On our first day in our new home, a neighbor asked for help rounding up chooks, or chickens. Now, months later, I cultivated a closer acquaintance with those same three chooks when our neighbors went on holiday.
Keeping backyard chooks is popular in Australia, especially now with the coming of COVID-19. Although my neighbors have had their chooks for several years, many others rushed out to buy them in the early months of the pandemic, fearing shortages of supermarket eggs. Chickens were in short supply: one Tasmanian farm owner sold 100 to 200 chickens a day.
The hens I looked after greeted me daily with clucks, soft trills, and sounds that were almost like purring. They were easy to care for—a little feed, ample water, and occasional vegetable scraps—and they were happy. Mealworms were a special treat.
Freed from their coop, they foraged industriously in their enclosure.
Keeping backyard chooks is popular in Australia, especially now with the coming of COVID-19. Although my neighbors have had their chooks for several years, many others rushed out to buy them in the early months of the pandemic, fearing shortages of supermarket eggs. Chickens were in short supply: one Tasmanian farm owner sold 100 to 200 chickens a day.
The hens I looked after greeted me daily with clucks, soft trills, and sounds that were almost like purring. They were easy to care for—a little feed, ample water, and occasional vegetable scraps—and they were happy. Mealworms were a special treat.
Freed from their coop, they foraged industriously in their enclosure.
There was a definite rhythm they observed: dig, dig, peck. Repeat. Here are examples of Peggy’s technique.
To my surprise, each of these ladies had her own strong personality. I always wondered where the phrase “pecking order” came from, and now I have seen it in action. First used in 1921, the term originally described the hierarchy in a flock of birds. Later, the definition expanded to include human hierarchies, often in business. While the pecking order helps hens to know how they fit within the flock, sometimes finding their place can be painful, even violent.
Thankfully, these chooks mostly get along at feeding time, with no clear hierarchy.
Thankfully, these chooks mostly get along at feeding time, with no clear hierarchy.
While Hazel, the largest and most adventurous, appears to be the leader, Peggy is the most irritable and likely to peck the other two. Gingernut, who is the most interested in people, is a follower. She never starts a fight but will defend herself. I knew where I stood in this hierarchy; all three felt free to peck my legs if I failed to produce the mealworms fast enough.
We all rubbed along pretty well. And I must have done something right—they rewarded me with fresh eggs near the end of my time with them.
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