Hello BYC members and readers.......I've been reading this forum for several months but just became a member a day or two ago.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I'm not exactly new to chickens this is my second time around. I had chickens back in the mid '70s to late '80s a total of about 15 years or so. I grew up in the city but most of my family on my mothers side lived in the country and had chickens. When I was little it was always my job to close their chickens up at night, let 'em out in the morning and gather the eggs every day that I was at their house.
After I became an adult I bought a farm and raised cattle, dairy goats, chickens, hay and tobacco plus worked a full time job. After a while that got to be a bit much so I sold the farm in '88 and let the people that bought it keep the chickens. Several times since that time I've thought about chickens and kinda missed 'um. My wife is big into flower gardening and landscaping plus we raise a vegetable garden and the thought of having chickens with all the mulch in the landscaping and flower beds it just didn't make since because I knew how chickens like to scratch around. Several months ago I got a newsletter from Mother Earth News that showed the picture of a chicken tractor (movable chicken coop) and a light bulb went off. Since that time I've done a lot of research on movable coops on this forum and many other places. This past July I started building a coop and on August 18 I received 13 two day old Rhode Island Reds which I've enjoyed a bunch.
I've always been told I overbuild everything and that's probably true but I enjoy doing it. I'll post a pic of my coop and you'll see what I mean. The coop is 6'x10'x8' with a automatic door opener/closer.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
13
(3) What breeds do you have?
Rhode Island Reds
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Internet search
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Competition pistol shooting, gardening and taking care of 8 1/2 acres.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Married with 2 daughters, 2 step daughters, 3 grandchildren, 4 step grandchildren, 1 dog (Golden Retriever/Chow mix) and about 30 Koi.
The wife and I are retired from working out but as you can see we haven't quit working.
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
I'm not exactly new to chickens this is my second time around. I had chickens back in the mid '70s to late '80s a total of about 15 years or so. I grew up in the city but most of my family on my mothers side lived in the country and had chickens. When I was little it was always my job to close their chickens up at night, let 'em out in the morning and gather the eggs every day that I was at their house.
After I became an adult I bought a farm and raised cattle, dairy goats, chickens, hay and tobacco plus worked a full time job. After a while that got to be a bit much so I sold the farm in '88 and let the people that bought it keep the chickens. Several times since that time I've thought about chickens and kinda missed 'um. My wife is big into flower gardening and landscaping plus we raise a vegetable garden and the thought of having chickens with all the mulch in the landscaping and flower beds it just didn't make since because I knew how chickens like to scratch around. Several months ago I got a newsletter from Mother Earth News that showed the picture of a chicken tractor (movable chicken coop) and a light bulb went off. Since that time I've done a lot of research on movable coops on this forum and many other places. This past July I started building a coop and on August 18 I received 13 two day old Rhode Island Reds which I've enjoyed a bunch.
I've always been told I overbuild everything and that's probably true but I enjoy doing it. I'll post a pic of my coop and you'll see what I mean. The coop is 6'x10'x8' with a automatic door opener/closer.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
13
(3) What breeds do you have?
Rhode Island Reds
(4) How did you find out about BackYardChickens.com?
Internet search
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
Competition pistol shooting, gardening and taking care of 8 1/2 acres.
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Married with 2 daughters, 2 step daughters, 3 grandchildren, 4 step grandchildren, 1 dog (Golden Retriever/Chow mix) and about 30 Koi.
The wife and I are retired from working out but as you can see we haven't quit working.
