It's amazing how much life admin I can accomplish when the alternative is working on final projects for grad school. I've been a member of BYC for a few months, lurking for answers since we brought our baby chicks home, but now seems like the PERFECT time to introduce myself to the community!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We had two sets of chickens when I was growing up. My paternal grandfather came to our home one weekend, and working with my father very grandiosely built a chicken coop on our property as a gift to the family. It was a lovely coop, though it had one major problem - it was located about about 300 feet up the hill from our house.
The logic of its placement was sound: chicken coops can smell, and they make noise, so why would we want it next to our house? But the placement was its fatal flaw. Can you think of many kids born of the late 20th Century who enjoy their morning chores, let alone chores that require first walking up a steep hill? Furthermore, after said chore was begrudgingly completed (religiously every day, might I add), do you think said kids lingered around to interact with the chickens, spend time with the chickens, help the chickens adjust to humans? Negative.
My theory is, this created the downfall of the chickens. If, once a day, you had giants enter your home to take away the glorious production of your strenuous efforts, would you like them very much? No. They would attack us kids, talons first, screaming bloody murder, every morning. We would walk down the hill angry and scratched up, all for eggs we wouldn't have time to eat until the weekend. We complained to our parents endlessly. They figured we were just complaining about chores. Then, one summer when my brother and I were away visiting family for a week and Mum and Dad had to do the chores...they were attacked. The chickens were gone the next week.
Fast forward to 2017. I bought a house in McMinnville, Oregon and my partner and our almost-6-years-old twin boys moved here in January. Backyard chickens were high on our list of wants, having lived in cities the last two decades. A month later we brought Batchick and Izzy (kid-named, parent-approved) home, and have been in love with them ever since. They are sweet, entertaining, low maintenance, and a joy for the whole family.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Two. We started small.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Buff Orpington and what I THOUGHT was an Ameraucana...BYC has since taught me she is actually an Easter Egger. Those pesky feed store marketers!
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
How does anyone find out about anything these days? Googling questions about taking care of our chicks!
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Traveling, yoga, food and wine (so much that I made a career out of it), gardening, running, random adventures with my family, being a tourist in my own town, and spending time with my amazing friends. Once I'm done with grad school, I hope to have my social life back.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Well I got a little ahead of myself. See above!
Here's a quick link to where to post your new thread with your intro info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/44
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We had two sets of chickens when I was growing up. My paternal grandfather came to our home one weekend, and working with my father very grandiosely built a chicken coop on our property as a gift to the family. It was a lovely coop, though it had one major problem - it was located about about 300 feet up the hill from our house.
The logic of its placement was sound: chicken coops can smell, and they make noise, so why would we want it next to our house? But the placement was its fatal flaw. Can you think of many kids born of the late 20th Century who enjoy their morning chores, let alone chores that require first walking up a steep hill? Furthermore, after said chore was begrudgingly completed (religiously every day, might I add), do you think said kids lingered around to interact with the chickens, spend time with the chickens, help the chickens adjust to humans? Negative.
My theory is, this created the downfall of the chickens. If, once a day, you had giants enter your home to take away the glorious production of your strenuous efforts, would you like them very much? No. They would attack us kids, talons first, screaming bloody murder, every morning. We would walk down the hill angry and scratched up, all for eggs we wouldn't have time to eat until the weekend. We complained to our parents endlessly. They figured we were just complaining about chores. Then, one summer when my brother and I were away visiting family for a week and Mum and Dad had to do the chores...they were attacked. The chickens were gone the next week.
Fast forward to 2017. I bought a house in McMinnville, Oregon and my partner and our almost-6-years-old twin boys moved here in January. Backyard chickens were high on our list of wants, having lived in cities the last two decades. A month later we brought Batchick and Izzy (kid-named, parent-approved) home, and have been in love with them ever since. They are sweet, entertaining, low maintenance, and a joy for the whole family.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Two. We started small.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Buff Orpington and what I THOUGHT was an Ameraucana...BYC has since taught me she is actually an Easter Egger. Those pesky feed store marketers!
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
How does anyone find out about anything these days? Googling questions about taking care of our chicks!
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Traveling, yoga, food and wine (so much that I made a career out of it), gardening, running, random adventures with my family, being a tourist in my own town, and spending time with my amazing friends. Once I'm done with grad school, I hope to have my social life back.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Well I got a little ahead of myself. See above!
Here's a quick link to where to post your new thread with your intro info: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/threads/add/forumId/44