Introducing Shannon from My Pet Chicken

Introducing Shannon from My Pet Chicken! We lovingly call our My Pet Chicken employees "Peeps!" My Pet Chicken is very unique in that ALL employees are poultry keepers ourselves, so we offer a wealth of experience and wisdom. Here is your opportunity to see how we became "crazy chicken people." In this "Meet the Peeps" blog series, we introduce you to Shannon. You've interacted with her by phone...now it's time to "meet" her.

Shannon - Phone Supervisor

1. How Long have you been part of the MPC family? What is your position?

I started at My Pet Chicken in 2011, so that puts me at 11 years of chicken chat! Currently, I'm a Phone Supervisor, so I get to talk with my fabulous customers directly.

2. What is your home state and your favorite part about living there?

I call North Carolina home and have since 1994. We love being centrally located in the Triangle because from here, we can take day trips to the beach or mountains. Our weather is very mild, so I can garden year-round with my chickens and ducks.

3. How long have you been a chicken keeper?

I've been tending to the fowl for 13 years. Some of my birds have been around that long too.

4. What was your first breed(s) of chicken?

Our very first chickens were Silkies. They are sweet and small and so very different looking so we had to have them! They were also perfect when we had a toddler.

5. How many chickens do you have? (Real numbers…not what we tell our family members!)

I currently have 18 chickens, 2 of which are roosters.

6. Do you have any other animals besides chickens? If so, what and how many do you have?

We also raise ducks. Currently, we only have 5. We have 1 bunny, 1 doggie, and 2 cats, and since we also foster kittens for a rescue we could have any number of those at a time as well.

7. What is your favorite chicken breed? Why?

I currently really love Cochins. Whether they are bantams or standards - doesn't matter. The personality of the birds is so mild. Plus, they make great moms when we decide to hatch.

8. What is your favorite part about chicken keeping?

The eggs are by far the best part of chicken keeping!

9. What is your least favorite part about chicken keeping?

Well, cleaning is not my favorite chore. However, I really do enjoy a clean, fresh coop!

10. What is your best pro tip for a newbie chicken keeper?

When planning your flock, I highly suggest researching your egg needs. If you need to feed a family of 4 who enjoys eggs daily, really look into the chicken breeds' production rates. It can be disappointing if your breed choices lay 3 or fewer a week when you needed those eggs.

11. What is your favorite chicken-keeping product and why?

I'm a huge fan of First Saturday Lime. I use it for bug and smell control in my coop, but I also use it for my birds' waterers to keep the water from turning green. It is also multipurpose, so I use it in my garden as well for bug control.

12. What is your favorite chicken-themed quote or joke?

Closing thoughts from Shannon...

As a child, I was terrified of roosters. I was chased on more than one occasion by a rooster at my grandparents, and it wasn't even their rooster! Happened later on in life in my twenties when I was chased to my car by one that showed up at my parent's house. I was dead set on never having a rooster, ever! And here we have Pongo, our splash Olive Egger rooster who lets me cuddle him and carries him around. He's even protective of my daughter when she's collecting eggs, chasing the hens out of the coop to leave her alone. Now, I can't imagine life without a rooster to command my flock.