stories of memories of chickens

[chickman66]

i remember a couple of stories from my grandma and grandpa why don't you tell one or a few

 

[mtngirl35]

My Grandpa always kept chickens when I was a kid. He had one rooster named George that loved him and no one else. He was a little terror. He flogged everybody but Pa. My Granny stayed on him to get rid of George but Pa didn't listen. One day when Pa was gone to work, Granny went out to take the chickens some table scraps and, of course, George went into action and flogged her. Granny swung that cast iron skillet and hit George with a solid hit and he went down. Granny thought she killed him so she put him in a metal trash can with a lid so Pa could bury him when he got home. She knew Pa would never entertain the idea of eating George. Any other chicken, yes, but not George. He was Pa's favorite. When Pa got home Granny told him what happened and he went out to bury George. When he got outside there was an awful racket coming from the trash can. George was alive! Granny had only knocked him out. George learned his lesson and he never flogged anyone again...and he never came within 20 feet of Granny.

 

[scooter147]

Growing up my dad brought me two very small bantam chicks home. He got them from a guy at work. I named them Fred and Ethel.

I raised them in my room in an aquarium until mom said they had to go out.

Well they couldn't go out into the coop with the rest of the flock. I built my own little coop just for Fred and Ethel. Well the first winter Fred and Ethel got pneumonia. They had this god awful very sticky substance coming up out of their nostrils and mouth.

I begged my dad to take them to the vet. He was extremely reluctant at first because you just don't spend vet money on a chicken. Well he knew how much I liked those two chickens and how well I cared for them and well he gave in. (he really liked them too he use to brag to everyone how tame and smart these birds were). The vet gave them a shot and gave me some medicine to put in their drinking water. And he also said and I'll paraphrase. "these birds cannot go out into the cold until they are healed or they will die!!". I looked at my dad and he said "I"ve gotten you this far you need to figure it out from here".

Well, we had a shower in our basement that was in the laundry room. No one used it in the winter as there was no heat vented to this room. I put Fred and Ethel in the shower. As long as the light was off they were quiet as church mice. So I simple turned the light on when mom was at work and turned it off while she was home.

My mom always did laundry on Saturdays. So the first Saturday I simply took Fred and Ethel put them in a box and hid them in my dads work room which was also in the basement. Did the same thing the next week and the next Saturday.

The Saturday after that was the day I got busted. I apparently did not shut the light off that Friday. No Fred didn't crow. However, mom beat me to the laundry room that Saturday morning and when she opened the door she was greeted by Fred and Ethel roosting on her clothes rod above the washer/dryer.

Luckily Fred and Ethel were cured by then.

Those two chickens lived well over 10 years. They were still around while I was in college.

 

[chickman66]

i have some of my own my grandpa 2 years ago my grandpa always went out to feed the chickens there were10 of them 1 was a rooster and it always attacked my grampas legs and when he came in he would have blood coming down his legs but my grandpa had one of thos10 or 13 pound water holders that divide in sections but my grandpa always smacked the rooster in the side of the head when it came after him but it still would come after my grandpa when he smacked the rooster and my grandma knows a farmer named jeff that when he was about 13 he was riding his bike a rooster ran at him and got its head stuck in the spokes of the wheel and severd its head

 

[Mountain Peeps]

My grandma has been captivated by chickens her whole life too. Her mother raised them and grandma never stopped. She is the one who taught me to love and care for chickens. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have gotten my girls. Wouldn't have joined BYC. I owe my chicken knowledge to her. Whenever I have a problem, I call her.


The farm is huge! Like 112 acres!! They live in the country but only five minutes from town! It's like the best location on the earth! LOL My grandma and I always go on trips to the city to shop for the chickens. We buy books, treats and other stuff. We then come home and make something to eat and read chicken books! In the past few years I have taken over caring for her flock so she doesn't have to. The chickens sure aren't as tame as my girls but I can get them to come and eat out of my hand. I love collecting eggs. We usually go to the farm in the spring so we get to watch the peahens, hens and guineas sit on and hatch babies.

Over the past three years, wild cats have come to the farm also. It started with one cat whom we call Mr. Kitty. Then Milo came along. Then Blackie. Then Spooky. Then Paws. Then Roamer and now Shadow. Amazingly, all of them don't bother the chickens one bit which is unbelievable since they are wild cats. They even sleep in the chicken coop and fight off coons and rats! Some of the cats must have been pets at one point and then were dumped because they are super friendly! Mr. Kitty was mine to tame. Milo is still people shy. Blackie LOVES me and grandma. Spooky only has taken to grandma and my aunt. Paws is like Milo and doesn't like people. Now Roamer on the other hand is as tame and sweet as a cat can be! I LOVE him! Shadow is so tame that he became the house cat.

So anyways, now that my grandparents are older, they are moving on. They are selling the farm!

No more chickens. No more cats. No more peacocks. They are moving to a small condo in the city. But it will forever hold a special place in my heart. The place where my chicken addiction started.

Here is some pics of the farm.

 

[chickman66]

my that is a beautiful place i wish i could live there