Tell us about YOU

[Wolf-Kim]

*sigh* Well, mine is not as exciting or even as well written as some of these, but here it goes.

I was born and raised around Fort Bragg, NC. Daddy was army for 11 years. LOL. Even drove a Humvee(sp?) to the hospital in order to see me for the first time. Ha, the first time I laid eyes on my dad, his face was still painted in camo and he had just come out of “the fields” from a couple weeks of training. I enjoy being around the military, and as weird as it sounds they are a different sort of people. Many times I find myself gravitating towards people that I didn’t know were military. LOL It’s an attitude, I suppose.

I am currently going to school with the goal of being a veterinarian. I originally expected to be an equine vet, but I have begun to doubt the specialty area, so we’ll see where I go. I have decided to be a veterinarian, because I have always been good around animals and have always been drawn to them. I also have a passion for science, mainly around biology and genetics. I also have this habit(addiction) of collecting animals, and that can be expensive, so my parents in their wisdom had started brain-washing me early on that I would NEED a good career to pay for my addict-ahem-“hobbies”..

I take after my father in personality. It is probably why I CANNOT get along with my mother. Serious personality conflicts. I tend to be a choler-matic/choly, I think I got that right anyway. We did personality tests in highschool and I recall those being my dominant and subordinate personalities. Basically, the choleric is the dominant one and tends to be a smart*ss, critical, and, at times, emotionally cold. While the phlegmatic and melancholic, tends to be very agreeable with other people. Good stuff, it's Four Temperments/Humors, you should read up on it! The most ironic thing about my personalities, is that they conflict dramatically. That’s another important about me, I favor ironic humor. No harm meant by it, so please don’t be offended if I get to “picking” too badly. It’s nothing personal, I promise and as Davaroo can confirm, I often email anyone I think “might” be taking me too seriously. If I don’t pick up on your “offense,” I am truly sorry. No hard feelings.

Several years ago, my mother decided each of the children(my younger brother, younger sister, and I) were going to get a chick for Easter. We did and over the course of 3 years, the birds were taken by predators. We went chicken-less for several years. Until the one day I noticed my boyfriend’s family had an empty long abandoned coop in their backyard. Now I have a growing flock of heritage breed chickens, 3 turkeys, and a rabbit hutch full of quail. I also plan to expand to ducks and geese, but that’s next spring. I also have horses and dogs. I prefer big dogs, mainly my German Shepherds. I hope to deal with German Shepherds later in life as part of my "hobby," I hope to breed high-quality working dogs for the police and military. As well as the schutzhund and related works.

Oh yeah, my screenname, might as well get that one out of the way too. That kind of goes back to the personality thing. Wolf=choleric and Kim=phlegmatic/melancholic. Yeah, weird, I know. Adam(my boyfriend for almost 5 years now) calls me Wolfie at times to get my attention when there are more than one Kim or if he just plain wants to be "sweet". In a way I answer to 3-4 different names: Kim, Kimmie(only by me second youngest uncle, and apparently Davaroo the other day when he called me a devil

), Kimberly(usually when I'm in trouble), and Wolf(ie). If anyone has noticed, while typing I switch between Wolf and Kim. Doesn't matter which you call me by, I answer to both.

Well, I think that is about it. If I missed something let me know. Hope you enjoyed.

-Kim

 

[fallenweeble]

seriously?
hmmmm.

i'm probably pretty different in some ways then many folks who hang out on BYC -
but that doesn't mean i don't relate to and LOVE this place. . .
here goes,
i:
currently live in los angeles (actually the san fernando valley)
grew up in the suburbs of minnesota as well as a small town in texas
don't have children
am legally married to my same-sex, firefightin' spouse (got married june 21st this year) who has by the way decided to transition to the other sex so we will then actually be opposite sex spouses (it's complicated - i know)
am over-educated but can't stop myself from seeking even more (useless) information
don't work and i'm not sorry (except i will be teaching freshman english this year - *sigh*)
love animals to a neurotic degree
crave odd, disturbing art/forms
drive a volvo station wagon
got turned onto chickens by a rogue escapee named rubio from my neighbor's flock of contraband game chickens who was attacked by my dog on thanksgiving day and subsequently required over a thousand dollars worth of surgery.
live in a house whose decor has been described as "the mad hatter's tea party exploded inside of noah's ark"
watch too much television
am financially fortunate
have a tattoo on my arm of the bones in my arm
am a feminist/democrat/liberal but i have some qualms about that certain issue we politely call *choice*
think chickens are too neat to eat.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
I loved that part, by the way.

-Kim

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
I loved that part, by the way.

-Kim

Chickens as 'yard confetti'...

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
I loved that part, by the way.

-Kim

Chickens as 'yard confetti'...

Yes, that one too.

-Wolf

 

[jackiedon]

Daveroo,

I was raised very conservative and still am but I use to be very judgemental. I have been on the other side of the judging with my Rheumatoid Artheritis so I look at everything differently. Everyone is a wonderful soul in some way. I may not agree with everyone but everyone has that right. No one is going to change me and I can't change them so I spend my energy in getting to know the person.

I was raised in the country and could remember my grandmother having free range chickens and hated it when I was at her house running around bare footed and step in chicken poo. Yuck! But I loved to help her gather eggs. My parents both grew up raising chickens and livestock but they want to get away from that lifestyle. My parents had a huge garden most of our food came from.

I had a normal childhood didn't realize until I got older that we were poor. I didn't know it growing up.

My older sister LOVED animals growing up she would rescue rats, opossums and other stuff. I never was crazy about animals.

I got married when I was 25 to the most wonderful man in the world!! We bought a house on an acre and a half. We have 2 daughters 15 and 12, he has 2 daughters from a previous marriage 31, 26 and we have 3 wonderful granddaughters.

My oldest sister and here husband started raising rabbits, chickens, goats, emus and what ever they could.

My kids started bringing rabbits home and then goats. My husband got some chickens. I didn't care for them.

When my youngest daughter was in the 5th grade I brorrowed an incubator. I was hooked. I bought a webcam and we hooked it up on the big screened and the kids in the class watched them hatch.

I now have many chickens, 2 geese, 2 ducks, 2 turkeys, 3 goats, a dog and many cats. I have 4 incubators going with chicken, guiane, and quails incubating.

I have Rheumatoid Artheritis and can't work now. My goal is to get our yard, buildings, and animals where we can have like a petting farm so classes can come to visit.

I was a computer lab teacher until I got where I couldn't work (only worked 3 days since Christmas). I would bring a brooder to school so the kids could see the baby chicks. I got several kids hooked on chickens.

jackie

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
w00t for U-dub! I'm headed to Oregon State University because it is more agricultural and still within the range of the ocean. Plus, it is not in a large city. I pretty much live in the city now and love home because I am on 7+ acres. Once you get off the highway, it's like you got popped out of town (and 40 years back) all the sudden. Guess another big reason I'm going to OSU is because that is where HP is located... and my other graduated with a degree in EE at UW... so yeah...

Bioinformatics sounds fun, but that's a whole lot more math and programming than I think I'd be able to deal with! Course numbers probably have changed, but after the basic calc series, the advanced calc, matrix algebra, diffeq and stats for engineers, I'm afraid, very afraid. Well, not as afraid as the CSE series has made me of programming. I'm all for wet lab type research. Worked with chicken embryos in relation to muscle development for purposes of muscular dystrophy for my UG thesis work

 

[greyhorsewoman]

Great thread! I grew up in the country, though not on a specific farm. We were surrounded by small dairy farms and one had a daughter my age, so I was there as much as home during the summers. We did chores, rode ponies, played in the hayloft/barn ... watched all the farm activity around us. It stuck. I also got interested in showing dogs (couldn't afford horses), and started training, raising and showing Belgian Sheepdogs/Tervurens.

By the 60's/70's I was a bonafide 'hippie' ~~ 'back to the lander' 'homesteader' ... hubby and I and our 2 small children did what we could on a rented farm in Franklin County PA. We had a huge garden, pigs & chickens (tried sheep, but had a disaster with our dogs). I made some of the kids clothes on an old treadle sewing machine and went shopping at the local 'goodwill style' store for the rest. We heated with a woodstove and had a 'sort of' working b&w TV. We read the Mother Earth News and Jerry Belanger's Countryside magazine with relish.

As the kids got to school age, they became less enamored with our lifestyle. We'd had to move to another rental farm and our little chimneysweeping business seemed to keep us teetering on feast/famine financially. So we decided to get hubby back into college. We relocated to NC and I went to work parttime (since both kids were in school). Over the next 10 years we bought the microwave, vcr, computer, color TV and nicer car. I bought all our groceries at the local megaGroceryStore. I continued my dog show obsession. Worked with the local dog clubs in many capacities.

Hubby graduated from college (2yr degree), got better job, continued college for Bachelor's degree (pd for by company). Then in 1995, they decided to move his 'job' (the equipment he serviced) to Mexico. However, there was another opening with the company back in PA, so we opted to relocate closer to home. Found a great little house in the mountain. Remembered my roots.

Went to work for AKC as a field inspector a few years later. Interesting job, great pay & benefits, but you live on the road. Got to see a lot of the northeast region of the US. Visited a lot of folks from all walks of life (raising dogs). Visited a lot of Amish / Mennonite farms. Felt the pull.

BOUGHT A HORSE. Something I'd loved all my life, but had never allowed myself the thought that I'd be able to own one. Hubby, who'd NEVER been around a horse, found himself quite naturally attracted and soon we had 6 or 7, boarding them all. Decided we could afford a place with enough acreage to have them. Moved to this farm on January 1, 2000 ... while everybody else was waiting for the 'end' we were starting a 'new beginning.' We now enjoy our gaited Paso Finos as often as we can. We teampen, trailride, gymkhana, and volunteer to direct parking from horseback!

Once on the farm, it seemed natural to get some chickens. We have a pond, we tried some ducks. We got some goats to help with weed eating. We bred a couple of horses. We put up hay. We made room for a garden. We learned about predators. I left AKC and now run a small vendor/website business.

So here we are. We decided last year to address our predator problem intensely and so we can increase our poultry flock to have eggs for sale. (That is how I found this forum, looking for information on predator control.) I'm dabbling in incubating/hatching eggs (all because of this forum!). We are around 100 chickens now. I added more ducks & geese. We have expanded the garden. Next year we plan to add berries.

We want to be more self reliant and, at the same time, take advantage of the fact that we are able to produce more than we need, so we can sell our excess to those you wish to have better food product but cannot do it for themselves. Not everyone can have 5 chickens in the backyard (or wants to), but they sure can enjoy fresh eggs.

I'm not a prolific poster. I do read it a lot of it and enjoy it immensely. I try to contribute when I think I have something to add, but I'm not much for 'me too' posts. I do enjoy the live chatting. I like talking to people in 'real' time.

Thanks again, davaroo, for starting such a great thread!

 

[bulldog-girl]

Prepare for a snooze fest:

How did I get here? Why chickens? Why does my dog lick his butt? I don’t know. All I know is that BYC has found me and it is the greatest bunch of “chicken heads” I have come across.

In reading some of the posts on this thread I do feel myself truly blessed. I had a really normalish childhood. Grew up in the 60’s when kids could just leave the house in the summer and be gone all day and no one issued an Amber Alert. We spent all our waking hours out of doors and with not a care in the world. Sure, there was always the house with the crazy old man that you would bet your pals an Abba Zabba to touch his front door. But for the most part we were free.

Also grew up in middle class smallish town. Again-no threats. We lived close to farms and mom would u-pick tomatoes, beans and peaches and put up all sorts of goodies. Mom was able to stay at home so we really did not have to help with household duties.

Fast forward a few years. We moved to a small farm when I was in High school. Dad tried his hand at Gentleman Farming and we had a cow for beef, two acres of Raspberries that went to the cannery for extra $$ and Oh my, dare I say it? The “C” word? Chickens!!! We had RIR and a few ducks that we inherited when we moved to the property. I loved the chickens and loved the way they would come from all parts of the property as soon as they heard the back door click open. Only a chicken lover can appreciate the lopsided two legged run that chickens achieve when coming at you at high chicken speed, looking for goodies.

Well, being in High School made me pretty absent much of the time. We did have our share of chores now but I discovered boys-actually one, the one I married after 4 years of courtship. We are still married 26 years later. Sometimes it seems like long years, sometimes a second.

Proceeded to have three kids. All pretty level headed-no help from my gene pool here. Hee hee. However they did receive my dry sense of humor and one is my clone-my oldest. We both love Monty Python, SNL, Pricilla Queen of the Desert and off the wall type stuff. We put the kids through college by raising a few litters of English Bulldogs. We love the breed and would love to show some day.

About 20 years ago I got the itch to move to the country. We looked for several years and finally settled on a small community outside of Portland about 30 miles. Still close to work (30 minute commute) but far enough away to leave the hustle and bustle behind. The commute is peaceful. I can watch the farms go by and appreciate the animals in the pasture. When the kids were small we even named some of the animals we would see everyday.

It hasn’t all been sausages and roses since we moved out. The price of gas has been really taking a toll on our finances. I try to take the free bus into work a few days a week. It takes me longer but it helps.

So now I have a confession. For many of the 15 years that we have enjoyed living in “the country” I have not taken advantage of our 2 ½ acres. Sure I would plant a few Zucchini and tomatoes but not really appreciated what we had. It has taken the cost of fuel to make me take a hard look at our lifestyle and see what we could do without and what we do for ourselves. I know many here have always been on track with this but in the hustle and bustle of raising the kids and working jobs, it is easy to do what is easy. Mind you I have always been frugal, don’t go out to eat much and very little fast food. My one good quality is that my grandma then my mom taught me to coupon and sale shop. I have always been good at stockpiling during a great sale and have lots of food on hand. I never pay full price and even average sale prices are not good enough for me.

So here I am, put in a large garden this year and have started to incorporate “the four season harvest” method of year round gardening, dusted off the old chicken coop that came with the property and finally just got my first two chickens. Have 30 fuzzy butts on order. When I first started thinking about chickens a few months back, I searched the internet and landed here. I have learned so much it is unreal. I also lurk and participate in the sister site “the Easy Garden” Have learned tons there as well.

My conclusion. Chicken people are loads of fun. They come from all walks of life but can appreciate nature at its most basic. I spend way more time outdoors than in, get way more exercise (I can really use that) and watch way less TV. Most nights I don’t get in until dark. I am finding life much more enjoyable.