BroadShouldersFarm
In the Brooder
Hi! Happy to be here and actually join the community; I've been a lurker for the better part of a year!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We consider our first day of farming to be March 26, 2018—when our first chicks arrived! I'd spent a few years researching chickens (and ducks and geese), mostly from a permaculture angle (Justin Rhodes), but we never had chickens as kids and I'd never held a chick before ours arrived.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have about 78 hens, 18 roosters, 18 bantams, 11 geese, and 28 ducks. We have them divided up into 3 flocks: North American and Colonial Breeds; Mediterranean and Pacific Rim breeds; and Continental breeds.
(3) What breeds do you have?
A bunch! Off the top of my head: Barred Rocks, Barred Hollands, White Rocks, Black Copper Marans, Welsummers, Hamburgs, Dorkings, Andalusians, White-Faced Black Spanish, Anconas, Wyandottes, Australorps, Brahmas, Whitings, Javas, Dominiques, Barnevelders, Krainekoppes, Lakenvelders, Belgian D'Anvers, Minorcas...I'm sure I'm forgetting some. And more breeds added this spring. I like a diverse flock.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The company, their personalities, and sharing their amazing eggs with people who only experience store-bought, commodity eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I do a lot of stuff with edible landscaping and plant propagation.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I garden. We're starting a CSA with our farm. I manage a local farmers market part-time. My wife is an ICU nurse. We have three small dogs—an australian terrier, a cairn terrier, and a welsh corgi.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Y'all have shared a LOT of helpful articles and experience that I've referenced frequently over the past months. Happy to keep learning, and can maybe pay some stuff forward.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We consider our first day of farming to be March 26, 2018—when our first chicks arrived! I'd spent a few years researching chickens (and ducks and geese), mostly from a permaculture angle (Justin Rhodes), but we never had chickens as kids and I'd never held a chick before ours arrived.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have about 78 hens, 18 roosters, 18 bantams, 11 geese, and 28 ducks. We have them divided up into 3 flocks: North American and Colonial Breeds; Mediterranean and Pacific Rim breeds; and Continental breeds.
(3) What breeds do you have?
A bunch! Off the top of my head: Barred Rocks, Barred Hollands, White Rocks, Black Copper Marans, Welsummers, Hamburgs, Dorkings, Andalusians, White-Faced Black Spanish, Anconas, Wyandottes, Australorps, Brahmas, Whitings, Javas, Dominiques, Barnevelders, Krainekoppes, Lakenvelders, Belgian D'Anvers, Minorcas...I'm sure I'm forgetting some. And more breeds added this spring. I like a diverse flock.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The company, their personalities, and sharing their amazing eggs with people who only experience store-bought, commodity eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I do a lot of stuff with edible landscaping and plant propagation.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I garden. We're starting a CSA with our farm. I manage a local farmers market part-time. My wife is an ICU nurse. We have three small dogs—an australian terrier, a cairn terrier, and a welsh corgi.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Y'all have shared a LOT of helpful articles and experience that I've referenced frequently over the past months. Happy to keep learning, and can maybe pay some stuff forward.
We are glad you joined this flock!
What a diverse egg color variety! I guess owning all of those different breeds pay off. Hope you enjoy it here as much as we all do!
