The Chickens Have Arrived

I was nervous when we pulled into the parking lot of the Farmers Feed and Seed in Kernersville NC. I was sure I would be ejected as a farm ignorant city dweller, that the people working there would snigger at my questions about chickens, and that I would generally embarrass myself. No body made fun of us and the staff at the feed and seed store was wonderful.

We first considered the chicks in the back warehouse. There were little white chicks and fluorescent orange ones. Both required time under a heat lamp as they were too young to live directly outside yet. Dan didn’t want the hassle of the heat lamp and all that, and I agreed, so another gentleman walked us across the street to a fenced in area behind an old store front. This fenced in area was lined with hnadmade rabbit cages filled with tiny bunnies, and at the far end I could see chickens milling around inside a large coop. My initial nervousness on entering the store was nothing compared to the way my stomach sank when the gentleman helping us opened the rickety coop and I spotted the largest chickens I have ever seen. (I am pretty sure I have never seen chickens up close before, so it is hard to say how these chickens really compare to all chicken breeds.)

I almost called it quits right there. What the hell am I supposed to do with one of those monsters? Bronwen kept sticking her head in the cage and I was afraid they would peck her eyes out. The guy helping us started on his chicken education spiel. He grabbed a dark red hen and with fingers under each wing he flipped her over to show us her “vent” which he said we needed to periodically check for lice.

“Oh, she’ll lay in the next two weeks,” he informed us and went on to describe how he could tell. The rest of the conversation was a blur.

We ended picking out two pullets (young chickens that are older than chicks but not fully mature) instead of four as I was convinced the monsters wouldn’t fit into the coop we designed, stuffed them into a very small box, picked out the rest of our supplies and headed back to Greensboro.

Harmony and Cordelia explore their new home

Back at the house, the chickens seemed instantly at home, pecking at worms and rolling in the dust. I forced myself to hold them for a bit to reduce my fear. They’re not so bad. After the initial shock and having had some time to watch them act like chickens I have decided that they are really quite cool; little dinosaurs walking around in the backyard.