I am not Chicken LittleMy world isn't falling down
I am King of the Backyard
From sun up to sun down
My hens run in front of me
Turning up great bugs to eat
I am such a lucky rooster
Life here is such a treat
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Years ago we began to have backyard chickens.
Only hens and just for eggs and garden pest eradication-
plus the bonus of sheer entertainment for us watching them.
At one point we only had two hens as we had "lost"
3 hens due to racoons, neighborhood dogs and hawks.
So Russell fenced the backyard and we got some
fertile eggs from a neighbor and I slipped the eggs under our
broody hens. 21 days later the chicks began to hatch
and as fast as they would hatch the hens would kill them.
What the heck? Fortunately, I rescued one chick and the
two last eggs not hatched. It was early morning and so I
went back to bed with the injured chick and two eggs with a
slightly warm heating pad. By the time I had finished the morning
paper the remaining eggs had hatched. Russell got a small box
and we placed the three chicks under a light bulb for warmth
with their water and chick food.
They thrived and grew and as the days went by we had
to get bigger and bigger boxes to accomodate their growth.
The last box was the largest moving box that we could find.
At that point they resembled popcorn as they attempted to fly.
We figured they were big enough to graduate from living
in a box in Russell's den and it was time to go to the coop.
The hens were a bit perplexed about the teenagers showing
up, but after a bit of adjusting the pecking order all was calm.
Until the chick that had been injured grew up to be a rooster.
HAH! There was a bit of chicken justice doled out to those hens.
Eventually we sent Rocky and his harem to our friends
farm as his crowing was beginning to bother some
of our neighbors. Now we just have hens and we replace missing
hens with young hens. We still love watching our hens scratch
around in the dirt eating up the slug eggs and being so cute in
their chicken social ways. Not to mention the very delicious
eggs that they give us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am such a lucky rooster
ReplyDelete:-)
nice
this all sounds so lovely. what a great life indeed :)
ReplyDeleteYour hen rendition seems almost romantic. Was Rocky nice at least? The only rooster I ever met was very nasty.
ReplyDeleteMy grandkids have chickens with a rooster named Mr. Friendly. Who knew children were capable of such sarcasm as Friendly certainly was anything but. He has two of the kids completely buffaloed. I personally advised carrying a broom. Love those fresh eggs from the hens.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a neat gig for everyone except me! :)
ReplyDeletelove the confidence in your words.
ReplyDeletelovely tale.
Smiles.
xxx
Happy Weekend,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your chicken tales. Nice Magpie
ReplyDeleteha cute verse...tis the life i imagine...had a rather nasty rooster move into our backyard a couple years ago...perticularly on saturday mornings...
ReplyDeleteLove this Kathe....:-)
ReplyDeleteI love the poem and definitely the tale.
ReplyDeleteFunny beings chickens. I had a one eyed chicken in Nigeria! Cook could never understand why I wouldn't let him wring her neck! She was a pet!
They are cute aren't they. Lovely piece. Bigger and bigger boxes - what an image that conjured for me.
ReplyDeleteOle! Did you holiday in Mexico? Spain?
I love your story about your own chickens and how you immortalized Rocky in your poem.
ReplyDeleteSaying they looked like "popcorn" in the large moving box, and then referring to them as "teenagers" when introduced to the others just tickled me so much.
Such a fun name for your poem--and yes, a great life for a rooster!
ReplyDelete'My hens run in front of me
ReplyDeleteTurning up great bugs to eat'
Lazy rooster. In most farmyards, the rooster gives gifts to the hens he likes!