Hi, I'm Kathleen from CT...

[thecatumbrella]

Tanglewood volunteer

Another Mass AND music person! Welcome in

 

[sourland]

Good morning, Kathleen, and welcome to BYC. Good luck establishing your flock.

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya Kathleen, and welcome to BYC!

Great intro!

Guessing you already know, but 1/2” hardware cloth should keep your chickens safe from any predators but in the case of the larger kind, you might consider electric fence or electric poultry netting. If you look under the Forums tab, you’ll find helpful threads on predators, building your coop, etc.

Also, you’ve done so much research already, but if you haven’t been there yet, check out our Learning Center. There are hundreds of articles, written by our members, on raising chicks and chickens.

We’re glad you’re here!

 

[Bsmac]

(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
So new - they haven't even arrived yet! Picking up eight 6-week olds on June 1st. Over the past three months I've become insanely consumed with learning all things chickens before they arrive. I know, impossible right?! Little terrified & little over the moon.

(2) How many chickens do you have right now? Only 8 in my dreams. Husband said start with eight and hope for six. Not thrilled with that plan. His family had lots of free range chickens in Missouri and has stories.

(3) What breeds do you have? We requested 1 Lavender Orpington, 1 Barred Rock, 1 Black Australorp, 1 Easter Egger, 2 Rhode Island Blues and 2 Barnevelders. Tried to select breeds that are cold tolerant, good layers, didn't have fluffy feathery feet and are typically easy going. We shall see.

(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? Honestly don't know yet. Preparing for them has been a blast. Reminded me of getting the nursery ready for my first baby. Took a deep dive into research and now have a terrific book collection, read websites late into the night, talk with local chicken owners whenever I can and am hyper-focused on extreme coop safety. We live on 6+ acres with 300 more behind us. Our closest New Hartford neighbors are bear, bobcat, fox, hawk, eagle and more. Had to stop feeding the birds

(5) What are some of your other hobbies? Garden - veg, herbs & flowers, kayak, yoga, adventure travel (two safaris & Galapagos Islands), bike, bake (recipe tester for Cook, America's Test Kitchen), piano, Tanglewood volunteer, local Beekley Library Board, support women in recovery, and spend any time I can with six little grandkids.

(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. We are a blended, former military family (Army) of almost 19 years with six grown kids (5 daughters & a son - all teens when we married - crazy). After the pandemic we moved from Webster, MA back to my home state CT where I grew up (Glastonbury) and raised my two kids (E. Haddam). We downsized a bit and started retiring (husband first, I'm nearly there). Still discovering Litchfield County and finding ways to make new friends.

My career in education / learning started as choral director for Glastonbury High School in 1979. Then school administrator in Lebanon public schools. Moved to corporate learning & leadership development, and ultimately global executive coach thanks to Zoom. Also officiate weddings - the BEST "jobby". We have a sweet, happy pup Cody - 6 yr old Cavachon who's obsessed with swimming, loves hikes, cuddling, abhors chipmunks, reads minds/hearts and offers free daily plate cleaning. Cody has two 18-year old Seal Point Siamese sisters who are still going strong. OMG.

(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community? Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly. Probably researching Bumblefoot or run flooring options or deep litter or egg-song. Joining a "local" community of like-minded, chicken loving folks will be super helpful and maybe even fun. Hope one day I too, will have something helpful to share. Gotta get those chicks first and keep them safe. Thanks in advance for your patience with my soon to come new Mom questions KW

Hello! Welcome to BYC! Enjoy your chicken adventure!

 

[Redhds]

Howdy, Kathleen and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Happy to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!

Thanks for joining our community!

Thanks Sean - appreciate it!

 

[Redhds]

Hiya Kathleen, and welcome to BYC!

Great intro!

Guessing you already know, but 1/2” hardware cloth should keep your chickens safe from any predators but in the case of the larger kind, you might consider electric fence or electric poultry netting. If you look under the Forums tab, you’ll find helpful threads on predators, building your coop, etc.

Also, you’ve done so much research already, but if you haven’t been there yet, check out our Learning Center. There are hundreds of articles, written by our members, on raising chicks and chickens.

We’re glad you’re here!

Much appreciated Debbie. We are using the hardware cloth and a few other things. I will definately check out the Learning Center. So much to learn and so little time it seems! This "little hobby" has taken on a life of its own! I love it - my husband thinks it's over the top.

 

[Redhds]

Hi, what a wonderful intro! You have my dream job (recipe tester for Cook, America's Test Kitchen), what a great source of information. It's nice to have you here, make yourself at home!

Thank you kindly! And I was anxious about retirement thinking the days would be long and lonely... Hardly! Having the time of my life and now CHICKENS coming next week!!! By the way, the recipe tester is purely volunteer. You get a little discount on their books, but it's only for learning fun.

 

[Redhds]

Hello! Welcome to BYC! Enjoy your chicken adventure!

Thank you! We're ready! Just wish our weather would warm up again and stop raining. Want the new little girls to be warm their first night in a coop.

Do we really have to keep them shut inside for the entire first week? I understand they're going to be nervous in a new environment. Also need to train them to use the ramp, Grandpa's feeder, etc. I have an Omlet Eglu Pro, not a typical coop with lots of floor space. Unsure how happy they will be...

 

[Redhds]

Good morning, Kathleen, and welcome to BYC. Good luck establishing your flock.

Thanks - much appreciated. Hoping for the best!

 

[Bsmac]

Thank you! We're ready! Just wish our weather would warm up again and stop raining. Want the new little girls to be warm their first night in a coop.

Do we really have to keep them shut inside for the entire first week? I understand they're going to be nervous in a new environment. Also need to train them to use the ramp, Grandpa's feeder, etc. I have an Omlet Eglu Pro, not a typical coop with lots of floor space. Unsure how happy they will be...

Your welcome! Do you have a run for them or are you going to free range? They should be fully feathered, if so I would let them out! Let them get start getting used to their new home!