abbielaneus
In the Brooder
- Apr 5, 2018
- 8
- 32
- 44
Hi! I'm Mary and I'm a second time chicken "farmer." I grew up on a farm and raised bantam chickens of different breeds. My Granny had chickens and as a child I wanted to do everything she did, so I got my "small" flock. I had to give them away when my parents had to move for work and this year is the first time I've had them as an adult.
We were planning on adding chickens when we got a larger piece of land, but my mother hurried the process when she got my step-son 6 chicks fo Easter this year...then chicken math happened as we now have 12 chicks, all around 2 weeks old. We have 2 leghorns, 2 barred rocks, 4 EE, 1 SLW, 1 red producer, and 2 we can't figure out.
My husband (almost 2 yrs of being married) and I are both in IT, we are in WV and we share custody of my (almost 4 year old) step-son. (I hate the word step. I don't step love him or step raise him, but it is what it is. His mom is great and somehow we are "adulting" well in that situation)
I didn't ever plan or getting married, but I didn't plan on building a chicken coop this year either- life happens and you roll with it. My only child I planned on having is my 6 year old Goldendoodle, Ainsley. She is afraid of everything except donkeys and buffalo...that's a story for another time.
We kayak and white water raft, travel as much as possible (which ar usually short 1-2 day trips and a 2 weeks trip every other year), I quilt (another Granny trait), and we are raising our first (small) garden at our house this year.
Chicken raising seems to have changed a bit from when I was young. Some extra wood to build a house, a fence, water, corn in the winter, and let them free range as much as possible, and gather the eggs...so this site has been very helpful. I love seeing all the info and has been incredible with the baby chick info (I never dealt with pasty butt before because our hens always raised our chicks).
I'm loving building our coop and teaching our wee one...surprisingly Ainsley thinks she is a mama hen...she is so protective of the chicks and any time there is a louder peep than normal from the brooder- she is on high alert and checking them out. She hasn't tried to grab one yet, but she smells them each time we hold them....they are getting used to her and everyone is figuring out our new life together.
If I ask silly questions, I apologize. I do try and research as much as possible before hand. The entire "breed" category is new to me, I never picked my own chickens before, I just got what was hatched from my Granny's flock. I've already made a list of what we are adding next year.
We were planning on adding chickens when we got a larger piece of land, but my mother hurried the process when she got my step-son 6 chicks fo Easter this year...then chicken math happened as we now have 12 chicks, all around 2 weeks old. We have 2 leghorns, 2 barred rocks, 4 EE, 1 SLW, 1 red producer, and 2 we can't figure out.
My husband (almost 2 yrs of being married) and I are both in IT, we are in WV and we share custody of my (almost 4 year old) step-son. (I hate the word step. I don't step love him or step raise him, but it is what it is. His mom is great and somehow we are "adulting" well in that situation)
I didn't ever plan or getting married, but I didn't plan on building a chicken coop this year either- life happens and you roll with it. My only child I planned on having is my 6 year old Goldendoodle, Ainsley. She is afraid of everything except donkeys and buffalo...that's a story for another time.
We kayak and white water raft, travel as much as possible (which ar usually short 1-2 day trips and a 2 weeks trip every other year), I quilt (another Granny trait), and we are raising our first (small) garden at our house this year.
Chicken raising seems to have changed a bit from when I was young. Some extra wood to build a house, a fence, water, corn in the winter, and let them free range as much as possible, and gather the eggs...so this site has been very helpful. I love seeing all the info and has been incredible with the baby chick info (I never dealt with pasty butt before because our hens always raised our chicks).
I'm loving building our coop and teaching our wee one...surprisingly Ainsley thinks she is a mama hen...she is so protective of the chicks and any time there is a louder peep than normal from the brooder- she is on high alert and checking them out. She hasn't tried to grab one yet, but she smells them each time we hold them....they are getting used to her and everyone is figuring out our new life together.
If I ask silly questions, I apologize. I do try and research as much as possible before hand. The entire "breed" category is new to me, I never picked my own chickens before, I just got what was hatched from my Granny's flock. I've already made a list of what we are adding next year.
Welcome and Congratulations! 
to have you join the family. Enjoy your time here at BYC! 
