(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens? I am new to chickens when it comes to caring for them myself. My family had backyard chickens for eggs when I was growing up, but I wasn't directly involved enough in their care to call myself experienced, only somewhat familiar. We got our chickens from our neighbors on 5/3/21, the day they hatched. They are 12 weeks old today!
(2) How many chickens do you have right now? Right now we have 6 in our "flock", which is going to be separated soon since we have confirmed that at least three, possibly four, are cockerels. We have grown very attached to them, especially as two of the little boys needed some special care as babies. I know how hard it can be to re-home roos, and they are in the pet category at this point anyway, which makes it very hard to consider parting with them. So, we pretty much finished our coop and run, only to turn right around and start building another.
We are just crossing our fingers that the bachelor coop is peaceful and that everyone is happy. If not, we will have to devise a plan C.
(3) What breeds do you have? Honestly, I couldn't say for sure. They all have the same dad, who I am pretty sure is an Easter Egger, so we are playing genetic roulette based on that alone. We have cheek tufts, beard, and rose comb on one, which I think would mean Ameraucana is likely in there somewhere. One has a crest and looks very much like images I have seen of Black Copper Maran x Cream Legbar. We have a couple that I suspect have some RIR in them and maybe a female Easter Egger.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? Oh gosh, where to start. Their flock behavior is fascinating to watch and I love seeing them observe and copy each other. They are astonishingly fast learners! They compel me to get up early and get outside, which is something I admittedly didn't do nearly enough of previously. Their antics are hilarious and many of them love to lie in our laps and get cuddles, which is so therapeutic. They are just unexpectedly delightful all the way around. My family's chickens were not particularly "tame" so it is a whole different experience than I was expecting since we are dealing with hand raised babies that were interacted with every day.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies? The kids and the pets keep me pretty busy, but I love a good book and a cup of tea. I spend a great deal of time just researching and exploring topics of interest. The kids and I also enjoy tabletop games and some online games together as well.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. I work in home health care as an insurance coordinator, which has been an unexpected blessing as it allowed me to move from the city out to the country when everything switched to remote work. I have two boys, ages 13 and 14, and a very supportive husband who humors my desire to do things like create a whole second coop so we can keep our four roosters lol. He is an animal lover as well, and we have a diverse assortment of pets. Right now we have our 6 lads and ladies, a dog, two cats, a chinchilla, four snakes, two parrots, two geckos (one a rescue which we acquired recently, and is in my older son's care). My youngest son has a tarantula, and we have a large fish tank with two goldfish and Sulawesi snails that are breeding like crazy! If you haven't ever seen them check them out, they are so cool looking. So that is our big, happy family.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
The list of pets above might have indicated, but we tend to find ourselves acquiring various animals, some unexpectedly. Some of our snakes have been rescues, the chinchilla was free on Craigslist (we took her out of concern that someone who wasn't educated on them would snatch her otherwise), and we have had various other rescues in the past. These days it is my first priority when getting any new animal to hunt down the best forums, because the pet store/feed store advice tends to be...not entirely accurate. I found this forum while researching chicken housing and it led me to realize that the coop that came with our house out here was nowhere near acceptable. That set us off on building something properly sized and predator proof for them, and was an invaluable resource in making sure they grew up strong, healthy, and had a safe and comfortable permanent home outside once they were ready. I cannot thank this community enough for the information it has provided (what type of sand to use, hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, proper temps and watching the heat index, etc.) and for the reassurance that first night that they were outside, crying to come in. I was a nervous wreck reading every post I could find on upset chicks on their first night in the coop. It was so helpful to see that others have felt the same way, powered through, and everyone was happier for it. You guys are awesome and I cannot wait to jump in and be an active part of the community. Thank you, sincerely, for doing what you all do!
(2) How many chickens do you have right now? Right now we have 6 in our "flock", which is going to be separated soon since we have confirmed that at least three, possibly four, are cockerels. We have grown very attached to them, especially as two of the little boys needed some special care as babies. I know how hard it can be to re-home roos, and they are in the pet category at this point anyway, which makes it very hard to consider parting with them. So, we pretty much finished our coop and run, only to turn right around and start building another.
We are just crossing our fingers that the bachelor coop is peaceful and that everyone is happy. If not, we will have to devise a plan C. (3) What breeds do you have? Honestly, I couldn't say for sure. They all have the same dad, who I am pretty sure is an Easter Egger, so we are playing genetic roulette based on that alone. We have cheek tufts, beard, and rose comb on one, which I think would mean Ameraucana is likely in there somewhere. One has a crest and looks very much like images I have seen of Black Copper Maran x Cream Legbar. We have a couple that I suspect have some RIR in them and maybe a female Easter Egger.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens? Oh gosh, where to start. Their flock behavior is fascinating to watch and I love seeing them observe and copy each other. They are astonishingly fast learners! They compel me to get up early and get outside, which is something I admittedly didn't do nearly enough of previously. Their antics are hilarious and many of them love to lie in our laps and get cuddles, which is so therapeutic. They are just unexpectedly delightful all the way around. My family's chickens were not particularly "tame" so it is a whole different experience than I was expecting since we are dealing with hand raised babies that were interacted with every day.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies? The kids and the pets keep me pretty busy, but I love a good book and a cup of tea. I spend a great deal of time just researching and exploring topics of interest. The kids and I also enjoy tabletop games and some online games together as well.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share. I work in home health care as an insurance coordinator, which has been an unexpected blessing as it allowed me to move from the city out to the country when everything switched to remote work. I have two boys, ages 13 and 14, and a very supportive husband who humors my desire to do things like create a whole second coop so we can keep our four roosters lol. He is an animal lover as well, and we have a diverse assortment of pets. Right now we have our 6 lads and ladies, a dog, two cats, a chinchilla, four snakes, two parrots, two geckos (one a rescue which we acquired recently, and is in my older son's care). My youngest son has a tarantula, and we have a large fish tank with two goldfish and Sulawesi snails that are breeding like crazy! If you haven't ever seen them check them out, they are so cool looking. So that is our big, happy family.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
The list of pets above might have indicated, but we tend to find ourselves acquiring various animals, some unexpectedly. Some of our snakes have been rescues, the chinchilla was free on Craigslist (we took her out of concern that someone who wasn't educated on them would snatch her otherwise), and we have had various other rescues in the past. These days it is my first priority when getting any new animal to hunt down the best forums, because the pet store/feed store advice tends to be...not entirely accurate. I found this forum while researching chicken housing and it led me to realize that the coop that came with our house out here was nowhere near acceptable. That set us off on building something properly sized and predator proof for them, and was an invaluable resource in making sure they grew up strong, healthy, and had a safe and comfortable permanent home outside once they were ready. I cannot thank this community enough for the information it has provided (what type of sand to use, hardware cloth instead of chicken wire, proper temps and watching the heat index, etc.) and for the reassurance that first night that they were outside, crying to come in. I was a nervous wreck reading every post I could find on upset chicks on their first night in the coop. It was so helpful to see that others have felt the same way, powered through, and everyone was happier for it. You guys are awesome and I cannot wait to jump in and be an active part of the community. Thank you, sincerely, for doing what you all do!
Glad you joined.
