s-chickens
In the Brooder
- Aug 10, 2019
- 1
- 9
- 17
Hi everyone! I'm a long-time visitor of BYC from Davis, CA (Sacramento area). My little backyard flock has ranged from 3-5 chickens over the past eight years (ever since my college housemates showed up with chicks, got tired of them and left me in charge...luckily I fell in love instantly and took them with me when I moved on in life!) Right now I have a little flock of 3: a gorgeous Black Australorp (the last of my original flock), a Rhode Island Red, and a White Leghorn. I've had a few white leghorns over the years that have been ex-factory farm ladies from a local rescue sanctuary (but who unfortunately tend to succumb to reproductive system problems around 4-5 yrs of age). I've also got two "friends of the flock"- a little dog and a big cat who love to hang in the yard with the chickens!
My partner's family runs a produce farm in the next town over and they also have 100+ chickens at any given time along with some ducks and turkeys. There is too much farm work to be done for a couple of aging farmers to do, and maintenance of the flock in terms health awareness and sanitation/safety of the structures within 2 acre chicken yard have slipped over the years. I've taken to helping out after witnessing instances where sick/hurt chickens were discovered late and ended up dying or culled rather than treated, and after noticing broken/unsanitary areas in some of the many coops and roosts. This has lead to a LOT of learning, a handful of conversions of our spare bathroom into a chicken hospital and recovery zone, and several instances of overwhelm and exhaustion. Taking care of that many chickens is a big job and there is only so much I can do in addition to running my own home, life, and special ed classroom during the rest of my time!
I have been SO grateful for the information and inspiration I have found on BYC about countless aspects of chicken keeping and after years or lurking decided it was time to join! Thanks for being such a great community! I will leave you with a photo from this morning of my 3 ladies enjoying their daily handful of scratch
My partner's family runs a produce farm in the next town over and they also have 100+ chickens at any given time along with some ducks and turkeys. There is too much farm work to be done for a couple of aging farmers to do, and maintenance of the flock in terms health awareness and sanitation/safety of the structures within 2 acre chicken yard have slipped over the years. I've taken to helping out after witnessing instances where sick/hurt chickens were discovered late and ended up dying or culled rather than treated, and after noticing broken/unsanitary areas in some of the many coops and roosts. This has lead to a LOT of learning, a handful of conversions of our spare bathroom into a chicken hospital and recovery zone, and several instances of overwhelm and exhaustion. Taking care of that many chickens is a big job and there is only so much I can do in addition to running my own home, life, and special ed classroom during the rest of my time!
I have been SO grateful for the information and inspiration I have found on BYC about countless aspects of chicken keeping and after years or lurking decided it was time to join! Thanks for being such a great community! I will leave you with a photo from this morning of my 3 ladies enjoying their daily handful of scratch
We are glad you joined our flock!
and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC! 
