FLXChicken
Chirping
- May 2, 2020
- 29
- 121
- 56
Hello! We're Tracy (and Gordon) from the Finger Lakes in New York, and I've been visiting BYC for years looking for advice and information while we decided on if and when we should get chickens.
I'm excited to join BYC because I have been reading posts on this site for years since it comes up in Google when I've searched on questions. As much as I like to read books on "how to" and what I should or shouldn't do, I find reading the Q&A here from people who are doing it to be encouraging. (So thanks!)
Our road to bringing home chicks is a long story - which I'll spare you! - but after moving to our 2 acres in the countryside in 2017, this year we finally decided to do it. We brought home eight chicks. (Finally, we have the budget, the time, and hopefully, the resources to do it right.) I saw a template for introducing oneself, so here it goes!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes, we are new to chickens as of this year - in fact, we brought our first eight chicks home 4 weeks (and a day!) ago.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have eight curious chicks.
(3) What breeds do you have?
We have four Australorps and four Plymouth Barred Rocks. I had also wanted Silver-Laced Wyandottes, but the chicks available weren't sexed and we didn't want to risk bringing home a rooster. (Although, I would love a Wyandotte rooster...)
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Since we're new to this, I'm sure this answer will change. Right now we are in awe of how fast they are growing and changing! We are LOVING their unique personalities, too.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I love to read and to write (Tracy), and my husband Gordon plays the guitar. We both LOVE to garden and cook at home.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
It's just my husband and myself (and the chickens!) here at home. We had two awesome male house cats up until a few years ago (passed away), which I miss terribly. We both work at tech jobs and spend WAY too much time over the laptop. (Sigh.) Anything else... hmm... we continue to work towards a more sustainable life and practice. And, we're homebodies.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I think I already answered this... but in short: Google is good to you - BYC comes up for a lot of searches about chickens! I've been reading posts for years, and now that we have chickens, I thought it would be a good idea to join.
PLUS -I like how kind your community is to one another. I've never seen a post in which other members were unkind. That is awesome.
So, I look forward to participating! And learning... especially the learning. Right now I know one of our biggest questions that we'll need to answer is: when are the chicks ready to go outside into the coop. They are 4 to 5 weeks old. We're in upstate NY, so I know we still need to wait because of temperatures going low. It's just figuring out when they are too big for the brooder and when the temps are just right. Got to find that "sweet spot"!
I'm excited to join BYC because I have been reading posts on this site for years since it comes up in Google when I've searched on questions. As much as I like to read books on "how to" and what I should or shouldn't do, I find reading the Q&A here from people who are doing it to be encouraging. (So thanks!)
Our road to bringing home chicks is a long story - which I'll spare you! - but after moving to our 2 acres in the countryside in 2017, this year we finally decided to do it. We brought home eight chicks. (Finally, we have the budget, the time, and hopefully, the resources to do it right.) I saw a template for introducing oneself, so here it goes!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes, we are new to chickens as of this year - in fact, we brought our first eight chicks home 4 weeks (and a day!) ago.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
We have eight curious chicks.
(3) What breeds do you have?
We have four Australorps and four Plymouth Barred Rocks. I had also wanted Silver-Laced Wyandottes, but the chicks available weren't sexed and we didn't want to risk bringing home a rooster. (Although, I would love a Wyandotte rooster...)
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Since we're new to this, I'm sure this answer will change. Right now we are in awe of how fast they are growing and changing! We are LOVING their unique personalities, too.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I love to read and to write (Tracy), and my husband Gordon plays the guitar. We both LOVE to garden and cook at home.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
It's just my husband and myself (and the chickens!) here at home. We had two awesome male house cats up until a few years ago (passed away), which I miss terribly. We both work at tech jobs and spend WAY too much time over the laptop. (Sigh.) Anything else... hmm... we continue to work towards a more sustainable life and practice. And, we're homebodies.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I think I already answered this... but in short: Google is good to you - BYC comes up for a lot of searches about chickens! I've been reading posts for years, and now that we have chickens, I thought it would be a good idea to join.
PLUS -I like how kind your community is to one another. I've never seen a post in which other members were unkind. That is awesome.
So, I look forward to participating! And learning... especially the learning. Right now I know one of our biggest questions that we'll need to answer is: when are the chicks ready to go outside into the coop. They are 4 to 5 weeks old. We're in upstate NY, so I know we still need to wait because of temperatures going low. It's just figuring out when they are too big for the brooder and when the temps are just right. Got to find that "sweet spot"!
Glad you joined.
