Away from serious life: life with 2 chickens

Day 1

Today we took the kids to a farm. Bebs, the most precious of all, was particularly happy running around in the big yard. The other kids went to discover the tunnels inside the hey piles. What a great idea for kids-not for the car afterwards!  At 2.00 they went with the farm workers to feed the animals. It was a great experience for the kids.

Bebs learnt to say goat though he says it "goo" but in his condition, it was a big achievement. He was a bit scared of touching the cows, cheep and goats but he loved imitating the sound of pigs. There was 4 lovely baby pigs asleep huddling together. Strange how babies of all animals, including humans, are so beautiful. Those piglets were particularly peaceful. I am not sure if they are grown for bacon or for something else!

I have been thinking about buying chickens for almost a year now. I grow up with my mother rearing chicken, pigeons, ducks- at a room of the kitchen in our flat and afterwards on the roof of the house. Feeding the birds was always top priority for my mother: dump birds they will not ask for food or water, so it is our responsibility to look after them. It was almost a religious ritual for my mother. We were rewarded with the most delicious organic eggs and birds (that was before I became vegetarian). Yet they were not my responsibility. I occasionally took food or water to them or collected eggs but they were my mother's responsibility.

This would be different- my responsibility primarily. My daughter has been nagging me to buy a dog for 20 years but I utterly refused. I cannot take the responsibility for animal care and I am not really an animal fan. Also I always said to her that if I had extra money to spend ( which I do not) on food, vet, and so on, I'd rather give it to poor people. She said that animals would be good for Bebs, who is a toddler with special needs. This was my weak point. So I thought no dogs but I would go for chicken like what my mum did. He can learn from looking after the chickens and he can eat their fresh eggs. They may benefit the garden with natural manure!

So it came to being that at the end of the farm visit we bought 2 chickens. A week ago, we bought a little hut and covered its ground with hey ready for the chickens. 

So the 2 chickens had their first night in the small hut. Apparently it will take them 10 days to get used to the new environment from living with many chickens in a big farm to the loneliness of only 2 chickens in a small garden and  small hut.