish. The Jersey Girls have been the most irritating, both going broody and getting lost in the run the most of the bunch.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Silly chickens. Forcing large quantities of eggs onto our family, neighbors, and friends. Free fertilizer and insect management in our garden.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Gardening, farming, unusually sized animals
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Absurdly large housecats and Flemish Giant bunnies
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
There's this thing called Google, you might have heard of it? Ended up finding good information at BYC often enough that it became a go-to resource for our chicken addiction.
