rainydaysnw
In the Brooder
- Nov 18, 2022
- 1
- 13
- 21
My name is Anita and I live in eastern Washington State in a small town. Our county is huge in square miles, but our population is not. We do not have a stoplight in our entire county if you don't count the flashing light by the school. Our kids go to school K-12 in the same complex and about 16 graduate each year. We live on 4 acres with a year round creek.
Right now I have 19 hens and a Roo. They are all laying hens and he is a Maverick Special. Maverick is the young son of the feed store owners and when I need a new rooster, I ask for a Maverick Special. His mom gets it and she'll bring me in one of her leftover roosters from the store that has been raised, carried, and socialized by Maverick. This boy, named Handsome, is a stunning black with white Ameraucana who is kind and gentle with his girls. Since I'm not breeding for show birds and don't particularly want my hens hatching out clutches, I'm not worried about mixing breeds.
Currently, I have Handsome the Roo, Buff Sex Link, Golden Comet, Delaware, Ameracauna hens. I cull my flock out every year when the girls drop off production. They are humanely butchered and used in the stew pot. We process by skinning the bird instead of plucking and all that.
I tend to buy different breeds from year to year so it is easier to keep track of ages simply by looking.
I love to garden: both flowers and vegetables. It is difficult with the deer to keep the flowers beds safe, but each year I look for a new remedy to conquer them. My vegetables are in raised beds and I'm limited by our short growing season here. I am looking for to adding a greenhouse (hopefully next year) to increase that. I also spend a lot of time on our Hustler zero steer mower keeping the place neat.
My husband was a WA State Park Ranger for 30 years and just retired last July. We enjoyed some of the most beautiful Parks in this state, but when he accepted the position of Park Manager at Curlew Lake State Park, we knew we found home. He was the Ranger there for 21 of the 30 yrs of service and 7 years before retirement we bought our own home in town where we now live. I have worked in the health care field for 45 years and also am now retired.
I still volunteer at the local Senior Center in our town. I have also bred and shown AKC Mastiffs for over 20 years. I am down to my last two now, 5 yr old Joy and her 2 yr old son, Irish, as well as 2 "pocket pals", 3 yr old Pug, Bitte, and 9 yr old Tibetan Spaniel, Somba. I have two grown sons with their own lives and families.
I found Backyard Chicken online years ago and decided to finally join up since I have more time to really dig in and learn more.
Right now I have 19 hens and a Roo. They are all laying hens and he is a Maverick Special. Maverick is the young son of the feed store owners and when I need a new rooster, I ask for a Maverick Special. His mom gets it and she'll bring me in one of her leftover roosters from the store that has been raised, carried, and socialized by Maverick. This boy, named Handsome, is a stunning black with white Ameraucana who is kind and gentle with his girls. Since I'm not breeding for show birds and don't particularly want my hens hatching out clutches, I'm not worried about mixing breeds.
Currently, I have Handsome the Roo, Buff Sex Link, Golden Comet, Delaware, Ameracauna hens. I cull my flock out every year when the girls drop off production. They are humanely butchered and used in the stew pot. We process by skinning the bird instead of plucking and all that.
I tend to buy different breeds from year to year so it is easier to keep track of ages simply by looking.
I love to garden: both flowers and vegetables. It is difficult with the deer to keep the flowers beds safe, but each year I look for a new remedy to conquer them. My vegetables are in raised beds and I'm limited by our short growing season here. I am looking for to adding a greenhouse (hopefully next year) to increase that. I also spend a lot of time on our Hustler zero steer mower keeping the place neat.
My husband was a WA State Park Ranger for 30 years and just retired last July. We enjoyed some of the most beautiful Parks in this state, but when he accepted the position of Park Manager at Curlew Lake State Park, we knew we found home. He was the Ranger there for 21 of the 30 yrs of service and 7 years before retirement we bought our own home in town where we now live. I have worked in the health care field for 45 years and also am now retired.
I still volunteer at the local Senior Center in our town. I have also bred and shown AKC Mastiffs for over 20 years. I am down to my last two now, 5 yr old Joy and her 2 yr old son, Irish, as well as 2 "pocket pals", 3 yr old Pug, Bitte, and 9 yr old Tibetan Spaniel, Somba. I have two grown sons with their own lives and families.
I found Backyard Chicken online years ago and decided to finally join up since I have more time to really dig in and learn more.
Glad you joined.
