Hi! My name is Jessica and I am brand new, both to this forum and to backyard chicken raising. I am a stay at home mom / Graduate student with two kids (a son who is 8 and a daughter who is 7) and another baby due in September. As far as pets, I have three dogs, a cat, a cockatiel, two parakeets and three hens.
My chickens are (I hope) all girls and are two Plymouth Barred Rocks (Zinnia and Cornelia) and a Delaware (Sassafras). My Barred Rocks are 13 weeks and my Delaware is right around 14 weeks. This is my first flock and so I am learning on the way, but so far they have been a healthy, happy bunch and are a lot of fun! Sadly, I have to be pretty covert with them though since my hometown is very non chicken friendly and because I am a whole 1.5 hen over my "limit". Yes, they count them in half hens in my podunky, stupid town. LOL. Plus it doesn't help that my neighbors are literally some of the craziest, hypocritical busybodies known to mankind and two are currently enraged that I've dared to bring "disease ridden vermin" into "their homes" (here's where I mention my chickens have never been in my neighbors yards, nor homes and are totally contained within my own yard).
Needless to say, it's about equal parts joy from owning my birds and stress from stupid neighbor issues.
Other than that... I'm just really trying to become more self sustaining and healthy through organic gardening and raising my chicks and love the lessons I am able to teach my children by doing so. This forum is awesome and truly, is a breath of fresh air to hear so many other people who think similarly. I'm so glad I found BYC!
Here's my pullet pack (sorry, it's kind of a dark photo):
My chickens are (I hope) all girls and are two Plymouth Barred Rocks (Zinnia and Cornelia) and a Delaware (Sassafras). My Barred Rocks are 13 weeks and my Delaware is right around 14 weeks. This is my first flock and so I am learning on the way, but so far they have been a healthy, happy bunch and are a lot of fun! Sadly, I have to be pretty covert with them though since my hometown is very non chicken friendly and because I am a whole 1.5 hen over my "limit". Yes, they count them in half hens in my podunky, stupid town. LOL. Plus it doesn't help that my neighbors are literally some of the craziest, hypocritical busybodies known to mankind and two are currently enraged that I've dared to bring "disease ridden vermin" into "their homes" (here's where I mention my chickens have never been in my neighbors yards, nor homes and are totally contained within my own yard).
Other than that... I'm just really trying to become more self sustaining and healthy through organic gardening and raising my chicks and love the lessons I am able to teach my children by doing so. This forum is awesome and truly, is a breath of fresh air to hear so many other people who think similarly. I'm so glad I found BYC!
Here's my pullet pack (sorry, it's kind of a dark photo):
