Maple Hill Homestead
Chirping
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
Yes, I am new to chickens. We are hoping to get our first flock in the next couple of months. We are just getting started in the homestead lifestyle.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Zero, but looking to order about 25 (hatchery minimum) in the next couple of months.
(3) What breeds do you have?
We live in a mild climate with very mild winters (we've had less than an inch of snow this year and it only sticks around for a day or two) but late summer can be rather stiflingly hot and humid for about 2 months or so. So my current breed list for our chick order is Cream Legbar, Black Australorp, Barred Rock, Blue Andalusian and Olive Egger. Some other breeds that made the short list were Turken, Blue Australorp, White Australorp, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpington, Welsummer, and Columbian Wyandotte. Mostly choosen for relative heat tolerance, egg color and looks. Also, we can't find these breeds around here so we are hoping to find a niche breeding and selling chicken breeds that are not as easy to find in our area.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Not sure yet, we are still pretty early in this adventure.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Ummm... dh and I both like to game, crochet and read but not all at the same time. I'm really getting into gardening now. We also research homesteading a lot and have several other homestead projects in the works such as an orchard, acquiring meat rabbits and looking at the possibility of getting goats.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Right now it is just me, dh and our ds(7) living on our property. I have 5 kids from my first marriage that are grown/mostly grown but I would love if any of them wanted to come join us on our homestead adventure. Dh's grandmother lives next door and she has given us permission to use any of her property for our homesteading projects. We have two dogs, a mutt rescue from the humane society and a derpy bassett hound that is smarter than she pretends to be. If ds had his way, we would have a dog farm with hundreds of dogs lol. Oh and some horses, he would love to get a horse but we aren't quite able to make that happen any time soon. We are currently in a position to make homesteading our full time job so that is what we are trying to do. Dh and I both have chronic illnesses that make regular 9-5 jobs difficult if not impossible. Homesteading, where we can set things up to work around our limitations, just makes sense for our situation. We live in a very rural area where it is at least a 90 minute drive in any direction to get to a town with most modern amenities and shopping venues. The nearest small town with a (small) Walmart (and no other stores) is about 15 minutes away.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I don't remember how I found BYC... google search for chicken forums maybe? I have lurked for at least a couple of years but it seems like we might actually get the chicken operation going this year so I figured it was high time I joined so I could ask my own questions when I need to. I made my profile months ago but life got in the way and I'm just now getting around to introducing myself.
Yes, I am new to chickens. We are hoping to get our first flock in the next couple of months. We are just getting started in the homestead lifestyle.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
Zero, but looking to order about 25 (hatchery minimum) in the next couple of months.
(3) What breeds do you have?
We live in a mild climate with very mild winters (we've had less than an inch of snow this year and it only sticks around for a day or two) but late summer can be rather stiflingly hot and humid for about 2 months or so. So my current breed list for our chick order is Cream Legbar, Black Australorp, Barred Rock, Blue Andalusian and Olive Egger. Some other breeds that made the short list were Turken, Blue Australorp, White Australorp, Speckled Sussex, Buff Orpington, Welsummer, and Columbian Wyandotte. Mostly choosen for relative heat tolerance, egg color and looks. Also, we can't find these breeds around here so we are hoping to find a niche breeding and selling chicken breeds that are not as easy to find in our area.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
Not sure yet, we are still pretty early in this adventure.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Ummm... dh and I both like to game, crochet and read but not all at the same time. I'm really getting into gardening now. We also research homesteading a lot and have several other homestead projects in the works such as an orchard, acquiring meat rabbits and looking at the possibility of getting goats.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Right now it is just me, dh and our ds(7) living on our property. I have 5 kids from my first marriage that are grown/mostly grown but I would love if any of them wanted to come join us on our homestead adventure. Dh's grandmother lives next door and she has given us permission to use any of her property for our homesteading projects. We have two dogs, a mutt rescue from the humane society and a derpy bassett hound that is smarter than she pretends to be. If ds had his way, we would have a dog farm with hundreds of dogs lol. Oh and some horses, he would love to get a horse but we aren't quite able to make that happen any time soon. We are currently in a position to make homesteading our full time job so that is what we are trying to do. Dh and I both have chronic illnesses that make regular 9-5 jobs difficult if not impossible. Homesteading, where we can set things up to work around our limitations, just makes sense for our situation. We live in a very rural area where it is at least a 90 minute drive in any direction to get to a town with most modern amenities and shopping venues. The nearest small town with a (small) Walmart (and no other stores) is about 15 minutes away.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
I don't remember how I found BYC... google search for chicken forums maybe? I have lurked for at least a couple of years but it seems like we might actually get the chicken operation going this year so I figured it was high time I joined so I could ask my own questions when I need to. I made my profile months ago but life got in the way and I'm just now getting around to introducing myself.
