I grew up in a very rural area about 3 hours away from Memphis (the closest city). I left that hell hole as soon as I got out of high school. I couldn't wait to get out of that place and on to a place that was either big enough for me to be anonymous or big and diverse enough for me to blend in. Well, I've been in the city for just over 20 years and now I dream of being on a farm (although, not in Deliverance). So, a safe alternative is that I have a small farm right in the middle of the city. I really do live in a very urban setting, you have to drive at least an hour to get out to a farm setting. If I tried to pee off my back porch I would hit the neighbors to houses down. That's how close we are to each other.
So about 3 years ago my partner came home from a local farmers market with a 3 day old baby chicken. We named her Peep and she grew up in our home for the first several months of her life. We quickly added a small flock of more chicks, guineas, and a couple of ducks. Well, three years later we still have Peep (Bantam mix), Chicketta (a standard Blue Cochin) and Agnes (a Muscovy duck). All three females and we get 3 eggs aday. We really aren't big egg eaters so we pass them on to the neighbors. These girls really bring so much excitement to my family's lives. Agnes meets me at the gate EVERY day after work and walks me to the back door. If I don't reach down and scratch her breast she bites my ankles. Over the course of the day each of the girls will at some point be at the back door pecking on the glass wanting in. We almost always give in and let them in to roam around for a bit and then they go back to the door wanting out. Our dogs share their water bowl with them with little drama. When you open the fridge you have 2 chickens, 1 duck and 2 dogs begging. We also have a large Macaw and an African Grey. The parrots love the dogs and the dogs love the chickens and the duck but the parrots HATE the chickens and the duck and the chickens and the duck know it.
The weather have been VERY cold here this past week and the neighbors have been calling to make sure the chickens (and duck) are alright. Yesterday morning I went out to check on them and all three were still in their house (it has a heat lamp) and couldn't be coaxed out with scratch.
I'm sure I'll be writing more about the pets as this blog goes on, they really are a major highlight of our life.
So about 3 years ago my partner came home from a local farmers market with a 3 day old baby chicken. We named her Peep and she grew up in our home for the first several months of her life. We quickly added a small flock of more chicks, guineas, and a couple of ducks. Well, three years later we still have Peep (Bantam mix), Chicketta (a standard Blue Cochin) and Agnes (a Muscovy duck). All three females and we get 3 eggs aday. We really aren't big egg eaters so we pass them on to the neighbors. These girls really bring so much excitement to my family's lives. Agnes meets me at the gate EVERY day after work and walks me to the back door. If I don't reach down and scratch her breast she bites my ankles. Over the course of the day each of the girls will at some point be at the back door pecking on the glass wanting in. We almost always give in and let them in to roam around for a bit and then they go back to the door wanting out. Our dogs share their water bowl with them with little drama. When you open the fridge you have 2 chickens, 1 duck and 2 dogs begging. We also have a large Macaw and an African Grey. The parrots love the dogs and the dogs love the chickens and the duck but the parrots HATE the chickens and the duck and the chickens and the duck know it.
The weather have been VERY cold here this past week and the neighbors have been calling to make sure the chickens (and duck) are alright. Yesterday morning I went out to check on them and all three were still in their house (it has a heat lamp) and couldn't be coaxed out with scratch.
I'm sure I'll be writing more about the pets as this blog goes on, they really are a major highlight of our life.
I understand chickens at the back door, sometimes the 3 B's chase me back in! Pics please :)
ReplyDeleteOk, now I want a duck. Where does one get a duckling? Greenlake Park? I mean city parks are a great Christmas tree resource!
ReplyDeleteYour ducks have a lot in common with my duck. Although my Pipke saw me as her partner, we even made nests together.
ReplyDeleteShe was such a cuddle. On film pictures you can see how she cuddles me. She was our sunshine!
I hope your ducks will live a long life. I'm sure that they are happy with you!:)