Howdy,
I've no idea if I've introduced myself before. According to the little bell icon, I've been a member here for 14 years, and I quit posting ages and ages ago. In that time, I've grown, learned, and changed, and I am a completely different person from when I first joined this site. I won't call that younger version of me a silly little nitwit, since it's her choices that led me to where I (happily) am now, but in all honesty and said in a whisper - she was a silly little nitwit! So with that in mind, I'm beginning afresh, starting with an introduction to an older, hopefully less nitwitty but probably just as silly, version of me.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Mine was a family of ranchers, and there was always a coop somewhere on the property. In grade school Mom had me hatching ducks and geese in little still air incubators, and a neighbor paid me to hatch quail for him. Occasionally I'd hatch chickens and guineas, as well. At the time I never checked humidity levels or any of that sort, I'd never heard of locking down or candling, and I turned the eggs right up until the end - and my hatch rates were phenomenal. I rarely had an egg not hatch. It's only in my adulthood and learning and correcting all I did wrong as a youth that I've encountered all the sorts of hatching issues I read about on here, so in this one regard I'm firmly in the camp of ignorance being bliss!
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Three little bantams, all of whom are doggedly trying to hatch the apparently invisible eggs beneath them. I had to downsize significantly, but we're now in a position to go hog wild, poultry-wise, and I have several hatchery orders coming in soon. I'm looking forward to some less broody breeds.
(3) What breeds do you have?
A silkie, light brahma, and cochin cross, all bantams. I also have Buff Geese.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
I've always been obsessed with birds, poultry in particular; their every action delights me. I love their soft little noises of content, their prideful egg song, the cockiness of a cockerel's strut. I love their floofy butts that magically produce fertilizer as well as food, and how readily apparent they are, in actuality, living dinosaurs. I love how they'll kick the snot out of an ornery feral cat, but raise a ruckus and act for all the world like a hat blowing off your head is a potential mega predator and the end of the world. I love how they relish fried chicken every bit as much as I do. All this effusion of love for chickens, and I'll still tell you geese are better, so imagine the nauseating rhapsodies you would have had to endure reading if this question had been about geese, instead!
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I love to cook, hike, camp, and garden. Dig into the dorkiest side of me and you'll find my board gaming obsession almost matches the level of my poultry obsession. Sadly, no, The Quacks of Quedlinburg is not a board game about ducks - though it's still one of many great games!
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Once upon a time I was much more open to sharing personal details. Not so much anymore. I will say, you'd be hard pressed to find better ratters than my dogs!
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I was living in a rental and got myself some bantams because I was going mad not living on some land with animals and I needed something to keep myself sane. Bantams seemed an easy way to sneak in animals under the landlord's nose. And it seemed to work, for while my neighbor got busted for sneaking in a pony, and another neighbor was forced to rehome her geese, I was never caught. I'm not sure whether the bantams came first, or if BYC came first as I prepared myself for my covert operation, but either way, that was around 14 years ago and this site has changed dramatically since then. My nostalgia loving soul quakes at the changes made here, and I can hardly figure out how to navigate the site now, but computers are the bane of my existence and unwanted and confusing changes are hardly unique to BYC, so life goes on. I'm resurrecting my membership here because - well, I'm not really sure. With my recent ordering of tons of poultry I found myself lurking here a bit just to read up on hatchery experiences and peruse pictures, but none of that really requires me being logged in. I suppose it was a random whim.
So with that, hi again, y'all!
I've no idea if I've introduced myself before. According to the little bell icon, I've been a member here for 14 years, and I quit posting ages and ages ago. In that time, I've grown, learned, and changed, and I am a completely different person from when I first joined this site. I won't call that younger version of me a silly little nitwit, since it's her choices that led me to where I (happily) am now, but in all honesty and said in a whisper - she was a silly little nitwit! So with that in mind, I'm beginning afresh, starting with an introduction to an older, hopefully less nitwitty but probably just as silly, version of me.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Mine was a family of ranchers, and there was always a coop somewhere on the property. In grade school Mom had me hatching ducks and geese in little still air incubators, and a neighbor paid me to hatch quail for him. Occasionally I'd hatch chickens and guineas, as well. At the time I never checked humidity levels or any of that sort, I'd never heard of locking down or candling, and I turned the eggs right up until the end - and my hatch rates were phenomenal. I rarely had an egg not hatch. It's only in my adulthood and learning and correcting all I did wrong as a youth that I've encountered all the sorts of hatching issues I read about on here, so in this one regard I'm firmly in the camp of ignorance being bliss!
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Three little bantams, all of whom are doggedly trying to hatch the apparently invisible eggs beneath them. I had to downsize significantly, but we're now in a position to go hog wild, poultry-wise, and I have several hatchery orders coming in soon. I'm looking forward to some less broody breeds.
(3) What breeds do you have?
A silkie, light brahma, and cochin cross, all bantams. I also have Buff Geese.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
I've always been obsessed with birds, poultry in particular; their every action delights me. I love their soft little noises of content, their prideful egg song, the cockiness of a cockerel's strut. I love their floofy butts that magically produce fertilizer as well as food, and how readily apparent they are, in actuality, living dinosaurs. I love how they'll kick the snot out of an ornery feral cat, but raise a ruckus and act for all the world like a hat blowing off your head is a potential mega predator and the end of the world. I love how they relish fried chicken every bit as much as I do. All this effusion of love for chickens, and I'll still tell you geese are better, so imagine the nauseating rhapsodies you would have had to endure reading if this question had been about geese, instead!
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I love to cook, hike, camp, and garden. Dig into the dorkiest side of me and you'll find my board gaming obsession almost matches the level of my poultry obsession. Sadly, no, The Quacks of Quedlinburg is not a board game about ducks - though it's still one of many great games!
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Once upon a time I was much more open to sharing personal details. Not so much anymore. I will say, you'd be hard pressed to find better ratters than my dogs!
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, I was living in a rental and got myself some bantams because I was going mad not living on some land with animals and I needed something to keep myself sane. Bantams seemed an easy way to sneak in animals under the landlord's nose. And it seemed to work, for while my neighbor got busted for sneaking in a pony, and another neighbor was forced to rehome her geese, I was never caught. I'm not sure whether the bantams came first, or if BYC came first as I prepared myself for my covert operation, but either way, that was around 14 years ago and this site has changed dramatically since then. My nostalgia loving soul quakes at the changes made here, and I can hardly figure out how to navigate the site now, but computers are the bane of my existence and unwanted and confusing changes are hardly unique to BYC, so life goes on. I'm resurrecting my membership here because - well, I'm not really sure. With my recent ordering of tons of poultry I found myself lurking here a bit just to read up on hatchery experiences and peruse pictures, but none of that really requires me being logged in. I suppose it was a random whim.
So with that, hi again, y'all!
Nice to meet you.
