Hello, hello and welcome back!
News that will no doubt reduce all Chicken Corner fans to tears (solemn drum roll).. this coming Autumn, the brood will decrease from my famous “50 chickens” to a solid 22. My personal ownership will consist of the last of the nobility (3 retired Sussex hens and 6 Buff Orpingtons). In conversations, and a touch of forceful delegation, Olivia will have 4 Arauncanas and her 2 call ducks, meanwhile Izzi will keep her quartets of Brahmas and Mottled pekins. This ensures everyone is kept happy without a giant burden on any particular individual.
Having seen numbers sore to triple figures over the Summer, the orchard is looking a bit worse for wear. Feathers sodden with fresh morning dew scatter in a rather rough and tumble way – both reminiscent of previous fox attacks and a clear sign of the grand season of moulting to come.
Oh please! Lets not dwell on the present! I’d much prefer to lead you on a magical ride of nostalgia, back through the hot, humid and fruitful days of this year’s Summer months! (Side note – it wasn’t necessarily my intention to leave you stranded without a Chicken Corner paddle this Summer (Translation: Apologies I didn’t update you on the drama as it unfolded).. but trust me, all the major editorials do it ;) well, I say all, I only know ONE. Don’t let me get side-tracked though, it’s an incredibly bad habit of mine!
FOCUS.. ok so, what was it I last left you on? *reads own blog to find out
.. gosh how clever!? A literary comparison, I really out-do myself sometimes.
*reflects on Summer’s events
In a basic round-up, using reliable sources such as flash-backs - for some reason as dramatic as flashing lightning and anticlimactic as hen clucks - I just see lots and lots of chicks. Using my mystical ball, I recall these many chicks transforming into many many larger pullets and cockerels. A few months down the line, circa August: the cockerels were shipped off in batches by a “mate” and the pullets were sold within a few days after placing an ad in the local newspaper.. the conventional follow up to this would be - “check it out for next time”, but inevitably there won’t be a next time. As Director and Manager, I have a duty of care to my readers and I will not disrespect this with white lies.
Back to the saga of chicken breeding however, and I’m afraid its not all joy as this Summer no doubt taught me. I was shocked to hear the news of Gigi, my little partridge pekin. She had been savagely mauled by a fox in the night. She was a dedicated mother to 5 chicks at the time, only 2 of which were fortunate enough to survive. They always say you remember how a person or situation makes you feel. I remember questioning whether I could ever love a chicken the same.. truly harrowing stuff!
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, (not for poor Gigi obviously, gosh how insensitive of me!) but in terms of my own emotional recovery, at least I could hold onto the knowledge that my other favourite chicken, Caesar, was still scratching around. Within a few days of my return to the farm however, one afternoon it came to feeding time and Caesar didn’t show. Stinking with denial, I searched all over the farm, hoping I would find him, alas without success. The stages of grief settled in while I came to terms with the fact Caesar was indeed only mortal and had joined his imperial ancestors amongst the gods..
Rest in Peace Caesar and Gigi.
Bye chicks x
Written: 3rd October 2019
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