@BYC Project Manager
Come say hello to Shepard!
Come say hello to Shepard!
1. Tell us a bit more about yourself.
Well, I'm 42yrs old - unmarried with a 9yr old daughter and one more on the way. I stay in South Africa and joined BYC in April 2020. My duties include assisting with everything on BYC and the sister sites - from contest brainstorming, hosting, judging, posting articles, scheduling content, newsletters, and more.
But enough about me, let's talk about the real stars of the show: our feathered friends. Have you heard the one about the chicken who crossed the road just to get to the other side of the chicken coop? Classic. Or how about the one where the rooster tried to do stand-up comedy, but all his jokes were fowl?
2. Why and when did you start keeping poultry?
Oh, you know how it is... one day you're minding your own business, living your life like a normal person, and the next thing you know, you're knee-deep in chicken coops and clucking noises.
It's like a virus that infects you with an uncontrollable urge to collect eggs and argue with your neighbors about whether or not roosters should be allowed in the city limits. I'm not a poultry keeper myself yet, but I've seen enough chicken dramas to know that these birds are more entertaining than a soap opera.
So who knows, maybe one day I'll catch the chicken fever too and join the ranks of backyard flock enthusiasts. But for now, I'll stick to being a chicken voyeur and living vicariously through all you brave souls who are brave enough to take on the feathered overlords.
Lol, on a serious note though, till recently I was a city slicker - so no chickens allowed where I lived. I've since moved to a more rural area and plan to start my poultry-keeping adventure soon.
3. Which aspects of poultry keeping do you enjoy the most?
The closest I've come to raising chickens is ordering a bucket of KFC. But if I had to pick one aspect of poultry keeping that I enjoy the most, it would have to be the names that people come up with for their birds.
I mean, who wouldn't want to have a pet named Colonel Sanders or Chick Jagger? Plus, I love the fact that people get so attached to their chickens that they give them their own personalities and backstories. So even though I'm not a chicken keeper myself, I still appreciate the joy and creativity that goes into naming and caring for these feathered friends.
4. Which members of your flock, past and present, stand out for you and why?
Well, as a non-chicken keeper, I don't really have a flock to speak of. But if I had to choose a standout member of my imaginary flock, it would have to be my chicken alter ego, Sir Clucks-a-Lot.
He's a knight in shining feathers, always ready to defend his coopmates from any predators or pesky garden gnomes. He's got a regal air about him, with a beak that could cut through steel and a comb that's the envy of all the other roosters in the kingdom. I like to think that he's the kind of chicken that would have his own theme song, like something out of a medieval epic.
So while I may not have any real-life feathered friends to brag about, at least I have my imaginary chicken hero to keep me company.
5. What was the funniest poultry related thing that has happened to you in your years as an owner?
Oh, let me tell you, the funniest poultry-related thing that's ever happened to me as an owner is the time I accidentally tried to hatch a carton of grocery store eggs in my oven. I thought I was being clever by setting the temperature to 99 degrees Fahrenheit and leaving them in there for a week.
But when I opened the oven door, expecting to see a bunch of fluffy chicks, all I found were a bunch of overcooked omelettes. Lesson learned: always check the expiration date before trying to hatch your breakfast.
6. Beside poultry, what other pets do you keep?
Well, my pet collection is pretty limited. I have a dog named Zama who thinks he's the king of the backyard, but I don't think he'd be too thrilled about sharing his kingdom with a flock of chickens.
I've also considered getting a cat, but I'm not sure how Zama would feel about having a fluffy little predator in the house. So for now, it's just me and Zama, ruling over our humble domain and dreaming of the day when we can finally have our own personal chicken army.
7. Anything you'd like to add?
Yes, actually. As a future chicken keeper, I just want to say that I'm already practicing my clucking noises in preparation for the day when I finally have my own flock. I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm crazy, but little do they know that I'm just getting ready to communicate with my feathered friends.
I'm also stockpiling egg puns, just in case my chickens ever need a good laugh. I figure if I can't provide them with a constant supply of tasty treats, I can at least entertain them with some egg-cellent humor.
And finally, I just want to say that I can't wait to become a part of the chicken-keeping community. I've heard it's a clucking good time, and I'm excited to join in on all the feather-fluffing fun.
Oh, here's Zama...
@BYC Project Manager
For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
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For more information about the interview feature and a complete list of member interviews:
introducing-vip-member-interviews
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Pretty dog too! Thanks for sharing!
