I was going to call this post Chicken Hugger but thought it might attract the wrong kind of readers so Chicken Therapy it is. Various other kinds of animals (horses, dolphins, donkeys, dogs) can offer therapy so I thought, why not chickens?
My Mum had wanted to get chickens since I was little, but for one reason and other it just hasn’t happened, but today she finally got her “girls”. It just so happens that Jacob LOVES birds, we have to spend ages looking at the birds when really we’re in a rush to get dressed and out in the morning; his first Makaton sign was bird, one of his few vocalised animal noises is a crows “Caw”. So I knew he would love it if there were chickens in the garden and it might just prompt some new crazy bird noises.
So, the chickens arrive
Immediately Jacob decides that what these chickens need, after being dragged across Cornwall in a cat box, is a cuddle. Look impressed don’t they? To be honest the high pitched screaming probably didn’t help. The chickens then did exactly what any animal would do when be pursued by a small excitable person, they hid. The others refused to come out of the cat box, they weren’t tempted and reassured by Harry shouting “C’mon girls. You go in your new house NOW!” as only a bossy 2 year is able to.
Eventually we “encouraged” (tipped them) out and tried to stop the boys from chasing them around:
That’s not the wind ruffling his hair, he’s running really fast after the poor birds. Other photos I took make Harry look like some sort of human-shaped sheep dog (chicken dog) trying the corral them; I will spare you, unfortunately I couldn’t spare the chickens.
Since they have arrived we’ve had to go and check on them at least twice, said goodnight to them from three windows and then leant out the bathroom window to shout “cock-a-doodle-dooo” to them. I think this means they like them, Mission Chicken Therapy is underway!
oneoffordinary 