I'm not really new to BYC, but haven't entered the forums till now. So here's my intro... (1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I got my first 12 chicks in Feb 2016, & inherited 19 more from a friend in Sept 2016. (Both my friend & I ordered together from Privett Hatchery in NM. They sell many specific breeds, but are a mass-production hatchery; I would give the overall bird quality a B/B-.) I hope to order future chickens from specific-breed breeders for superior quality birds. (2) How many chickens do you have right now? Currently I have 28 (6 Roos, 22 Hens). Three died from injuries from a dog attack (the reason we inherited our friend's chickens; he had to have his dog put down.) I raise mostly hens, primarily for eggs to provide for our church food pantry. (3) What breeds do you have? I have Black Langshan, California White, California Gray, Rhode Island Red. The BLs are definitely my faves for appearance, but they do not lay the dark brown/purplish eggs advertised, only beige. I have one CW that loves to sit on my leg & be petted. (4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com? I found out about BYC from one of the books I was reading to research chicken husbandry. BYC was listed as a resource. (5) What are some of your other hobbies? I love camping & fishing with my husband, traveling to visit our 4 grown children. (6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. My husband is my hero; anything I need built or provided for my silly chickens- he's all in! We live in the high-desert southwest, so we have special challenges keeping our chickens comfortable in mid-summer heat (currently its 105 at 6:30pm!) But winters are mostly mild. Eventually we hope to raise/breed White Dorkings & Black Jersey Giants for both conservation & dual-purpose provision. (If anyone is selling these please let me know!)