Graybeard the Great!

Feared by humans, revered by the other roos all over the farmyard. Even the cats make a wide swath to avoid his path, and you, too, would be wise to do the same - to spare yourself a pummeling like no other, from those incredibly strong chicken legs.

Graybeard. 

Excuse me, where did this chicken come from?

A stray little pullet chicken to the little barn, over 4 years ago, mistaken for a hen in his younger days, became our most fierce and protective rooster at the farm. More fierce than I've ever seen. Ever. And I've mothered dozens of roos here! 

He quickly showed dominance, as what I thought was a lead hen - standing guard as other hens laid eggs in the horse troughs. It was around then I began to notice, my, my, how large your feet are becoming, for a hen...... 

It wasn't long after that then, that the rest of Graybeard's features began to form. And he became one of the most strikingly beautiful of the otherwise ordinary Barred Rock breed. And that crow! Oh you never heard such a loud rooster. He was housed over 200 ft from the main house, yet his crow was heard inside during the early morning hours as he awoke the residents of his coop.

Tragically, Graybeard, by way of one of his exceptionally long talons, became tangled in some nylon fencing during the heat of the afternoon. No doubt, chasing after something like he did. He struggled hard to free himself, as was apparent by the mark on his little (well, not so little, really) "ankle".

Seeing him only a few hours earlier at the barn, careful to avoid his ambush, I now reached him at feeding time near his coop and he was tired, hot, and dehydrated. 

Untangling him, I hurried over to a cool water bath and stroked his bright red comb with water and slowly immersed his trunk in the water trying to cool him down. Never before would he let me handle him like this. 

Always so angry was Graybeard. Quick to peck, often breaking the skin, upside down by his giant feet was the best, and safest for me, position in which to hold him while checking the coop for eggs.

Not so yesterday afternoon. He let me nurse him. Helplessness in his eyes.

As I gently tried to reassure him, I continued to cool his body down slowly, putting water up into his under-wing area, where they normally let the breeze in. I angled his head so water could trickle into his beak so he could drink.  He made attempts to do so. but he was very tired and weak. I feared the worst as I gently tucked him into his coop with his ladies for the night.

Sadly, Graybeard met his match with the late August, Texas summer heat, some time late over night on August 30th, 2018, four years to the month in which he became a member of this farm.

It wasn't a very long life. But he lived it fully and fiercely! 

I shall miss my sparring partner. (Although, feeding and cleaning the coop will certainly be much less of a challenge now that I don't have to keep a stick handy to swat him away. And we shall have another roll of electric poultry netting to use elsewhere, now the children visitors don't need to be protected from him.) 

He was renowned the farm over - and over into the neighbors' yards, for his the loudest crow of all. Oh how I shall miss that crazy loud, raspy crow. 

He'd see you coming, or me, and give out a crow - which would alert Smoke, our ewe, who would then follow with a bleat of her own - and then, finally

Oh, is someone here?

then, the dogs would rub their sleepy eyes and come out from their nap to see who or what was getting so much attention. 

Rest in peace Graybeard. You shall be missed. 

Graybeard the Great    8/2014-8/2018

Replaced, but missed.

(A young roo is in the wings and shall learn the ropes from his dad, Foghorn "Foggy" Leghorn. Spared now from the neighbor's stew pot due to overpopulation.) 

 And that, my friends, is just another day, down on the urban farm, up the street, under the old oak trees. 

 Eat Your Food - Naturally!

Marie 

It's About Our Right to Eat

Andy isn't quite sure how to hold Sister's Daughter - his sister,
Peanut, looks on at a recent Market Day visit.

Balch Springs is a growing yet charming, country community. We have many benefits of urban suburbia, but I fear soon the city’s vibrant, farming, equine roots will be lost, along with our right to choose where and how we feed ourselves.

In reference to the proposed ordinance about poultry and livestock on the agenda Monday night at 7pm, Balch Springs City Hall on Hickory Tree, I will respectfully request the reconsideration of this overly restrictive government ordinance and simply ask the city to enforce with heavy fines the abuse or neglect of any animal; which is what I believe the spirit of the action was originally motivated by. Consult responsible farmers and ranchers for appropriate guidelines on acceptable standards and make them available to the citizens.

Do we really think outlawing the animal in our city will stop the practice of the illegal activity? And what will happen to the extra animals we outlaw? There are illegal dog fights and horse races, too, yet we don’t outlaw those animals. Do we? Where does it stop?

Outlawing live roosters anywhere in our city, limiting a family to 2 hens and forbidding a family from processing their own meat is a bit like telling someone where they can shop for groceries.

If one has chosen to raise and process their own food, and has appropriate space in which to do it, who is to say they shouldn't be allowed to do so? American homes were all “working farms” at one time before progress started outsourcing our food production to strangers. 2 hens are not productive enough for food purposes – especially without a rooster for breeding. Hens don’t lay eggs forever and if raising poultry for meat, they’d quickly run out of food.

Personally, livestock form an integral part of the majority of organic farms like mine; providing fertilizer and pest control for the farm that feeds them in return.

Recently, the old feeder-turned flower box also became a manger for some baby chicks.

Try THAT without a rooster!

Maintaining a closed flock of about 25 assorted hens - and roosters, otherwise my flock becomes extinct - I maintain a comfortable population where hens are bred on my farm by my own roosters. Educational and entertaining experiences await children, and adults from all over the metroplex who visit my farm. And I enjoy the all natural free range eggs, too.

Maintaining a closed flock under free range management helps control disease that may otherwise be introduced by bringing in new chickens – a common source of contamination. Likewise, it gives control over where sources of chickens come from, safe, disease free and all natural if so desired.

A nuisance? I beg to differ. A rooster crowing isn’t any more annoying to most than other normal sounds of a neighborhood we all have to hear. Traffic, helicopters, airplanes and sounds of construction in fact are more offensive yet we’ve had to tolerate these modern foreign noises in our quiet community. Sometimes you just will hear noise.

The late couple - "Whitey and Sister", relaxed for an afternoon nap together.

Sounds of roosters blend in nicely with shrieks of children playing, bullfrogs and chirping baby chicks and quacking ducks - which bring a sense of real life and peaceful times to any home.
Additionally, we’d be forcing out of practice American and Texas traditions of showing roosters or hens at the state fair, Stock Shows, 4H or FFA competitions if our children can’t keep birds at home here in our community. Many home school curriculum also incorporate raising animals.
Poultry help control pests such as cockroaches, fleas, grubs, and even mice, too, for anyone who raises them.

I wish they'd consider the majority of us who do not break the law by abusing or neglecting our animals, before making it a crime simply to own them.

Marie
Eat Your Food - Naturally!