"Stop clucking around?!"

My close friend Louise once told me about the phrase that "a chicken always knows". What I understood from this is that, regardless of what you do even in private someone always knows- even if it is only yourself.

I tend to use this phrase quite often but a few weeks ago I spent some time in the Woodrock Animal Rescue Fowl pen and I see particular literal truth in this phrase, I'll tell you why...

 As many of you know, Stella and Nicholas are pescaterians and have a particular fondness for domestic animals apart from dogs and cats- thus donkeys ( note earlier posts) and fowls such as chickens,geese, ducks and pigeons! The belief is that animals who are acclimated to human contact tend to be abused if they serve a purpose. 

We have all heard of battery chicken farms, debeaking and force feeding of ducks. Horror stories deluxe but as you all know in the rescue world you have to take each situation one at a time because to think of swimming an ocean will stop an individual from getting their hair wet.So currently Woodrock have a  large variety of birds totaling at approximately 30. We do not let the chickens have chicks so we get fresh eggs daily- lucky us!

They are plump with the most beautiful shiny feathers. Their little bodies possess large personalities but most importantly they are extremely aware of what is happening around them. Their curiosity ensures that they always know what is happening in the rest of the chicken pen and it really is true that birds of a feather flock together because although occupying the same habitat the fowls separate according to specific type.

There are clicks- pardon the pun! And their daily routine is very entertaining especially when the ducks and geese prepare for their morning bath in "Miss Molly" an unused old rowing boat.The flock of fowls wait patiently and take turns to bathe. They occasionally get upset if the bird in front takes to long and you can almost see a look of "stop clucking around!!" Emerge from their parted beaks.

It seems every animal at Woodrock has a larger then life personality- we are blessed to appreciate the beauty in these unassuming little lives.