Born a city girl in the suburbs of Oakland/San Fran, California, I find myself in the country in middle Tennessee (and loving it). My youngest wanted to have "farm animals" and I told her we could start with chickens.
Today we picked up six cute little 3-day old Rhode Island Reds who are now happily munching away in their old-wooden box brooder in my daughter's (she's 10, btw) room. Her principal is giving us a chicken coop and I will be building a run around it in the back yard, which is surrounded by farm land. It will be a fairly good sized run as letting them roam free might tempt them to join my neighbor's flock, which currently sports over 300 chickens, and a whole bunch of goats as well. Our chicks seem very happy and are being royally spoiled.
I read up a bunch of basics here, and found a breeder up in Amish country in Scottsville, KY, not far from home. We have good starter feed, water doohickies, and a nice heat lamp, though I don't think it would be needed in this warm weather we're having.
Our journey is just beginning. I look forward to good, wholesome eggs but mainly, we just enjoy the birds. Of me, I am 49 years old, wife of a trucker/retired AF crew chief, recently enrolled in the physics program at the local college in hopes of getting my A.S and then on to the B.S and onward. I love cooking, reading, computers, physics and science (and, yes, math), gardening and many other hobbies and crafts as well. I have parkinson's disease and arthritis, but I don't let it slow me down.
Looking forward to learning much!
Lisa Murray
Bethpage TN
Today we picked up six cute little 3-day old Rhode Island Reds who are now happily munching away in their old-wooden box brooder in my daughter's (she's 10, btw) room. Her principal is giving us a chicken coop and I will be building a run around it in the back yard, which is surrounded by farm land. It will be a fairly good sized run as letting them roam free might tempt them to join my neighbor's flock, which currently sports over 300 chickens, and a whole bunch of goats as well. Our chicks seem very happy and are being royally spoiled.
I read up a bunch of basics here, and found a breeder up in Amish country in Scottsville, KY, not far from home. We have good starter feed, water doohickies, and a nice heat lamp, though I don't think it would be needed in this warm weather we're having.
Our journey is just beginning. I look forward to good, wholesome eggs but mainly, we just enjoy the birds. Of me, I am 49 years old, wife of a trucker/retired AF crew chief, recently enrolled in the physics program at the local college in hopes of getting my A.S and then on to the B.S and onward. I love cooking, reading, computers, physics and science (and, yes, math), gardening and many other hobbies and crafts as well. I have parkinson's disease and arthritis, but I don't let it slow me down.
Looking forward to learning much!
Lisa Murray
Bethpage TN
