My names deb and after parusing the site found this set of bones for my intro...LOL. I live in San diego County near the Mexican Border in the high desert.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Nope, Got my first chickens about twenty years ago whlie living in the citiy. Dad was a share croppers son so he gave me lots of pointers. I had four Americanas from the feedstore till a dog came in and killed them all. I decided to raise finches and parakeets instead.
About eight years ago I moved up to the high desert and Took aviary panels and dog kennel panels and some Salvaged Garage doors and a tarp or two and made my first desert chicken coop. At one point I had a flock of about thirty mixed breeds some bought full grown from a local farmer some from the feed store. I also had about five guineas and two turkeys.
Unfortunately we had a few fires locally and that drove the preditors up into my area and I lost the whole flock over the course of about three months to preditation. I never restocked. Because I needed to rebuild the coop and run areas so that bob cats and mountain lions couldnt get in.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
None right now I am rebuilding the coop its been about four years now. I have finally come up with a plan and after some reading on this site know now how to nail down my preditor issues. I am hoping to have about sixty fowl all together.
(3) What breeds do you have?
I want:
Chocolate Marans
Barnveldters (sp?)
Wellsummers
Amauracanas
Sumatras
Dutch bantams
and of course
Guineas
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Though intensive research on Chickens in general. Coops, breeds, Incubators, brooders etc.
I have a frend in Pennsylvania who has done a chicken CoOp and it got me to thinking about selling eggs.... Either to people for food or to artists for their shells Hence the reason for colored eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I have raised and trained my own horses (with help) now for 43 years one at a time. I currently am owned by a Black Percheron Mare named Katee. I dont ride any more (arthritis) but I do drive a carriage/cart now and then. I have had dogs longer than horses again not a trainer but I do bring out the quirky nature of my dogs. And only recently did I find out I love goats as well. I adopted three Nigerian Dwarfs and one Pygmy from a Navy family about four years ago and now I cannot ever see myself without having goats in the family.
I paint, draw, sculpt. I also read and write volumns.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
My dad was a scientist/inventor/futurist Self taught. He advised physicist on the practical matters of their constructions. He also worked at area 51 for a couple of years. So I was raised in a very forward thinking family. By profession I am a Manufacturing engineer Not by education. Though i am in search of that entrepreneurial home consulting position that will allow me to choose my hours and make a signifigant contribution to the human race and support myself in the manner to which I wish to become accustomed. (I'm unemployed right now lol)
I will be 56 this June. I have one son who is 21 going on 40. Hes in college hes my pride and joy. There are only four of us in the family My son Myself Mom and Grandma.
I look forward to making some friends here and sharing some insites on Poultry and all the joys involved.
deb
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Nope, Got my first chickens about twenty years ago whlie living in the citiy. Dad was a share croppers son so he gave me lots of pointers. I had four Americanas from the feedstore till a dog came in and killed them all. I decided to raise finches and parakeets instead.
About eight years ago I moved up to the high desert and Took aviary panels and dog kennel panels and some Salvaged Garage doors and a tarp or two and made my first desert chicken coop. At one point I had a flock of about thirty mixed breeds some bought full grown from a local farmer some from the feed store. I also had about five guineas and two turkeys.
Unfortunately we had a few fires locally and that drove the preditors up into my area and I lost the whole flock over the course of about three months to preditation. I never restocked. Because I needed to rebuild the coop and run areas so that bob cats and mountain lions couldnt get in.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
None right now I am rebuilding the coop its been about four years now. I have finally come up with a plan and after some reading on this site know now how to nail down my preditor issues. I am hoping to have about sixty fowl all together.
(3) What breeds do you have?
I want:
Chocolate Marans
Barnveldters (sp?)
Wellsummers
Amauracanas
Sumatras
Dutch bantams
and of course
Guineas
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Though intensive research on Chickens in general. Coops, breeds, Incubators, brooders etc.
I have a frend in Pennsylvania who has done a chicken CoOp and it got me to thinking about selling eggs.... Either to people for food or to artists for their shells Hence the reason for colored eggs.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
I have raised and trained my own horses (with help) now for 43 years one at a time. I currently am owned by a Black Percheron Mare named Katee. I dont ride any more (arthritis) but I do drive a carriage/cart now and then. I have had dogs longer than horses again not a trainer but I do bring out the quirky nature of my dogs. And only recently did I find out I love goats as well. I adopted three Nigerian Dwarfs and one Pygmy from a Navy family about four years ago and now I cannot ever see myself without having goats in the family.
I paint, draw, sculpt. I also read and write volumns.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
My dad was a scientist/inventor/futurist Self taught. He advised physicist on the practical matters of their constructions. He also worked at area 51 for a couple of years. So I was raised in a very forward thinking family. By profession I am a Manufacturing engineer Not by education. Though i am in search of that entrepreneurial home consulting position that will allow me to choose my hours and make a signifigant contribution to the human race and support myself in the manner to which I wish to become accustomed. (I'm unemployed right now lol)
I will be 56 this June. I have one son who is 21 going on 40. Hes in college hes my pride and joy. There are only four of us in the family My son Myself Mom and Grandma.
I look forward to making some friends here and sharing some insites on Poultry and all the joys involved.
deb
