A Forever Home for the Hens
Yesterday GB and I visited a multi-species rescue operation near Ft. Lupton, which is about 30 miles north of Denver. A young woman named Tiffany had responded to my posting on a Facebook page known as Colorado Chickens II.
My first choice came through an offer from a woman named Jennifer who, as it turned out, is the stepdaughter of a friend. Jennifer had purchased a home on five acres in Parker, a small town about 15 miles southeast of Denver. Jennifer is active in canine rescue, and I knew she’d be a great chicken mom. Sadly, when I saw photos of the area where my hens would live, it just wasn’t large enough given the environment in which our girls had lived.
I thought about what Olive and Dolores would need. Oh, those are the names of my chickens. Olive is an Olive-Egger (meaning she lays blue-green eggs) and Dolores is a French Maran. They are beautiful, healthy, large, gorgeously feathered creatures. And, they have lived a free life within the confines of our half-acre. They’ve managed to destroy the grassy area in the 60’ x 20’ area that we designated as theirs. Once that had finished with that project, they flew over the picket fence that “contained” them and continued into the remainder of the gardens. They scratched their way through the Woodlands, the perennial gardens, and up and down the Wilderness Trail.
They weren’t content with their exploration of the outdoors as evidenced by their continual insistence upon coming in through open doors. Now, I admit, we are responsible for leaving doors open. We’ve just become used to doing that so dogs and cats could freely join us without the necessity of us getting up millions of times a day to let them in or out. So, ok. We’re at fault here. Mea cupola.
They’ve joined me in the office while I wrote blogs. They have been good company and have inspired me as they would chatter and cluck. Sometimes they’d hop up on a desk, check out the printer or simply take a little snooze on the carpet. During the last few weeks, I’d look down to see Monkey sleeping with Olive and Dolores. Can life get better than that? They’ve explored the house, hopping up the stairs, into the kitchen, through the living room, and out the terrace doors.
I have adored living with chickens. Of course, the eggs have always been a bonus. But chickens are endlessly interesting. They are more curious than any other animal I’ve personally known. They pay very strict attention to their environment. After all, they are prey animals so it’s in their best interest to be hyper-vigilant. That behavior also leads them to the best worms and bugs that may pop up from the earth. It enables them to come running towards me whenever I happen to pop out from the house. I might have a treat: an apple core, some chopped pears, grapes, or even . . . . .wait for it . . . . dried mealworms!
So, when I began thinking about what I wanted for my girls, I understood it had to be special. It didn’t have to be fancy, but it did have to 1) have lots of room for roaming and meandering; 2) safety at night; 3) a place where hens aren’t forced to lay eggs during the winter (some people leave lights on in the henhouse during winter to force laying); and 4) a place where they could live out their natural lives. I returned to the other offers that came in through Colorado Chickens II.
Tiffany in Ft. Lupton seemed like the right choice. On paper. So, yesterday’s journey was an inspection of the premises.
We were not disappointed. Tiffany met us on the side of the road (nearly impossible to find it without her) and walked us back towards the property. Here’s what we found:
- 1 trailer occupied by Tiffany’s mom (in process of building a house on the land)
- 1 trailer occupied by chickens for protection at night
- 2 horse trailers
- 1 smaller chicken structure occupied by 20 silkies (small chickens)
- 5-6 paddocks occupied by horses
- 1 fenced in area and structure occupied by goats
- 2 rather chubby, friendly, loveable dogs, one a Frenchie and the other a mix of I don’t know what, couldn’t tell because he wiggled so much
This was not a fancy place. I think you’ve got that.
But this was a miraculous place where Tiffany and her Mother have housed and cared for horses rescued from kill-floors and chickens people no longer want. The chickens and dogs followed us around. A rooster joined us to be certain we weren’t messing with his hens.
I knew that if I were a chicken, I’d want to live here. It has everything I would want:
- Room to roam
- Safety at night in an adorably converted old trailer where I could lay eggs in a sinks full of straw
- Worms, bugs, and mice, horses to visit
- Dogs and a rooster to protect me
- The potential of an open door so I could wander into a house for a visit
- People who know my name.
Next weekend we’ll put Olive and Dolores in a crate and take them to their new home. I’ll be miserable without them and I know they’ll be a little nervous at the new situation. But they’ll soon join a flock of 20 other hens and a very handsome rooster.
It’ll be good.
Air. 
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