Hello from Northern CA :-)

kurby22

Crossing the Road
Apr 12, 2021
6,044
22,799
826
Sacramento Area, California
Hi -

My name is Kendra and I am in the Sacramento area of California, and I’m new to BYC and new to all things chicken and quail. I have been google searching all sorts of questions and each time I have found the most useful info here, so I figured I should just join and ask here instead!

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?

I am new to chickens and quail! I have owned animals most of my life but never chickens or quail. I have two degrees in rangeland management and have always loved farm/ranch animals but grew up in the city and live in the city. We have a pretty big lot, but not enough for goats and other awesome animals, so I thought the chickens might make me happy and boy was I underestimating how fun they’d be! We only just got them about 4 days ago and some are 2 weeks old and one is 5 days old and very tiny. I am hatching the quail, so they are incubating as we speak!

(2) How many chickens do you have right now?

Right now I have 5 chickens and quail babies in the incubator.

(3) What breeds do you have?

We have 3 lavender Orpingtons and 2 blue laced red Wyandottes. The quail are Coturnix quail and we are incubating 16 eggs. I’m not real hopeful many will hatch. It is my first try and I am not sure I had the temps right for the first 3 days. The thermometer I used seemed inaccurate and I’m struggling with the humidity range!

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?

Well I’m sure there will be more as I go, but even after only 4 days I am in love with them!! I love their little personalities, the peeping noises, and their baby fluff! But the best part has been watching my 7 and 5 year olds with them. They are fascinated and ask lots of questions and are learning to be gentle and caring and what it takes to care for babies and animals in general. The smile my daughter gets when the baby Orps sleep on her chest and softly peep when you pet their heads is everything! I also love all the questions about the incubating eggs, and how and why quail are different than chickens and require different care.

(5) What are some of your other hobbies?

Other hobbies include native plants, gardening (still learning how to be a gardener!) volleyball, camping, hiking, and spending time whenever possible at the beach.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.

As I mentioned, I have two young children, one who is almost 8, and one who will be 6 in August. Besides the new poultry additions, we have a mutt (German Shepherd, American Eskimo dog, and Siberian Husky mix) rescue puppy that is FULL of energy, and two geriatric dogs—one is a rescue piggie who is 16, and one that is a French bulldog who is 11.

Thanks to COVID, I have been teleworking now for over 1.5 years and don’t plan to go back to an office again...I really like working from home and being around all the animals and hobbies when they need me! I have been a plant and soil ecologist for a federal agency that aids farmers and ranchers with their agricultural production through conservation assistance for almost 16 years, covering most of the West Coast. While I very much enjoy ecology work, I have missed the animal side of things and decided it was time to get back to some of the things that drove me to study ecology and animal science in college. I also volunteered at the Zoo in Boise as a kid and helped train birds for a bird show—and learned to love many different kinds of birds. The pigeons and emus were my favorites. :) I haven’t been around birds since then and I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had an Orp sleeping on my chest! They are sweet and gentle and inquisitive and silly and I love them!

So I decided to join this group so I can get the best info necessary to learn the best ways to raise them and love them while also benefitting from their eggs. Thanks for admitting me and reading this whole thing and for all the help I know I will receive here!

Kendra
 

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