My Grandfather, Chickens, and Me.

The Coop-D-etat

And to you good madame, I ruffle mine Feathers 🐓
Feb 6, 2021
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Bismarck, North Dakota
Well currently I'm out in my yard, laying in the grass under a massive Green Ash Tree. Enjoying this beautiful evening admiring my chickens and enjoying their company. I had an urge to maybe share a little bit about myself, or maybe alot? Not really sure what you would consider alot or "some".

While I was chicken watching some memories came floating through my mind as I am relaxing from the day's tasks. Where exactly did I get such a passion for chicken rearing? How come I'm so entangled in the thrills and throws of owning a feathered flock...it's actually really quite simple, my Grandpa.

Ever since I could remember driving 60 miles East from where I grew up. Taking a short jont on I-5, merging onto 405, and finally making the final stretch on I-90 to the absolutely adorable little town of North Bend, WA. It always took forever it seemed, but that final stretch, that little hidden road that a bystander would easily miss if they weren't looking for it. There it was the tiny little cottage with massive holly trees lining a little gravel driveway. I was always at the edge of my seat ready to jump out of the car. Finally was there! I'd run to the front door and bust through the entrance and there was my Grandma standing at the end of a narrow little hallway smiling. Always would shout "Hi Grandma!" And she would greet me with a hug and a little ear tug. And then my Grandpa to the left sitting in his recliner I'd also shout "Hi grandpa!!" And he'd smile and respond with shouting himself "Heyyyy there Tigger!, your looking like a hippy with that head of hair on ya, maybe Grandma will go take ya and get it touched up!" And my grandma would always retort with "Dwyane, be nice" and he'd chuckle. By then I was always at my Grandpa's side pestering him to go out to the garden to pull a fresh carrot to eat, and to ask if i can go gather eggs for him! He'd say of course and would grunt getting up out of that super plush and puffy brown recliner.

We'd go out and I'd sprint to the gate and stare at the chickens I remember them so well. Some Barred Rocks, some Rhode Island Red's, and one rather large white silkie Rooster named snowball (my cousins naming skills at the time, we were young so no blame!) I remember always being so fascinated by chickens and couldn't possibly tell a single soul the reasoning why. And then the eggs! I in particularly recall this one time where it was my turn going out into the coop me and my cousin would argue who was going out with Grandpa to collect eggs. We'd walk into and old wood, red painted capmer that was converted into a chicken coop. It was dark and no windows except from the two doors on either side of the coop. The bare compacted dirt floor always made the coop smell earthy, and on the left side wall was about 14 nesting boxes, hahaha WAY more than what was needed for the amount of birds my Grandparent's owned. As My Grandfather and I were collecting these smooth oval shapped breakfast items, I came up to a nest box with a rather mean looking RIR sitting in there. As I made eye contact her neck retracted in she to my eyes seemed to swell two times The size, each individual feather was separated, and a lowly growl/hum was being emitted from this bird. I kinda backed off and my Grandpa came up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder as he walked around me to confront this for some reason, very upset chicken. As he was reaching for this hissing chciken his words were "Ya Gotta be careful of this one, she's as mean as they get for hens right now." While he was saying this he used the back of his hand and slid it under the enraged chicken, lifting up exposing a light brown egg. As he grasped this apparent diamond pulling it out from underneath this hen, with a high pitched clucking and a jab from a beak. "Gah!, god dangit!" My Grandpa snapped his hand back with the egg and dropped it in the basket. He turned towards me and said "see?, sometimes ya gotta be careful." Showing me a little pool of blood building up on the top of his hand. Little did I know at the time that hen was broody as broody gets.

We went inside and me and my cousin started taking the eggs out and washing them, as my Grandpa sat down and the little dining nook he saw me pick up a bottle of Palm olive dish soap to wash the eggs off and my Grandpa with a rather blantent look on his face and slightly shaking his head said "no Ryan, you don't use soap on eggs, if they're dirty rinse them off and put them in the fridge, if they are already clean either set them on the window ledge or put them in the fridge." My first lesson on how to properly asses any farm fresh eggs, duely noted mind you been fresh in my mind ever since.

Years of this went by of me and my cousin staying a week or two in the summer. Holidays and random visits of going and collecting eggs and sitting on the outdoor swing under a holly tree eating fresh carrots and collecting eggs. Always loved to go pick through the garden and take what he said to pick. Being sent home with bags of greens, veggies, eggs, and homemade spaghetti sauce. This went on and everything was picture perfect until I reached my first year of middle school were life decided to deal an unfortunate hand to me and my family.

My life from middle school onward until I moved was less than desirable. Between my Grandpa getting lung cancer and having a lung removed, my father needing a steel cage holding up his lower spine from a work accident, my mother loosing a very good job, to loosing our house to foreclosure and being homeless for six months moving to three different houses and conditions worsening ad years went by. Come to find out both parents had been using drugs Methamphetamine to be exact, which leads to more than reputable characters coming and going from my life. From theft, police, shady doings, that leads into poverty. As I got older I understood and tried my hardest to act like nothing was wrong but it took its toll. I missed almost my whole middle school time almost getting in trouble with Becca bills and what not but I was one of those kids that would definitely be considered one of those that fell through the cracks of the system. It really began taking its toll I'd go to school after holidays and everyone would be talking about the new gaming console or the new shoes they got. Knowing I got boosted, or heavily used items. At the time that was hard to process for a young kid, while going through that awkwardness of puberty and life it all just took a toll. But the whole time I always wanted chickens and to garden it just seemed so peaceful. I'd always draw coop plans, and spend hours researching different breeds. It was always decided l will get chickens..no matter what.

All through middle school and High school it was an uneasy, uncomfortable, very stressing period. Granted I had my friends who are like family (even to this day) and my trips to the Grandparent's...those what kept me going and being in such a dark hole finding my Faith in God and relying on him to help me navigate through all the turmoil, domestic abuse, and substance abuse. Yet still I never wavered from wanting chickens...

The last year I was living with my parents I got my first job, school wasn't it for me so I dropped out. I used what meager earnings to pay for the insurance on my first car (Grandpa bought me) and to get chickens I converted a rather large dog house into a coop and had a friend drive me to the outskirts of Fall City, WA to get 8 Speckled Sussex cause those were the ones that I knew were for me. Low and behold I had my chcikens I couldn't be happier despite the situation that was my life at the time.

But then God decided it was time to give me the opportunity of a life time. A job from a friend who lived in bismarck North Dakota who owned his own landscaping business. I pondered, stressed, and even cried about what I should do. My Mother and my best friend who I consider my brother pushed me to go and try it out. To get out and experience what a possibly great opportunity could be waiting for me. So I gave my chcikens to a friend (begrudgingly) and backed up what little I had and saved up. And took off to North Dakota.

God answered my prayers and gave me success. I moved to a foreign state with only knowing one person. Lived in a studio apartment and got my first cat (she is a little brat, mind you) had a family open their arms to me and treated me like their own. My friends Grandma herself kept me fed and then some. I then moved to a two room apartment, and got my first dog Iyza, who is my absolute princess. And the. Moved to a house on five acres and you guessed it a giant garden and a chicken coop of my dreams. Got my 10 feathered animals and am happily waiting for them to start laying.

What I guess I'm trying to convey is my story but also the fact that I hold no grudge against my parents whatsoever, infact I still live them dearly no matter what. Infact I guess you could say I'm thankful for the experiences I went through my life. All of it and I mean ALL of it. It kept me humble...it tought me lessons from others mistakes. Through all the tears, the anger, the frustration, the self loathing, the doubt, the stress, and the anxiety...taught me that it's the little things in life that make a person happy and keep love in their hearts for the things and people they enjoy. I still love my parents unconditionally although I had to sort out the emotions I felt towards them growing up it takes time. And always having my Grandparent's. They saved me from a life of despair and probably bad life decisions. I'm thankful for my Grandpa for teaching me how to enjoy a simple yet hard working life is. I thank God now that my life took the course it did because it's shaped me into the man I am now. My heart is big, my goals are realistic, my morals and values are what I like to think on track. I now work as a 3D designer for a landscaping company helping it grow and prosper. I make very decent wages. And more importantly I have my animals. My dogs, my cat, and chcikens! I thank God ever day for these blessings, I pray for my parents all the time and still communicate and stay in touch with my mother all the time. In fact I have her visit all the time. Despite her wrong doings she was the best mother she could be throughout mine and their situations. And she herself would never do anything to me or my material possessions, she just isn't like that. Do I agree with her some of her choices in life? Absolutely not. Will I let that get in my way of loving my mother most definitely not. I only have one and that's it.

So as I sit under this Green Ash Tree watching Amanita (my sweetest hen a black Australorp) scratching and pecking around and at my feet. I feel blessed, and thankful. Thankful for God and my life, and most importantly my Grandapa installing my obsession with Gardening and chickens. That is the reason why I am so in love with raising my own chcikens, and growing my own food was because of that man. Not a day goes by how thankful I am for him exposing that to me at such an early age. Thankful for my parents.and most definitely thankful for my chickens.

I suppose this is considered alot about me hahah. And I'm not quite sure why I felt like sharing all this tonight for no reason. But I did, and it's hear for any who wish to read this Long winded story about my ups and down and experiences. If no one reads all of this that's ok too..it just something I felt like sharing, maybe helping others going through a hard time? Who knows.

All i know is I love God, I love my Parents, I love my Garden, I love my chcikens, I love my Grandma, and most importantly I love my Grandpa..I know he won't ever read this cause he isn't tech savvy. But my Grandpa is the reason why I love chickens so much.

Thanks for reading.
Ry.
 
I read it all.

You questioned why you felt like sharing -- it's because you had something to say. When I was a newspaper editor, my publisher wanted me to write a personal column every week, but I only wrote when I felt like I something to say and I HAD to let it out. I think you had one of those HAD to moments.

I actually won a master columnist award from a statewide newspaper group, and while I treasure that, I always told people writing those columns was a form of therapy for me, a chance to lay out things in my head and make sense of them all. I suspect your post may have done the same thing for you.

I understand that Grandpa isn't tech savvy, but you could READ your post tp him. Don't let people leave this world without knowing how much they shaped your life.

Thanks for telling your story.
 

The Coop-D-etat

Great story :thumbsup

I understand that Grandpa isn't tech savvy, but you could READ your post tp him. Don't let people leave this world without knowing how much they shaped your life.
That is something very similar going thru my mind. I was going to suggest printing it out and giving to Grandpa in a Greeting Card Format.:love
 
I read it all.

You questioned why you felt like sharing -- it's because you had something to say. When I was a newspaper editor, my publisher wanted me to write a personal column every week, but I only wrote when I felt like I something to say and I HAD to let it out. I think you had one of those HAD to moments.

I actually won a master columnist award from a statewide newspaper group, and while I treasure that, I always told people writing those columns was a form of therapy for me, a chance to lay out things in my head and make sense of them all. I suspect your post may have done the same thing for you.

I understand that Grandpa isn't tech savvy, but you could READ your post tp him. Don't let people leave this world without knowing how much they shaped your life.

Thanks for telling your story.
Thank you for reading. You may be right about wanting to just lay it all out and find my reasoning. And you are very right. I don't want him leaving until he knows exactly how big of an impact he has had on my life.

The Coop-D-etat

Great story :thumbsup


That is something very similar going thru my mind. I was going to suggest printing it out and giving to Grandpa in a Greeting Card Format.:love
That is a fantastic idea! I will most certainly do so. Thanks for taking the time to read what is important to a stranger! Much appreciated!
 

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