BYC Member Interview - azurbanclucker

[theoldchick]

 

[ronott1]

Nice Interview!

 

[N F C]

Brian, thanks for taking the time to do an interview! It was nice to get to know a bit more about you

 

[igorsMistress]

Thanks for sharing Brian!

 

[azurbanclucker]

Brian, thanks for taking the time to do an interview! It was nice to get to know a bit more about you

Thanks for having me.

 

[Ponypoor]

@azurbanclucker


Come say hello to Brian! He's been a member since April 2017 and comes to us from Arizona.​

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself. And is there a story behind your member name?
How much time do we have for this? Want the long or the short version? Maybe something in between?

Dad, Husband, geek, artist, dreamer, gear-head, chef. Not necessarily in that order. I've been accused of being a know-it-all, which is mostly a lie, and a smart-alec, which is mostly true. I've lived in AZ for most of my life, from the low deserts to the high country, and currently live on the East side of Phoenix. By day I coerce complex assemblages of carbon atoms and trace minerals into doing my bidding using complex assemblies of silicon, precious metals, and electricity. In human terms, that's "tech director for a company in the card payment industry". My hobbies include photography, art, gaming, cars, cooking, really anything I can do with my hands. I'm not great at many of them, but I do OK at others. For instance, none of my family have been poisoned eating my meals, so, that's a win! I'm married to the girl I've been dating since we were 19, and we have 4 kids between 29 and 14. It's probably safe to say that the sun has done strange things to my brain over time living here almost my whole life, but for now this is home.

As to my member name, I'll quote a post from 2022 about it:

"Azurban. It's a region in deep in the Amazon jungle. There are a couple of local tribes of headhunters there who have no interaction with the outside world and will off any stranger who enters their lands.

But the emeralds and Diamonds from that region are legendary, and many explorers have risked death over the years to bring some out.
The main population center of Azurban is known as Gu'llible. In the local tongue it means "easily fooled". The natives use it as a trap to catch thieves trying to steal their gems."


The reality is far more mundane. I Live in Phoenix, so Urban AZ, and we have chickens. AZ Urban Clucker. Or Azure, Zurb, AZ, Azurban, there may be a couple of others.


2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
Amusingly, I didn't want chickens. We had a menagerie at that point and it took my family a while to convince me on the chickens. We started with 4 Barred rocks at the very end of 2016:

Then we added on Delawares, EE's, Langshans, Polish, Olive Eggers, Silkies, Marans, American Bresse, Ameraucana, Svart hona, orloff's and several flavors of Wyandotte. Our peak was 21, we're down to just 2 now. A backyard ee that looks like some kind of weslumer mix but lays beautiful bluegreen eggs, and a silver laced wyandotte. I've always bewen partial to colored layers, and once we have some more room I'll add more colored layers back into the flock.

Some of the others.

3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
Having a backyard flock is like having an aquarium in your back yard. There's always something going on. With a mixed flock, it's a constant stream of motion and color as the flock ebbs and flows during the day. It's quite cathartic and for me is a great way to de-stress. Having a source of eggs is always nice, and my neighbors like it too. While our intent was to process for meat, we've really only ever done it once. I can, but convincing the family it's OK to eat a friend is HARD.


4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
There have been a couple over time. We had a splash langshan I named belle that was gorgeous. She was no show winner or anything, but I loved her coloration.

Then there was our American bresse Blue rooster, Cluck Norris. he fought off a coyote one night long enough to wake us up and chase it out of the back yard. I told that story in my thread in the "pictures and stories" forum.

5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Not me, but my wife. I was upstairs working and heard this commotion downstairs. Dog barking, wife yelling, Occasionally cluck crowing, and this odd thumping noise. So I went to check it out.

Come down the stairs and my wife is enraged and screaming about the stupid rooster and brandishing a broom. On cue, Cluck sticks his head in the dog door and crows loudly. This sets off the dog and my wife, one screaming "STUPID CHICKEN! STAY OUT! and whacking the broom on the floor, and the other barking merrily. It was some kind of bizarre game.

"Cock a doodle dooooo!"
"Stupid Rooster!" *THUMP*
"barkbarnkbarkbark!"
"Cock a doodle dooooo!"
"Stupid Rooster!" *THUMP*
"barkbarkbarkbark!"

I guess Cluck was trying to steal dog food and got the dog wound up, then he crowed at the dog and scared my wife, and set the whole train wreck in motion.

I was laughing so hard I nearly wet myself. My wife wasn't amused of course, but eventually things calmed down and we still laugh about it today.


6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
We have rabbits, tortoises, dogs, and mini pigs at present. We also have a pony, but we stable her. The garage is no place for a pony.

Thanks for the opportunity! I could post a million pics but I've spread so many out all over the site a this point it's just repetitive.

@azurbanclucker

For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews​

Hahahaha - Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!