Lizard Run
In the Brooder
- May 30, 2020
- 1
- 12
- 37
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I am, or should I say will be, new to chickens once I move into the house I am building on my property. Chickens will be the first animals I will start with.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now? I want to start with a flock of about 12.
(3) What breeds do you have? I have been looking through the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalogue for some hearty, heat tolerant breeds. I am thinking a variety of Leghorns, Polish (Love their quirky appearance) and Whitings (to add a little color to the egg basket). If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear what you recommend. Keep in mind my property is right on the cusp of the Mohave and Sonoran
Deserts 
. Also I will be building the chicken “bomb shelter” of coops because of all the predators out here.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? My goal is self sufficiency. Raising my own food, fresh eggs from my own chickens and lets face it, a little entertainment that they will provide. What’s better than having a cup of coffee on the patio and watching the
’s in the morning!?! Ok maybe having an adult beverage 
on the patio watching the ’s as the sun sets, that might be better! 
(5) What are some of your other hobbies? I have always been an avid cook. Since I retired I learned how to make my own butter and bake killer loaf’s of dutch oven bread. I am learning to do some gardening (Mostly container gardening for now because I am living in a rental house until my house is built). I also like to do a little hunting (might take my first Javelina
) and fishing. I retired a year ago, immediately fled the craziness of California, bought 40 acres and now I can create the dream I have had to build my mini-ranch in the historic old west. I designed most aspects of it myself and have become well versed in passive solar design principles, rainwater harvesting (we have monsoon season here and can collect as much as 25,000 gallons of water a year in addition to water hauling from a local private well) and solar power systems. I will be gleefully off the grid! It will be a simpler life, but not necessarily an easier one and I am ok with that.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. Both of my kids are adults, my son is a US Marine veteran now living in Virginia with his wife. My daughter has her own commercial drone photography and videography business here in Arizona. I have 4 small dogs (they are called coyote bait here in AZ) that I rescued from various shelters over the years. I am studying about wild mustangs here in AZ, I am considering adopting 2 of them, but that is a big project. I also want to adopt a couple of wild donkey’s from a donkey rescue shelter here in AZ.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I have been reading through Backyard Chickens for close to a year now. I first found your community on Pentrist. I decided to join now because I am getting closer to achieving my goal of getting my house built and that means the chickens are right around the corner. The pictures I attached are of my property, the view of the mountains to the east, my free range neighbors (which will require me to install some good fencing) and one of our perfect desert sunsets.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now? I want to start with a flock of about 12.
(3) What breeds do you have? I have been looking through the Murray McMurray Hatchery catalogue for some hearty, heat tolerant breeds. I am thinking a variety of Leghorns, Polish (Love their quirky appearance) and Whitings (to add a little color to the egg basket). If anyone has any other suggestions I would love to hear what you recommend. Keep in mind my property is right on the cusp of the Mohave and Sonoran
Deserts . Also I will be building the chicken “bomb shelter” of coops because of all the predators out here.(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? My goal is self sufficiency. Raising my own food, fresh eggs from my own chickens and lets face it, a little entertainment that they will provide. What’s better than having a cup of coffee on the patio and watching the
’s in the morning!?! Ok maybe having an adult beverage on the patio watching the ’s as the sun sets, that might be better! (5) What are some of your other hobbies? I have always been an avid cook. Since I retired I learned how to make my own butter and bake killer loaf’s of dutch oven bread. I am learning to do some gardening (Mostly container gardening for now because I am living in a rental house until my house is built). I also like to do a little hunting (might take my first Javelina
) and fishing. I retired a year ago, immediately fled the craziness of California, bought 40 acres and now I can create the dream I have had to build my mini-ranch in the historic old west. I designed most aspects of it myself and have become well versed in passive solar design principles, rainwater harvesting (we have monsoon season here and can collect as much as 25,000 gallons of water a year in addition to water hauling from a local private well) and solar power systems. I will be gleefully off the grid! It will be a simpler life, but not necessarily an easier one and I am ok with that.(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. Both of my kids are adults, my son is a US Marine veteran now living in Virginia with his wife. My daughter has her own commercial drone photography and videography business here in Arizona. I have 4 small dogs (they are called coyote bait here in AZ) that I rescued from various shelters over the years. I am studying about wild mustangs here in AZ, I am considering adopting 2 of them, but that is a big project. I also want to adopt a couple of wild donkey’s from a donkey rescue shelter here in AZ.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I have been reading through Backyard Chickens for close to a year now. I first found your community on Pentrist. I decided to join now because I am getting closer to achieving my goal of getting my house built and that means the chickens are right around the corner. The pictures I attached are of my property, the view of the mountains to the east, my free range neighbors (which will require me to install some good fencing) and one of our perfect desert sunsets.
Beautiful pictures!
