Hello everyone! I'm moonkit, an animal lover and avid gamer.. I think the best way to introduce myself is using that handy template provided in the sticky.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Completely new to keeping chickens, but not pets.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
The feathered kind? None.. my parents want to finish their koi pond first before we even start on the coop.. and here in Dallas, it won't stop raining long enough
! The pond is half dug, but every time I bail out the water of the last rain.. it rains again! The dirt turns to a muddy soup that make digging impossible. Then both my parents got sick, so my chickens have been delayed again.
I know I can order or buy chicks now and they won't really need the coop for 5-6 weeks, but I'd really like to have the coop completely finished first.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Planning to get Australorps, RIRs, EEs, and a few other breeds.. Variety is the spice of life! Yay for mixed flocks! Probably going to aim to maintain a flock of between 6 and 8 hens. Our residential neighborhood won't appreciate roosters (no matter how pretty they are
)
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Surfing the web.. I've actually been lurking for a while but finally decided to sign up so that I could ask a few questions of my own when they occurred to me.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies? Gaming and playing with my other pets. I love to role play and write stories with friends.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I still live at home with my parents and brother.. and what my parents refer to as my zoo/clan. My pets are the most important things in life to me.. I treasure each and every one of them.
I have two dogs: a spoiled rotten 13 year old sheltie named Jewel. She makes my dad get up every morning to cook an egg for her (she's really looking forward to the chickens
). And if she hears any sounds down in the kitchen and I haven't gotten up yet to let her out.. HER WORLD ENDS! It's really funny when she races down the stairs only to be disappointed that the sounds she heard were just my parents loading/unloading the dishwasher. She'll actually huff in disgust and walk to the door to be let out to do her morning business. Despite her spoiled ways, she really is one of the best behaved dogs you can meet.. I raised her from a puppy and instilled manners into her. She has an outdoor bark and an indoor bark, asks to go outside, asks politely for pets (lays her head on your lap), and she loves to watch TV(especially if the 101 Dalmation movies are on). If we go out of town, no one minds watching her because she's so quiet and well behaved.
The second dog is a hyper 5 year old border collie named Diamond. We rescued her at 3 years old from Ruff Mutts border collie rescue. Since then, I've registered her as a paperless purebred with the show name "Black Diamond in the Ruff" She has a short coat, all white face, diamond shape white mark on the back of her neck, 3 stockings, 1 sock, star tipped tail, and a white belly. The rest of her is black as a moonless night. She's in training for obedience and lives to chase her toys. A rope, a frisbee, a tennis ball.. she can pick up and carry anything up to a basket ball! She has the weight management most women would kill for.. she can eat 3 times what's recommended for her.. and loose weight
. She came to us with "one of the worst aggression cases" my trainer had ever seen.. but after patient work and training with her for a year and a half.. I can let her off leash at a dog park without having to worry that she'll attack any dog on sight. She's never been aggressive towards people, only other dogs.
I also own 4 birds, 2 male cockatiels and 2 sun conures. The cockatiels are 15 year old Elvis (I've had him since the end of 6th grade) and Ghost (I forget his age). Elvis is the smartest and sweetest bird you could meet. He's slowing down now in his age, so I think he probably only has 2 to 3 years left.. but I'll make sure they're happy ones. Evil takes a form in Ghost.. he'll draw blood through a towel if you grab him.. while screaming bloody murder. We took him to get his wings clipped once.. he screamed loud enough to be heard through a sound proof door.. and they hadn't even trimmed his wings yet. Passion is our 2.5 year old, DNA tested, female sun conure. She's a diva at heart and thinks of herself as queen of the house. The world revolves around her.. according to her. She puts Diamond and Jewel in their places if she doesn't like where they're sitting. Merlin is her 6 month old mate to be.. we haven't had him tested, but we strongly suspect he's male. He still has his juvenile coat and is cute as a button.
I also have 7 hermit crabs in a 40 gal. breeder tank, although only 2 have names.. Hercules and Apex. Hercules is the biggest one (he'll fill an average palm) and Apex always hangs out in the highest points of his tank.
So.. that's my zoo/clan.. I can't wait to add the chickens to it, although Diamond will probably need some training to be taught that the chickens are not to be caught or chased. Jewel only chases rabbits and squirrels.
I'm glad to be here and can't wait to learn even more from you more experienced chicken keepers!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Completely new to keeping chickens, but not pets.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
The feathered kind? None.. my parents want to finish their koi pond first before we even start on the coop.. and here in Dallas, it won't stop raining long enough
I know I can order or buy chicks now and they won't really need the coop for 5-6 weeks, but I'd really like to have the coop completely finished first.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Planning to get Australorps, RIRs, EEs, and a few other breeds.. Variety is the spice of life! Yay for mixed flocks! Probably going to aim to maintain a flock of between 6 and 8 hens. Our residential neighborhood won't appreciate roosters (no matter how pretty they are
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Surfing the web.. I've actually been lurking for a while but finally decided to sign up so that I could ask a few questions of my own when they occurred to me.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies? Gaming and playing with my other pets. I love to role play and write stories with friends.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I still live at home with my parents and brother.. and what my parents refer to as my zoo/clan. My pets are the most important things in life to me.. I treasure each and every one of them.
I have two dogs: a spoiled rotten 13 year old sheltie named Jewel. She makes my dad get up every morning to cook an egg for her (she's really looking forward to the chickens
The second dog is a hyper 5 year old border collie named Diamond. We rescued her at 3 years old from Ruff Mutts border collie rescue. Since then, I've registered her as a paperless purebred with the show name "Black Diamond in the Ruff" She has a short coat, all white face, diamond shape white mark on the back of her neck, 3 stockings, 1 sock, star tipped tail, and a white belly. The rest of her is black as a moonless night. She's in training for obedience and lives to chase her toys. A rope, a frisbee, a tennis ball.. she can pick up and carry anything up to a basket ball! She has the weight management most women would kill for.. she can eat 3 times what's recommended for her.. and loose weight
I also own 4 birds, 2 male cockatiels and 2 sun conures. The cockatiels are 15 year old Elvis (I've had him since the end of 6th grade) and Ghost (I forget his age). Elvis is the smartest and sweetest bird you could meet. He's slowing down now in his age, so I think he probably only has 2 to 3 years left.. but I'll make sure they're happy ones. Evil takes a form in Ghost.. he'll draw blood through a towel if you grab him.. while screaming bloody murder. We took him to get his wings clipped once.. he screamed loud enough to be heard through a sound proof door.. and they hadn't even trimmed his wings yet. Passion is our 2.5 year old, DNA tested, female sun conure. She's a diva at heart and thinks of herself as queen of the house. The world revolves around her.. according to her. She puts Diamond and Jewel in their places if she doesn't like where they're sitting. Merlin is her 6 month old mate to be.. we haven't had him tested, but we strongly suspect he's male. He still has his juvenile coat and is cute as a button.
I also have 7 hermit crabs in a 40 gal. breeder tank, although only 2 have names.. Hercules and Apex. Hercules is the biggest one (he'll fill an average palm) and Apex always hangs out in the highest points of his tank.
So.. that's my zoo/clan.. I can't wait to add the chickens to it, although Diamond will probably need some training to be taught that the chickens are not to be caught or chased. Jewel only chases rabbits and squirrels.
I'm glad to be here and can't wait to learn even more from you more experienced chicken keepers!
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