BYC Member Interview - Wyorp Rock

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I loved your chicken stories! Charlie is a character!

I hope your chickens have taught you to think twice about stepping out of the house in hair curlers!
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Cynthia12 said:
Wonderful interview. Thank you so much for sharing. Your chickens are very loved... We can tell.
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Thank you! I do like them very much
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azygous said:
I loved your chicken stories! Charlie is a character!

I hope your chickens have taught you to think twice about stepping out of the house in hair curlers!
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Thanks Carol! They are all such great fun. I've also found there is a hat they don't like too much either...hmmm...maybe their fashion advisors
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sumi said:
W.R. also known as Wyorp Rock, has been a member of our community since September 2015. She will most often be found in the Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries forum section, assisting and advising members with their flocks' medical issues.

1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.

I live in the Southern Mountains of Western North Carolina with my husband of 25 years, our dog Buddy and 7 chickens. I enjoy gardening, canning, crafts/sewing, chickens, taking walks with Buddy and spending time with my husband.



Springtime view of our field/garden area. This is also a favorite spot to walk and explore. You never know what you will see. I love to look for wildflowers along the edges of the woods.
Venus Looking Glass

Daisy

Phlox


Sunflowers in my garden

Midsummer garden


2. Why and when did you start keeping chickens?

It all started as an idea I had about 5 years ago. I began thinking about what it would be like to have some hens, fresh eggs and a rooster. We garden and can/preserve a lot of our vegetables, so having chickens just seemed to fit our lifestyle.

We always have some type of project we are working on. In 2013 we were building a tractor shed in the backyard. Rough plans were for a 12" X 24' shed. As it took shape, my husband suggested that I could have 1/2 of the shed for a chicken run and he would build a coop to join it (I think he was tired of hearing about chickens, coops, etc. EVERYDAY). This was a wonderful surprise! We finished the shed and the coop building, now all I needed was a completed run, a few accessories and chicks.

Well… life is has it's hills and valleys, but there's also potholes and speed bumps. An emergency and various "things" in life came along and this project was pushed to "someday". The coop stood empty and the run was lifeless for close to 1 1/2 years. I was disappointed, but this did not stop me from dreaming, planning and learning about chickens.

I love the old rough cut lumber we used to build our coop. Hubby made the door, nesting boxes and outside ladder perch out of the same materials.







Finally in July 2015, I received a box with 7 little fluffs inside. This is what someday looked like - yeah, it was worth the wait.



3. Which aspect(s) of chicken keeping do you enjoy the most?

There really isn't anything that I don't enjoy about chicken keeping, but I suppose my favorite part is CHICKEN TV!

4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?

This is the only flock I've had so far, so each one is a bit unique and special. Here they are:

Charlie is a Buff Orpington rooster. He's big, beautiful, friendly and fun to watch. He is always on the move - dancing, clucking and crowing. He heartily sings the egg song, finds tidbits for the girls, makes sure Sylvie's nest is made and stays alert for any sign of danger (squirrels, rabbits, falling leaves...hawks and dogs too).

Charlie

Lucy is a Buff Orpington, she's very friendly, very chatty, sassy and sweet. She loves to dig holes, hunt for bugs and lays a large brown egg 3x/wk.
Lucy

Betty June is Buff Orpington, she is gentle, sweet and friendly. She's a bit more shy than Lucy and prefers to preen, dust bathe and quietly go about her day. She lays a large brown egg 5x/wk.Betty June

Frannie is a Barred Rock, she is confident, friendly and top hen. She will rip your face off for a grape and is Queen of the stink eye. She's robust and her feathers feel like velvet. She boldly sings the egg song and lays a large brown egg 6x/wk.
Frannie

Freda is a Barred Rock, she is friendly and sweet. She's fairly quiet, but can make the most high pitched peeps you have ever heard. Kale is her treat of choice and she doesn't mind letting everyone know. Freda lays large/xl brown eggs 5x/wk.

Here's Freda and Dottie sharing a perch one cold morning.

Dottie is a Silver Laced Wyandotte, she is active, quite the chatterbox. She plays well with others during the day, but sometimes that little horn on her comb gets the best of her at night. If there is roosting drama, be assured, Dottie is involved. She lays a medium sized brown egg 5x/wk.

Sylvie is a Silver Laced Wyandotte, she is flighty, a bit shy and lowest in pecking order. She is very fast and is good at dodging the Barred Rocks when she steals grapes and treats. Sylvie is a sweet bird and can be surprisingly chatty at times, she lays her medium sized brown eggs in the back corner of the coop 5x/wk.
Sylvie

Frannie and Freda looking for a treat

Charlie checking out the camera

Charlie and the girls


5. What was the funniest (chicken/duck related) thing(s) that happened to you in your years as poultry owner?

Their actions can be quite funny, so there's always something to get tickled over, here are a few:

Charlie watches the girls to see if they are watching him. One day a young Charlie was dancing to impress, he was dancing like there's tomorrow. Only thing is, he tripped over the ramp and fell face first in a heap. Yes, the girls were watching… oh, that ego musta hurt!

Buff Orpingtons are generally known to be sweet, docile, quiet, etc., etc. I named one of my girls Lucy, because she reminds me of 'I Love Lucy'. She's very sweet, funny, friendly, active and loud. Her mission in life is to dig holes to the center of the earth. She is small for a BO, but she's a firecracker. It's so funny to watch her dig these holes while the rest of the flock just sort of lingers around watching her. They have learned if they wait she will dig a really nice hole suitable for dust bathing. One day she was working on one of her craters and everyone piled into it...well, she had an insane moment and she jumped on everyone (including Charlie), pecking, chasing and screaming like a banshee. The girls and Charlie chose the opposite side of the run to lounge in that day.


My flock is used to various noises and activities around the shed and coop. Sawing, grinding, lawn mowers, tractor, compressor and log splitter don't seem to bother them a bit. One morning I was getting ready to leave for an appointment. I stepped out back to make sure the coop and run were padlocked. The flock exploded in a flurry of feathers and Charlie was sounding the alarm. Those girls cleared the run in 2 seconds flat. Who knew hair curlers would send them over the edge.

6. Besides chickens, what other pets do you keep?

I have a 12 year old mixed lab named Buddy. He slowing down, but loves to take daily walks to the garden and lay on the porch on sunny days.


7. Anything you'd like to add?

BYC is a wonderful place to share opinions, ideas, a laugh or two, and learn from others that "get it".

I would also like to thank Kim (@Eggcessive ), Kathy (@casportpony ), Leyla (@TwoCrows ) and many others for your support, friendship and encouragement.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/u/380647/wyorp-rock

See here for more about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/905602/introducing-vip-member-interviews/0_30
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Great interview...Loved all the pictures...
 
Jenbirdee said:
what sweet chickens you have there. Im so glad I read your interview. Its nice to get to know you! For some weird reason I always assumed you were an old man lol and that wyorp was really your name lol~ sorry!!
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Oh goodness!
The interview was made what...7 1/2 years ago. Lots of learning and changes along the way since then.

hahaa!!! Did ya think I was a Grumpy Old Man?!:old:lau

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So ... why "Wyorp Rock"? Is it a combination of the breed names, WYandotte, ORPington, Barred ROCK? 🤔 Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and getting to know you better as well as your sweet flock. Charlie looks so much like my Rojo except Rojo has a rose comb. I really appreciate how helpful you are on the threads, and I have learned so much from you! Thank you! :hugs
 

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