My Favourite Birds in the World…

I always jump at the opportunity to share this story because it remains a moment in my life that I still cherish to date and one I am proud to share. For this weekend's post questions, I will be answering Option #1.

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My first pet was a Chicken or I would say Chickens. Each time I share this story people always find it weird as some have expressed their only use for a chicken is for consumption but they were my first introduction to what it truly meant to be responsible for another.

A Little Background Story…

I remember I was 11years at the time and I was pretty much the last born of the family. My immediate older sibling was always doing his own thing. If he was not engaged in an experimental science project, he was working on an innovative technological idea. So, I would come back from school and be super lonely and bored at home.

One day, my dad came back home with a carpenter and some materials that looked like he was about to build something. Part of me wanted to wait it out and be surprised after he was done but the curiosity in me kicked in and I inquired further. My dad was excited to confirm that he was building a pen and we would be raring chickens. I was too excited and did not even give the purpose of raring the chickens much thought. The thought kept me elated the whole day.

The pen was finally built and we started with four (4) chickens – 2 hens and 2 roosters or cocks. I was the happiest child on earth. I had new friends. Soon enough, mating commenced, the hens conceived, laid eggs, and hatched their chicks. Our family soon grew exponentially and we had a big chicken community.

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My Feelings…

I loved the heck out of these chickens. I think they are the cutest. I had my favourites among them. I named them after my tribe and I perceived each chicken as a unique being. My dad saw how physically and emotionally involved I was with the chickens and gave me total authority over them. This was the first time I was given real responsibility for anything. I learned so much about chickens within this period because I wanted to always be on top of everything that concerned their general wellbeing and development.

My responsibilities towards the chickens included but were not limited to the following:

• Feeding: I made sure they had eaten as often as thrice daily. Sometimes the food was cooked and other times it was raw or uncooked grains. Chickens are also independent birds, so they walk around and search for their food in between their meals. We tried to keep the trash away from them, so they don’t eat spoiled food.

• Caregiving: Whenever they fell sick, I would get drugs for them from a bird specialist and add them to their water or food. If they had a rope tied around their legs, I would catch them and remove it because these ropes hurt them so bad. It hurt me that they were in pain and could not express it.

• Protecting: I quickly realized that the predators of the chicks-baby chickens, are hawks, eagles, dogs, etc, and always tried to protect them from these predators. I used to lock the mother hen and her chicks in their pen when I was going to school in the morning and let them out when I get back from school because I would be able to keep an eye on them, so they don’t get hurt or eaten by the hawk.

• Playing with them: As funny as this sounds, we had a swing at home, so I would catch each chicken and swing with them for 5mins, then let them fly from a height they could land softly without hurting their tiny legs.

• Cleaning: I also cleaned their house daily. I would remove their poo and replace the sand in areas of the pen that were unlevelled or where they piss on.

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Due to my relationship with our chickens, they became pets instead of food. If we needed to eat chickens, we would buy from the market. It got to a point where I knew when a chicken was on heat, pregnant, sick, hurt, hungry, etc from just spending so much time with them.

They clearly knew me as whenever I got home, they followed me to the entrance of my house door and would wait or hover around till I get back outside. I even had a singing code way to alert them when it was time for food. These are such beautiful memories I would share with my kids.

I had so much fun participating in this week’s question options as it was both an emotional and memorable one. I can’t thank you enough @galenkp for always helping me revisit memories in my life that bring tears of joy to me.

Thank you all for your precious time!

Till I come your way again…
Bye for now!

All photos are sourced from Pixabay.