BuddingGardener
Songster
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Brand-new! I have toyed with the idea of getting backyard chickens on and off for years, but I had two kids in the interim and the idea was placed on the backburner. When a stray chicken wandered into our garden with no one to claim her, we adopted her, named her Agnes and did the best we could for her while she lived with us. We bought a coop and a run for her, and attempted to catch her on multiple occasions to no avail. Sadly, she got struck by a car in the street in front of our house before we could give her a happy end... but I credit sweet Agnes for reigniting my love for these birds, and for spurring me on to order my first small flock of chicks for our backyard.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Four! I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery, and they arrived safe and sound on April 8th. They will be two weeks old on Wednesday.
(3) What breeds do you have?
I have two easter eggers, one speckled sussex, and one australorp.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The prospect of eggs, caring for sweet little animals and enjoying the slow life they evoke.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Oh, I have tons! I'm a pretty experienced aquarist with 5 planted fish tanks, and primarily I love to keep all kinds of gouramis. I love to read and write. I play video games. I'm a plant mom and take care of about 20 houseplants. I'm just getting started with with fruit and vegetable gardening, too, and we have a peach tree, blueberry and blackberry bushes on our property, along with an assortment of herbs and pepper plants.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm a married 35 year old mom of 2, a son (age 7, first grade) and a daughter (PreK3, 4 and a half years). In a previous life I was a statistician for the federal government and a research director for a non-profit organization. Now I'm a stay-at-home-mom, partly due to having kids, and partly due to some severe mental health struggles when I was diagnosed with OCD. I love to take care of plants and animals, and they help me to feel fulfilled and at peace with my life. My current menagerie includes 3 cats, 4 chicks, 60-plus fish, and a whole bunch of aquatic invertebrates (shrimp, snails). I have a terrarium set up and would love to get tree frogs or a gecko in the future.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I've known about BYC for *years,* when I was first considering backyard chickens about a decade ago (I'm not sure if my timeline is right, it might be closer to 8 or 9 years). I've finally joined now that I'm starting a flock of my own!
Brand-new! I have toyed with the idea of getting backyard chickens on and off for years, but I had two kids in the interim and the idea was placed on the backburner. When a stray chicken wandered into our garden with no one to claim her, we adopted her, named her Agnes and did the best we could for her while she lived with us. We bought a coop and a run for her, and attempted to catch her on multiple occasions to no avail. Sadly, she got struck by a car in the street in front of our house before we could give her a happy end... but I credit sweet Agnes for reigniting my love for these birds, and for spurring me on to order my first small flock of chicks for our backyard.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Four! I ordered them from Cackle Hatchery, and they arrived safe and sound on April 8th. They will be two weeks old on Wednesday.
(3) What breeds do you have?
I have two easter eggers, one speckled sussex, and one australorp.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
The prospect of eggs, caring for sweet little animals and enjoying the slow life they evoke.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Oh, I have tons! I'm a pretty experienced aquarist with 5 planted fish tanks, and primarily I love to keep all kinds of gouramis. I love to read and write. I play video games. I'm a plant mom and take care of about 20 houseplants. I'm just getting started with with fruit and vegetable gardening, too, and we have a peach tree, blueberry and blackberry bushes on our property, along with an assortment of herbs and pepper plants.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
I'm a married 35 year old mom of 2, a son (age 7, first grade) and a daughter (PreK3, 4 and a half years). In a previous life I was a statistician for the federal government and a research director for a non-profit organization. Now I'm a stay-at-home-mom, partly due to having kids, and partly due to some severe mental health struggles when I was diagnosed with OCD. I love to take care of plants and animals, and they help me to feel fulfilled and at peace with my life. My current menagerie includes 3 cats, 4 chicks, 60-plus fish, and a whole bunch of aquatic invertebrates (shrimp, snails). I have a terrarium set up and would love to get tree frogs or a gecko in the future.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I've known about BYC for *years,* when I was first considering backyard chickens about a decade ago (I'm not sure if my timeline is right, it might be closer to 8 or 9 years). I've finally joined now that I'm starting a flock of my own!
Glad you joined.
We had worked on her for months, feeding her, giving her water, offering treats, and we couldn't manage to get her into the coop. I'm glad she knew some security with us while she could. I am grateful I had the chance to care for her in our garden (while she roosted on our fence at night) and learned how to care for chickens through her. And now that I have my own young flock, I'd have to think twice about caring for a stray hen with avian flu going around!
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
