Close to Nowhere

I’ve always heard that if you had more than one rooster they would fight. That may be true of some roosters, but daughter Dana has a pile of chickens and roosters and they don’t physically fight.

I’m not sure how many are free-ranging around our houses, but I’d guess about 20 plus. Some are regular chickens and some are strange chickens and some are roosters, and she’s recently added two ducks.

She has a couple chickens that she calls naked neck chickens. That is because from their heads to where their bodies start they are featherless – naked. And, I have to say, really ugly. Maybe that’s why I like them?

She has a variety of chickens and a variety of roosters. A couple of the roosters are those big, beautiful guys that strut around like they are the kings. Actually, in the chicken world, they may be.

None of the roosters seem to be interested in fighting though. I guess they know that if they are caught fighting Dana would toss them right into the stew pot. They do challenge each other though.

Two or more roosters will stand facing each other and crow like crazy. They take turns at it, so I assume they are having contests to see who can crow the biggest and best. I can’t pick a winner because they are all very loud. Especially when they start their little game at 5 a.m.

Kris and I had been to Oxford one day last week and it was dark when we got home. As I pulled down my side of the driveway I saw two white ducks, waddling side by side, as close to each other as they could get and still walk. Dana had just gotten them.

I don’t think we’ve had very good luck with ducks. We’ve had a couple big, white ducks that thought they were attack ducks. It hurts when a big duck pecks you on the leg! And it’s hard to stop them.

So far, the two new ducks don’t seem to be at all interested in the humans around here. They are staying right together, mostly in front of my carport. Right where I have to drive to get in or out. There is a good bit of gravel out that way and my car has worn sunk-in spots, that hold water when it rains. (And when isn’t it raining lately?)

The two ducks think that is “their” place and are constantly sitting or flapping around in the puddles. And they are not the least bit impressed by the black car that wants to drive right where they’re sitting.

I’m just hoping they don’t grow up and turn into attack ducks. But if they do, I’ll be more than happy to help Dana eat them.