PDF, 6.16MB - The Talbot Guide

continued from page 20
Chicken and Eggs
ens she ordered fifty eggs that were then incubated.
Unfortunately for egg production,
twenty-six of the hatched chicks were roosters.
Throughout a year, some chickens are
lost to bad weather or predators such as
foxes, so she is always replenishing her
stock. Breeds in her flock include Rhode Island
Reds (probably the friendliest of the
breeds, she feels), Barred Rock, Plymouth
Rock, Red Link, Polish (which have a big
tuft of feathers on their heads that causes
them to run into things because they can’t
see as well), Black Star and Americana
chickens.
A piece of advice that Kathy has for
anyone thinking of raising chickens or
adding to an existing flock is to have a different
pen for the newcomers. “Nobody told
me they [chickens from different broods]
don’t get along,” she says. “I never expected
the reaction I got when I introduced the new
chickens.” The established group of chickens
behaved aggressively toward the
younger chickens and a quick separation of
flocks was needed.
She also has two stalwart overseers of
the flock, her main roosters, Jack and Roo.
A rooster acts as a flock’s protector. “He will
call the hens over when he finds food. He
will pick up a piece of bread and feed it to a
hen.” Roo starts to round up the flock as it
starts getting dusk, very much like a sheepdog
herds sheep. He moves the flock to the
coop and then leads them in.
The other chickens are all named
Chicken Nugget because there are just “too
many of them to name each separately”.
Though the names may be the same, each
chicken is an individual. “They are different,”
says Kathy. “They each have a different
personality. Some want to be picked up
and cuddled, some love to be held like a
baby and get their tummies rubbed, and
some want nothing to do with you. They follow
me around like puppies.”
One chicken, a little red hen, will hop
in Kathy’s van and loves to go for a ride
while sitting on a headrest. “I get so many
funny looks; then people realize it’s a
chicken,” laughs Kathy. The same hen will
sit next to her as she works on the computer.
After a while, the bird will start to peck at
the keys, imitating Kathy’s movements.
Some chickens like to watch television.
“They are fascinated by the movement and
stand there and watch it.”
A common assumption is that chickens
are not very smart. Not so, says Kathy. The
chickens are a natural alarm system. “They
know when a stranger is on the property and
make more noise. They’re smarter than you
think, incredibly challenging and very curious.
They will watch me do something for a
long time and then figure out how to do it.”
For example, after observing Kathy, one
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chicken has taught itself how to unlock the
cage.
If you’d like to talk with her about the
chickens, eggs or baked goods, Kathy Mac-
Sorley can be found at the Easton Farmers
Market or reached at 410-310-3407.
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