MyCircusMyMonkeys
Hatching
- Jul 28, 2025
- 1
- 10
- 9
Hello all! I'm Valerie, based in Tennessee after moving across the Atlantic 3 times. I used to get squirmy at the thought of putting down roots anywhere, but now that my family and I are developing a homestead I find myself feeling very peaceful. And the chickens? Cherry on top!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We brought our first chicks home on the 30th of April this year.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
11 - but this is subject to change. We either got really unlucky with the farm's sexing process or our order got messed up; instead of 11 hens we got at least 7 roosters! Thankfully the farm we got them from is really nice and we can swap some of the roosters, as well as keep the ones we're too attached to to let go of. They'll give us some pullets gratis when we go for the swap too. The farmer sounds just as chicken-mad as I'm becoming.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Buff orpington, sapphire sky, blue plymouth rock, an ameraucana, and a copper maran.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
They pull me out of my head and make me laugh. I love the special relationships that develop, and they're all just so soft and big (or endearingly small!). I love holding them, feeling their weird dino feet grip me, and the way their soft necks and wattles press against me when they eat from my hand. They're incredibly joyful, and it makes them a joy to be around.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
My hobby is my job! I write romantic genre fiction. No chickens have appeared in my books yet but every day brings me closer to that inevitability. I also meditate and draw, which definitely makes me sound like a hermit... and yeah, the shoe fits, except that I live with my three closest friends!
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Oops - just did.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Googling one million behaviors I was trying to understand. Yesterday I spent over an hour reading Shadrach's treatise on roosters and following links from it, and I just thought... might as well make it official!
(1) Are you new to chickens / when did you first get chickens?
We brought our first chicks home on the 30th of April this year.
(2) How many chickens do you have right now?
11 - but this is subject to change. We either got really unlucky with the farm's sexing process or our order got messed up; instead of 11 hens we got at least 7 roosters! Thankfully the farm we got them from is really nice and we can swap some of the roosters, as well as keep the ones we're too attached to to let go of. They'll give us some pullets gratis when we go for the swap too. The farmer sounds just as chicken-mad as I'm becoming.
(3) What breeds do you have?
Buff orpington, sapphire sky, blue plymouth rock, an ameraucana, and a copper maran.
(4) What are your favorite aspects of raising backyard chickens?
They pull me out of my head and make me laugh. I love the special relationships that develop, and they're all just so soft and big (or endearingly small!). I love holding them, feeling their weird dino feet grip me, and the way their soft necks and wattles press against me when they eat from my hand. They're incredibly joyful, and it makes them a joy to be around.
(5) What are some of your other hobbies?
My hobby is my job! I write romantic genre fiction. No chickens have appeared in my books yet but every day brings me closer to that inevitability. I also meditate and draw, which definitely makes me sound like a hermit... and yeah, the shoe fits, except that I live with my three closest friends!
(6) Tell us about your family, your other pets, your occupation, or anything else you'd like to share.
Oops - just did.
(7) Bonus: How did you find BYC, how long have you known about BYC, and what made you finally join our awesome community?
Googling one million behaviors I was trying to understand. Yesterday I spent over an hour reading Shadrach's treatise on roosters and following links from it, and I just thought... might as well make it official!
