Hello from Tempe Arizona

Greetings!

I still haven't decided on a single chicken coop design, but I'm getting great ideas off of this site. Once I move out of my apartment and find a place that has some acreage, I'll probably end up designing my coop based on the environment and the predators that are out there. I've even seen someone make a green chicken coop; the top of it was a garden for their flowers!

I think I would be happy with keeping about 3-12 chickens. I'm interested also in the vet side of things, what kind of diseases can they get, how to avoid them, treatment, and shots available. I also think green (or try) I heard that chicken waste is great for making compost! Not to mention you'd never have to buy eggs again if you have a lot of frequent layers.

If I had some chickens, I'd want at least one Easter Egger, or Americana, because they lay blue or green eggs. I wouldn't mind keeping a few fancy bantams for their colors. Maybe a few big birds in there too

I came across backyardchickens.com by reference from someone from mypetchicken.com. They are all about shipping you eggs, materials, and coops to help you get started, ,and offer a lot of info, but I think that this site has more info in particular due to the forums. So someday I'll buy chickens from mypetchicken.com, and use this site as well!

Some of my other hobbies are video games. It sounds like an eye roller to some, others will nod, but I love games. Anything to transport someone away from what they are thinking about and have them dive into another world and submit their complete conscious into it, is something that I'm interested in. I'm an environment artist. Many people say "what?" when I tell them that. They think I make Shrek movies. lol. So if I was to put you and your house into a video game, not only could I make you see your house on the TV or computer, I would be the one designing what plants go where, the color of the ground the "texture" of the ground, the trees, maybe even the sky. Sky domes are fun. Making them move is even funner.

I like cooking as well. I'm from a Austrian background so I know lots of recipes there, but since I'm in Arizona, there are lots of Mexican recipes to be learned too. Lots of them include eggs!

My family is from Michigan, we moved around often when I was growing up, so I know much of the state. (Not including the Upper Peninsula... there's two pieces of MI) I don't see myself moving back there anytime soon because its just too hard to find a job in the lower half unless your working in the restaurant biz, or for the government. But I do miss the weather. That's right! I miss snow.

I have three beautiful cats, the first is an almost orange tabby. She's creme colored, and by far the smarted cat I've ever had. I also am parent to two massive black-red Norwegian Forest cat twin sisters, who can't fit on my lap. They're not fat, they're just huge, and its almost impossible to take pictures of them because all you see is 2 orange eyes inside a black fluff. I found them at a shelter and had to save them both.

I also am the proud owner of a Beta fish, who has taught me that he loves his ten gallon tank, he doesn't like to share, but he'll tolerate fancy snails.

I'm really interested in environmental stuff, like recycling, going green, and I really think having chickens would be the next step.