A boy who lives on this farm is kind, loving, and a hero of sorts. His name is Henry. He’s endured quite a bit for someone his age, from being tossed aside, to being roughed up by another boy who lives here who I call Harold.
Henry and Harold are roosters. Harold has proven himself as the leader and has pushed Henry aside from the flock in plenty of aggressive interactions, leaving Henry to fend for himself at feeding time, and to look for creative ways to keep his dignity with the hens.
Henry
Noticing that this was taking place, I took the liberty of feeding Henry separately, just to be sure he felt included, and got his share of special treats. Although everyone can see that Henry is a big rooster and is probably anxious to get some of those morsels, he uses those treats to bring a few…
A boy who lives on this farm is kind, loving, and a hero of sorts. His name is Henry. He’s endured quite a bit for someone his age, from being tossed aside, to being roughed up by another boy who lives here who I call Harold.
Henry and Harold are roosters. Harold has proven himself as the leader and has pushed Henry aside from the flock in plenty of aggressive interactions, leaving Henry to fend for himself at feeding time, and to look for creative ways to keep his dignity with the hens.
Henry
Noticing that this was taking place, I took the liberty of feeding Henry separately, just to be sure he felt included, and got his share of special treats. Although everyone can see that Henry is a big rooster and is probably anxious to get some of those morsels, he uses those treats to bring a few hens some joy. Without eating a single offering, he clucks his special “treat” sound, breaking up the pieces ever so carefully, he gives them (and I mean all of them) to the hens who come running at the alert sound.
The hens happily gobble up all that was meant for Henry, as they’d already eaten the bulk of the tidbits that were given to the flock… and he is happy, because that is the amazing being that he has become.
Yesterday, mama chicken and her 6 babies were out of their safety box and Henry did exactly the same thing for the chicks. Being completely unselfish and giving, he clucked his food signal driving all six of those 5-week old chicks to his side.
Previously I’ve seen ducks push the babies away to get to the food. Sheep push a baby lamb aside to be certain they get their share – and most of the lamb’s share as well. But not Henry – he selflessly gives what he can to the others, in a way that I’ve never experienced before. In an effort to avoid projecting human characteristics onto a rooster, it appears to me that Henry is a gentleman and a saint. To say “he takes a beating, but comes back even more compassionate” is putting it mildly.
Henry is not just a chicken’s best friend – he is also my friend. When I come into the barn to visit or do chores, he finds his way to my side. He’s not afraid or concerned that I might do something he is unwilling to accept – he tolerates all of my loving gestures. Although he’s not willing to jump in my lap after much encouragement, he does come close enough for a pet or two.
I’m one of the luckiest people in the world to be his friend. I’ve never known an individual (of any species) so considerate, kind, loving, or selfless, and I can honestly say, I look forward to each and every encounter with him. He brings me joy.
The last few days have been extremely special, with the addition of Amy, the 3-month old bummer lamb who was just about to go to auction. Her fate was intercepted by an animal savior who decided that wasn’t going to happen, and relocated Amy and her four goat friends to homes that were “animal friendly.”
Amy’s presence here makes everything right with the world. I feel so much love for her that I find myself sitting in the barn for extended periods of time, just staring at her – waiting (and wanting) for her to come around to the realization that I’m only there to love, feed, and care for her. That I mean no harm. She has come close to me… but no pets yet.
Amy was raised with 2 female goats and their kids. This little lamb actually thought she was a goat, or at least belonged with them. With the four goats that are living here, her first inclination was to bond with them, hanging out as close to their pen as she could. Never mind there were three other sheep available to bond with – namely Andy, the boy who I hoped would be thrilled to have another Barbados in the herd.
Andy Boy
Andy has always been a bit of an outcast among the others, but perhaps that is the reason he is so bonded to me. The other two, Bitsy and Joey, are always together, and although Andy stays nearby, he never quite fit in with them. So, as soon as he saw Amy, it was obvious there was a twinkle in his eye. Someone that looked just like him! How exciting!
Andy is a bit of a clown, and is always interacting with me in one way or another. He’s like a puppy dog, but much more mischievous. When I come home from shopping, his face is always in the groceries, trying to see what I bought – or what he can get hold of and run away with! He’s taken off with whole heads of lettuce, broccoli, bags of carrots, coffee… you name it – and catching him to get it back is a comedy show. I’ve spent up to an hour trying to retrieve his grabs. He is always there to greet me when I come home, and anyone else who visits, poking his head in the car door to see what treats might be there, or for pets – or most likely, what he can grab and get away with!
So when he saw Amy, it was playtime! He was like a kid with a new toy. Problem was, Amy didn’t know how to respond to his enthusiasm.
It only took a couple days though – and Amy took to Andy like a fly to honey. She now follows him around, cries when he is out of sight, and thankfully Andy cordially goes to get her. They graze together, eat together, sleep together, and play together. It is love as I’ve not seen with sheep before. And I think it has a lot to do with Andy being lonely when I’m not with him. He is in love, and it is clear in his every action and reaction to this precious girl.
It won’t be long before she’s allowing my hugs and pets. And the other two sheep have accepted her into the flock.
I consider myself extremely lucky to have two new roosters – Harold and Henry – added to the “flock” recently. They’re amazingly beautiful, and above all – they’re sweet. The first night on the ranch, they allowed me to lovingly hug them individually… without any resistance whatsoever. We started this relationship right!
I don’t know their in-depth history, except that someone that was threatening to kill them – so a really cool vegan guy named Adam rescued them, and they were taken to safety at an apartment in Eugene, OR. Obviously they were there against city ordinances so there was urgency in placing them. They were delivered to the ranch a few weeks ago, and life here hasn’t been the same.
None of the hens that live here, (14 to be exact); have ever been around a rooster before. Not for any reason other than I’d just not rescued any before. But now I will go in search of them.
HaroldHenry
Every night when the sun goes down and the hens go to perch in the barn for the night – they fight over who gets to be closest to one of the boys. They snuggle as close as they can – each rooster hanging with at least 5-6 hens on each side. It is comical because they are all in love with these boys.
The mistaken portrayal of roosters being mean and ornery could not be further from the truth.
I noticed a few days ago that one of the hens was trying to lay an egg in a nest that was already occupied. I will never understand why hens don’t just find another place to lay – but they’re creatures of habit – and this day mama hen was raising all kinds of havoc and making some very loud sounds in protest … but Harold was there to aid her. He took her into the bushes and lay down as if to show her she could lay an egg here if it had to come out. He was obviously trying to relieve her angst. It was priceless.
Today – since it’s been raining, the ground has been full of worms… a major chicken treat – and I noticed Harold calling the hens in an unusually sweet tone, pointing out worms to them so they could enjoy the treat. He proudly stood by and watched while two or three hens shared… never taking the treat for himself. This melted my heart so deeply I couldn’t even begin to describe it. He is their keeper – their mate – and that is the purest love I can imagine.
Henry is a bit shyer than Harold, although he’s out and about all day with the hens; Harold seems to be the more of a leader than Henry. But while they are all out, the boys go on lookout for predators, and when they see something that is questionable – the warning sounds go off (completely different sounds than I’ve ever heard) and all of the hens get to safety quickly.
I’m just gushing over these boys… who are now, by the way, running to me when I bring out veggie scraps. They have no fear of me, and I of them… and life is good on the ranch.
About three days ago my 7-year old wether sheep, Andy, had one eye closed and it looked puffy. When I inspected it further I noticed that the flesh inside his eyelid was inflamed and red. He was also tearing quite badly. He was extremely uncomfortable, not eating, and just laying around with that one eye closed.
I searched, read, searched and read some more – even calling a local farmer who raises goats for advice. I knew if it got worse I would end up calling my vet – but I have had such bad experiences with antibiotics with every animal I’ve treated – I avoid them unless it is a desperate situation. I’ve lost animals due to antibiotics because their immune system never seems to kick back in as it should. Even with Keifr or yoghurt to replenish the natural antibodies in their stomachs – it takes too much effort and worry to get them right again.
I found what I believe is a cure for pink-eye. The uncertainty is due to the ailment, not the cure. It looked like pink eye, but since it wasn’t diagnosed, I am not certain. I know that there are a dozen eye ailments that can affect sheep, some viral, some bacterial – so it was a hit and miss because we all know there isn’t a darn thing we can do about a viral invasion – it just has to run its course.
The cure for this bacterial infection? Honey. Yes, that precious, sweet, incredibly pure nectar that honeybees store for winter is definitely a miracle. I keep it on hand for cuts, scrapes, and other sores as an anti-bacterial ointment, but I never thought it would work in the eyes.
It did. And I learned that it works for human eyes as well – a story I read in the Daily Mail Online was astonishing. A 62-year old man had been struggling with eye infections for years and had tried every solution known to man – and finally rid himself of this problem with honey. The story is heartwarming… titled “Man Cures Painful Eye Infection with 99p Jar of Honey”. Worth a read for sure.
Although it isn’t a product that should be used in daily life – it does belong to the bees – having a little on hand can be a lifesaver for any kind of injury where infection is a possibility.
Nothing on earth is as pure as honey – so pure that bacteria just cannot survive in its presence. And I proved that with my sweet bud Andy.
Today, Andy is running around and eating and back to his normal frisky self. Two doses were all it took. I simply boiled about two cups of water to purify it, let it cool, and added a heaping teaspoon into the warm water. After it cooled completely I put it into a sanitized squeeze bulb and applied a small amount directly into his eye.
Amazing. I just saved myself at least $200 for medication, a home visit and further resistance to antibiotics. I always look for the natural remedies first and luckily can usually eliminate a veterinary visit altogether.
I’ve seen a lot of animal love and unusual situations in the decades that I’ve been caring for and rescuing animals. I’ve experienced some really strange things, such as the time a cooper hawk hooked itself onto a rooster thinking he could consume something his size – right inside the chicken coop. Luckily, this happened just as I was feeding and I was there, but I had to wrangle him off that poor rooster – eventually saving the rooster and the hawk. Later I walked that hungry hawk back out to the forest.
I’ve also seen some unique love relationships that break the species barrier – such as the peacock I wrote about earlier in this blog, who befriended Hope, a little disabled duckling in “Francis and Hope” – or the protective love connection between a turkey and chicken – Thelma and Beauty – but this newest friendship species barrier is a first.
My newest baby chicks, Mattie and Mosey are only a couple of months old and small enough to be picked on and pushed aside by the bigger chickens. That old pecking order situation is unavoidable, as much as I would like to see it end – it is something we chicken moms have to deal with. I feed in separate areas to work through it, and mostly it allows all of them to eat undisturbed.
But the strangest thing happened when I was feeding a few weeks ago, the baby chicks were being protected by an unlikely friend. Andy the sheep. When they felt they wanted to escape the rush of all of the others getting to the “new” food – they merely jumped onto Andy’s back. And, obligingly, Andy babysat them for as long as they need a ride, walking slowly with his head down low in an effort to keep them from falling.
Since then, Bitsy – my sweet ewe – has joined the babysitters club. She has become more of a friend to them than Andy originally was. She seeks them out. Just these two chicks, mind you – not any of the others. And they seek her out when they get chilled, or want some companionship.
If Bitsy is in a field they’ve never been in – they venture out with her, their safety net and stay as close as possible.
Bitsy’s babies
The funniest and most unusual thing about this relationship is the love that you see radiating from all of them. Bitsy will sometimes lay down to encourage their visits. And when they’re all in the same area, she looks over them, letting her presence be known in case she is needed. She has even nudged them to get them to an area she wants them to be in a motherly fashion.
You may think I’m nuts – but I’ve lived with Bitsy, Joey and Andy for more than seven years – I know them. Bitsy is usually so aloof and could usually care less about anyone but her sheep buds – to see her take such an interest in baby chickens is, well, for lack of another word – heartwarming.
I’m very curious to find out if this ‘love, babysitting’ relationship continues after Mattie and Mosey have grown. It’s fun and adorable – and I’d be thrilled if it did.
I’ve always known there were emotional bonds that formed between chickens, I’d seen it before, two always hanging out together, while the others are just on the outskirts, forming their own bonds.
But nothing was as clear as a recent event that occurred with some new chicks I adopted. A friend needed to move chickens that were in violation of city ordinances and brought three Gold Laced Wyandotte’s to my ranch to live.
What was somewhat comical and somewhat sad is that she had two Wyandotte’s of her own, among others, and somehow managed to confuse an adoptee with hers – a sweet three-month old girl named “Goose”. She brought Goose to me with two others instead of the original three that had grown up together.
The three misfits 🙂
It was obvious from the moment they stepped out of the carrier… Goose was not an original sister – she was rejected, and left alone to fend for herself. She was picked on at “sleep” time – while the other two, who looked exactly like her, cuddled happily – all the while scrambling to get as far away from Goose as possible. It was sad really, because Goose tried very hard to fit in, but it was obvious she was in distress by the sounds she made, as well as in her actions. She stayed huddled in a small space in the barn – all alone – and just seemed lost and unhappy.
My friend and I decided that a switch was necessary, so she made another trip over with the lost soul who had also been rejected in her own flock, to make things right again. Last evening, she came and got “Goose” and returned the original “sister” to the two I’d adopted.
The cooing, cuddling, and connection was so obvious anyone without a trained “chicken” eye could see they were ecstatic to see one another, and the babes at my home haven’t left each others side. They missed one another and it was as obvious as day is from night. Color, breed, or any other similarity wasn’t what bonded them… it was love.
The original three 🙂
The bonds they form with each other are incredible, many chickens who grow up together stay friends for life. Just like my Maggie and Molly – who stayed together every part of their lives – eating, resting, sleeping and foraging. Molly was quite lost after Maggie passed away. She still wanders the property alone, months later.
The two Barred-rock chicks I recently added to my flock, Mattie and Mosey, are the same way. They are inseparable. When I hold one without the other, there is obvious angst and worry. The love and support they show each other is adorable. When one wanders off just a little too far from the other, a bursting-running dash occurs to get close again. It’s priceless.
Mattie & Mosey
Chickens teach their young habits that they’ve learned over the years, to save them from consuming harmful foods, to avoid certain animals, and to carry on the knowledge they’ve acquired which has kept them alive.
Life with chickens is immeasurably rewarding – they show appreciation – if you pay attention. For every hug, morsel, fresh water change, and for just being there.
Every time I sit and visit with the two little darlings, Mattie & Mosey… they jump on my lap for pets and hugs – and just to be close. They can sit with me for hours, they feel the love, and they give it back tenfold – indicated by the sounds they make. The sweet cooing sounds that indicate pure contentment and love.
Anyone who thinks chickens aren’t sensitive intelligent beings, has not lived with and among them.
The 13 baby ducklings that hatched July 4th have been adopted and have gone to another home. My heart aches.
July 4th – the struggle
Although there are not ample words to describe the connection I felt with them – I think photos and videos might best describe their innocent journey into my heart.
The first 10 – just hours (and minutes) old
Is there anything more precious than assisting new life coming into the world – and showing them the “ropes”? Taking on the role of mom with a different species has its rewards, no doubt – but the connection is beyond anything I’ve experienced. It is similar (or so I’m told) to having your own child – they rival dependence, love, need, and a deep closeness that any new mother’s experience can attest.
First day outside (day 2)First water/mud experience
However, sadly, the loss is great as well.
My babies found their forever home with a wonderful family who can provide for them in ways that I couldn’t. But I’ll never stop loving them.
Babies – all babies – are precious, joyful, and heartwarming. I’ve been blessed with more babies than I’ve had in my life in years. They are curious, needy, loveable, and all they seem to want is my attention and love.
It started when I decided to pick up two baby chickens after my sweet Maggie died. Not to replace her, mind you, just feeling the need to expand my chicken family. They are amazing pets, and can brighten a gloomy day. Then I discovered Mae duck had abandoned her eggs… I was left to incubate and hatch 13 eggs… all of which hatched. I’m in baby heaven, because just a month ago, Mama Mel showed up with 5 baby ducklings. Together, there are 18 babies on this property and I love it!
So – the two chicks I chose are Bard Rock’s because that is what breed Maggie was, and I’ve never had a more loving chicken – I named them Mattie and Mosey.
Mattie and Mosey
Since they came into my home it has been filled with joy. They are like little clowns – bouncing around without a care in the world – peeping when I am not in sight, and learning the rules very quickly. They now step up on command, and follow me around (as they’re supposed to) until it’s time to put them back in their playpen home.
Mattie’s playpen
When allowed outside (supervised) they tear it up. They run and jump and fly and spin as if life is the most exhilarating thing imaginable. They soak up and enjoy life more than any human I’ve known – and I believe that is why they are such a joy to be with. They rub off somehow, eliminating those human thoughts that plague me- and they bring me back to more earthy and loving thoughts, if not a bit more of childish and playful me.
And they are smart as whips. I’ve had chickens before that didn’t want any part of me, but they were already grown. Babies rely on you – they desire your attention – and they learn from you. Even though their instincts tell them to eat a bug and scratch in the dirt, there are many things they learn from their caregivers.
It is the most joyful experience to hand raise babies that will eventually jump in your lap – follow you around while doing chores or on the property, and long to be hugged. This is what I’m building, and what will stay with them as adults.
Chickens are intelligent, bright and loving, and amazing companions. They can even learn not to poo poo on you! I’m working on it 🙂
It started around 8 a.m., the first little duck poked through its shell – and wiggled its way out. Took quite some time, but then out came another one just a few moments later.
One and two 🙂Just hatched
But as you most certainly noticed there are a lot more eggs sitting around – which led to a lot more hatching throughout the day. It is after 10:00 p.m. and as I hear the fireworks in the background, I just transferred the last hatchling to his/her temporary home – the playpen. There are now 10 baby ducks that are snuggled up and happy. Three eggs left, but not sure they will hatch 😦
Still in IncubatorIn their new home
I can’t explain the depth of privilege I feel at just being able to experience this new life and be a part of it. To have the opportunity to assist life being born is a feeling everyone should experience, whether human or animal.
I am humbled.
I am certain they imprinted me – It’s a bird thing… the first living thing that they see when those baby eyes focus – is mommy. It could be a dog, a lizard, doesn’t matter… the closest thing to them is who they model.
It will be comical in the coming weeks – walking around the ranch with 10 baby ducklings following behind, peeping and trying to keep up. Adorable actually, but quite a burden. They want nothing but you until they get their wings and their independence.
I am tired – but I wanted to share my special event during this holiday… I have a flock which was unexpected and nearly lost by the mommy duck – but so glad I found them and they are alive!
Henry 
FARM ANIMAL HAVEN SANCTUARY 