Hello everyone, and welcome! I am starting this as a way to connect with other chicken lovers, and to share ideas. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you, and to hearing about yours. I grew up listening to stories from my Mom about her childhood on a farm. One of the things she loved the most were the chickens. They were rasied form eggs and for meat. When she turned 60, she decided to have chickens again. She had about 45 hens, a couple of roosters and 2 ducks. She loved them. I have always been interested in rasing chickens, and finally decided to get some of my own. We started with 7 hens, and have now expanded to 13. We just love them all, and our plans are to have many more this spring. I do a lot of research to find good information on how to do things "the right way." Books, internet, and just talking to people. I just cannot get enough, and am always learning something new. And I have to say, chicken people are some of the nicest people that I have ever met. So again, welcome and please enjoy. I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Nicole