This I Believe Freewriting

By Linda Patton

I believe chickens each have their own personality.

It is my belief that chickens each have their own individual personalities. We have been poultry owners for two and a half years now. It is so much fun. In those years, many chickens have come into our lives. Many have moved on, and several lived their entire lives here. We have battled a few predators, snakes, wind, dogs, and cats. Thankfully, we haven’t lost very many. Weather was also a big problem.

Each of our chickens are treated like pets. We have noticed many similarities and differences. Some similarities and differences are breed specific, while others are bird specific. No matter which birds we have, we have studied the communities that they form. We have one Rooster that will tell you no. If he is not ready to do as you ask, he will shake his head no and make a certain sound. He eventually taught our other rooster to do the same.

We had one hen, a Polish Hen. Those are the chickens with the big poofy heads. She was so emotional. She grew to be the biggest pet we have ever had. She talked all the time, and would jump in my arms when she was scared. It was a huge grief when we lost her natural circumstances. We have some that want to be held, some that want to be left alone, some that want to be in a group all of the time. We have others who want to enjoy life on their own, like little chicken loners. We have some that fuss with the other chickens, some that make peace between the chickens. We have 4 that I literally hatched in my hand. Those will fly up on your shoulder and sit while you walk around the yard. My husband didn’t even know that he would like them, but if he doesn’t get home before they go to bed, he will go to the coop to say good night.

Chickens have to be put up each night due to the predators who roam during the night. The roost and do not see well at night, making easy targets.

I completed the above Freewriting Assignment in ten minutes. The total was 680 words.