The security and political situation in Burundi is not great, but much improved than during the civil war in the 1990s. They still have a ways to go and we're anxiously watching the run-up to the 2010 elections.
We love it here. It's warm all the time; we're in Bujumbura, the capital city on Lake Tanganyika, about 3 degrees south of the equator. The rainy season isn't too bad. And we chose a shady spot to keep the chickens cool during the dry season.
We will have to see how open it stays. We may put wire on the open sides. We're aware of the risks of having it open. Our yard is walled, which will keep dogs out. The stray cats are pretty scrawny and are no match for roosters. We don't know about snakes. We haven't seen any in our yard but that may change if eggs or chicks are around. There's a band of neighborhood monkeys that's been known to harass chickens, although we've never had them in our yard and only saw them on our street once in the 8 months we've been here. They go into peoples' yards to eat mangos and harassing the chickens is just for fun. Since we don't have a fruitful mango tree, I don't think the monkeys will come in just for the chickens.
We'll only be living here for another year and we're aware that chickens aren't really kept as pets. Whatever we have left when we leave, they'll be somebody's dinner when we leave. That's life and we accept it.
I don't know what specific breeds, or official breeds, are here. The most common is called Mutoyi, named after the town where there's a large mission that raises chickens and supplies most of the poultry meat for the city of Bujumbura. They are large, golden brown chickens; I think they're gorgeous (and tasty!). The two we'd like to get from our friends are mutts; their father is a Mutoyi and their mother is black in color.
The rooster in the foreground and the dark hen right next to him are the two we want. They're still young, but I'm not certain of their age. The rooster will grow quite a bit more. The golden brown hens are Mutoyi. I couldn't get a picture of the Mutoyi rooster. He's truly magnificent but dislikes the paparazzi.
Local chickens are large, aggressive, and territorial. "Life on the streets" as it were has been bred into them so they are survivors. They know to seek cover when a hawk flies overhead. Many people keep the roosters as yard guards to keep snakes away.
Stephanie
