AshenVulture
In the Brooder
- Jun 27, 2025
- 3
- 16
- 19
Hello backyardchickens!
I have actually been here for a while, but this is my first time making an account.
I got my first hens on June 1st 2024, and I started keeping a chicken journal to track their health and laying. I was never good at journaling, but having chickens has changed a lot about me (for the better).
I currently have 3 adult hens and nine chicks! No roosters, I bought hatching eggs from Five Acre Farms and put them under my broody.
My adult hens are a Lavender Orpington (Dragon), a Speckled Sussex (Fossil), and a Buff Orpington (Goldfish). The chicks are 4 American Bresse, 3 Barred Rocks, and 2 Black Australorps, most of which have fishy names because Goldfish is the broody that hatched them.
Chicken keeping has been genuinely great for my mental health. I am getting more sunlight and I feel fulfilled doing things for my little animals and seeing how happy they are because of it. The world slows down and feels less complicated when I am sitting and watching chicken drama.
My first introduction to chicken keeping was way back in first grade (1997-98) when my teacher brought in an incubator and some dominecker eggs, and we got to watch the eggs develop, candle them, learn about rotating them in the incubator, and eventually see them hatch. The spark of a livelong interest was lit that day. However, in the months that followed, the chick I was most invested in died of a foot infection. I have always been the sort of person to subscribe to "anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT" and that moment woke me up to the reality of chicken keeping. Things can go wrong, birds can die, and preventing that is our responsibility. So, I never gave up on the want to have chickens, but I never wanted to lose a bird to something I knew was in my power to prevent, so I just kept researching and stockpiling and seeking out questions and answers other people before me have asked.
And that is what brings me here! Over the years of searching for answers to each question I've had, backyardchickens has always been on the first page of searches. It feels like I've been here for a long time because of that. On May 30th my first ever chick clutch hatched, and they're 4 weeks old today! Watching them grow has been a treat, but as with any growth there is going to be growing pains, and one of my adult hens has been causing problems. So I finally made my account after years of lurking.
I have actually been here for a while, but this is my first time making an account.
I got my first hens on June 1st 2024, and I started keeping a chicken journal to track their health and laying. I was never good at journaling, but having chickens has changed a lot about me (for the better).
I currently have 3 adult hens and nine chicks! No roosters, I bought hatching eggs from Five Acre Farms and put them under my broody.
My adult hens are a Lavender Orpington (Dragon), a Speckled Sussex (Fossil), and a Buff Orpington (Goldfish). The chicks are 4 American Bresse, 3 Barred Rocks, and 2 Black Australorps, most of which have fishy names because Goldfish is the broody that hatched them.
Chicken keeping has been genuinely great for my mental health. I am getting more sunlight and I feel fulfilled doing things for my little animals and seeing how happy they are because of it. The world slows down and feels less complicated when I am sitting and watching chicken drama.
My first introduction to chicken keeping was way back in first grade (1997-98) when my teacher brought in an incubator and some dominecker eggs, and we got to watch the eggs develop, candle them, learn about rotating them in the incubator, and eventually see them hatch. The spark of a livelong interest was lit that day. However, in the months that followed, the chick I was most invested in died of a foot infection. I have always been the sort of person to subscribe to "anything worth doing is worth doing RIGHT" and that moment woke me up to the reality of chicken keeping. Things can go wrong, birds can die, and preventing that is our responsibility. So, I never gave up on the want to have chickens, but I never wanted to lose a bird to something I knew was in my power to prevent, so I just kept researching and stockpiling and seeking out questions and answers other people before me have asked.
And that is what brings me here! Over the years of searching for answers to each question I've had, backyardchickens has always been on the first page of searches. It feels like I've been here for a long time because of that. On May 30th my first ever chick clutch hatched, and they're 4 weeks old today! Watching them grow has been a treat, but as with any growth there is going to be growing pains, and one of my adult hens has been causing problems. So I finally made my account after years of lurking.
Glad you joined.
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
