Here’s the edited version, it should be 798 words
The first thing you need to know about taking care of my chickens is that they make noise. Lots and lots. You don’t need to be afraid, they’re just expressing their appreciation for you feeding them. Of course, the longer it takes to feed them, the louder they will get, so do try to be on time. When you walk up the the house, Mr. Beard will start squawking at you. Don’t worry, this is just his normal behavior. The door sticks a lot, so you will have to lift it up to unlatch it. Yes, it’s heavy, but if a girl is able to do it, you should be, too. Deal with it. Next, after you hopefully get the door open, you will be met with a bunch of hungry chickens. The thing is, they’re big fakers. They have food in their feeder 24/7, unless they pigged out the day before. They just want people, so be careful. Once you open the inner door, they will rush you, trying to get out. Just push them out of the way with your foot, they are quite used to this kind of treatment, and will subside quickly. Just make sure not to shut Goldy’s head in the door, she’s not the brightest chicken, and doing that certainly won’t help her get any smarter. Once you’re inside, above all, DON’T SQUAT DOWN!!!!! This point cannot be emphasized enough. If you do, you will be pecked on all sides by 9.5 mad chickens wanting to be held. (The .5 is Gidget, she’s tiny and half blind and you should pick her up and carry her around so she doesn’t feel bad.) If you hold one of them, the others get jealous and peck harder. The only solution to save yourself is to cuddle all of them. And cuddling nine chickens at once is a hard task that I don’t recommend. So, just don’t squat down. Now that that’s out of the way, the first order of business is to refill the waterer. Delaware thinks this is her personal roost, so you have to lift her off of it. Don’t be afraid, she won’t bite you unless she thinks you’re holding mulberries. Then you’re a goner. But anyway, since she sits on top of that waterer so much, it’s covered in…you guessed it…chicken poop. If you’re squeamish, this job is not for you. You have to grab hold of the poopy handle and lift the top off the waterer. Then set that on the roost and take the reservoir outside, scrub it out, and fill it back up. The sponge I use is in the entryway somewhere, usually I toss it in the deepest darkest corner when I’m done. Then put the lid back on. Make sure they have oyster shell in the metal bowl, they tend to perch on the side and tip it over. Then get any eggs that are in the nest boxes, and pray that Holly isn’t broody. If she is, you’re screwed. She thinks any eggs under her are HERS ALONE and NOT TO BE DISTURBED. You have to outsmart her, and I advise wearing a pair of thick leather gloves. Not to protect against pecks, but because the second she sees them, she’ll freak out and fly as far away as possible. Just don’t take the gloves off in front of the hens, because they’ll think you took off your hands, and then you’ll have a real circus. Once you’ve got the eggs, put them in the wire basket that should be in the entryway unless I left it in the house, in which case you’ll have to think of something else. If you’re lucky, I’ll put egg cartons out there for you, but it’s a 50/50 chance that I forgot them. Before you leave, make sure to count them all, there should be 17 hens and one rooster, and if there are fewer, you’re in trouble. Don’t try and touch the rooster, he will explode in terror. Penny and Bean are very shy and tiny, they will likely just stay outside away from big scary you. Dover will eat your fingers, Penny will eat anything dangly in your hair, Peeper will jump on the roost and annoy you until you pet her, Bukky will fall asleep in the water bowl, and Mo will peck you if she’s in a box.
But of course my chickens are all super nice and will never do anything to hurt you!
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Fine print: I am not liable for any injuries, illnesses, or lice bites you may incur from taking care of said chickens. Please contact your insurance agent for more information. I’m very well known to them, but not for any bad reasons, I assure you…