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| Free-range chickens |
Directing chickens is like herding cats.
Preventing turkeys from roosting on the sundeck is like keeping cats from jumping on furniture.
Getting ducks into their pen before dusk is like convincing
an indoor/outdoor cat to come in at night.
On July 15, 2019, we arrived at our hobby-farm sit in
the Duncan district. We were welcomed by a young adventurous couple and
their three rambunctious boys. Their large farmhouse was being masterfully crafted by
the homeowners and naturally claimed by the young kids and their large brown
dog, Hershey.
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| Sheep and turkeys share a field |
Outdoors, we were introduced to the sheep eating and
drinking within a fenced-in field. A short walk away the homeowners opened the
chicken coop door to reveal a few hens roosting.
“You can gather the eggs from
here,” the poultry farmer said.
He described the early morning feeding routine
and how to try to corral the hens at dusk to bring them to the barn. The two roosters would find their own way back to the
barn he said.
Closer to the house was the duck pen. It was empty
with the exception of one of the females roosting.
We had disturbed her and the sweet duck fluttered out and waddled to the small nearby pond.
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| Ducks are very organized |
“The ducks come in a little
later, after dusk, around ten o’clock. You’ll have to close their pen using
this guillotine mechanism.” The woman laughed at her reference as she pulled a
thick rope which forced the wooden flap to slam shut.
When we arrived back at the house there were two hens and four chicks perched on the sundeck.
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| Hens and chicks roost on the balcony |
“We lost all of our turkeys several years ago. These two gals showed up at
the end of spring and so we’ve been feeding them. Their getting used to us,”
the homeowner said.
Frank is the farmer and gets up early. He
performs most outdoor chores while I make meals and maintain the inside of
the home.
♪ Well I got me a fine wife I got me an
ole fiddle
When the sun's comin' up I got porridge on the griddle
Life ain't nothin' but a funny, funny riddle
Thank God I'm a country boy ♪
Hi Frank and Susan,
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great adventure rounding up all the farm's livestock each day(evening and night). Which of the lucky birds is going to be celebrating with you as Thanksgiving dinner?
Hope you are both having fun!
Rod
Hello Rod, thank you for commenting on our house and pet sitting blog. You show up as an 'unknown'. So, who are you?
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