The Funny Farm: Not Just Chickens

I grew up keeping various animals: gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, turtles, salamanders and of course, the ubiquitous cats and dogs. I’ve kept chickens for 15 years and in that time have also had both cats and dogs. I’ve never had any other kind of livestock, but lots of other chicken keepers do.

This post features some of the tales about interspecies friendships and stories about how other animals fit in with farm life. Unfortunately I don’t have anything to add to this topic other than to observe that one of my dog’s favourite past times was following my birds around, which he viewed as tasty poop dispensers.

Kellie Nichole Bruce

This bunny has raised this cockerel since he was three days old. The brooder lamp broke in the middle of the night and the bunny was warm and inviting. The rest is history and they will likely live together forever.

I tried to separate them today in order to slowly integrate the cockerel into our flock of 23 chickens. It didn’t go well at all. The bunny was super sad, continuously looking for his bird friend and the chicken was beyond traumatized by his own kind and the rudeness of a pecking order so I put them back together and it was peaceful again. This is my daughter’s female pet bunny she named “Peanut” so I guess we will name the chicken “Butter”. He acts like a bunny and wont fly or roost, just hops around and cuddles.

Miranda Mclaughin

My 4-year-old cat is the absolute sweetest girl! She watches our baby quail all day, everyday. When I’m not looking, she jumps in their brooder and just watches them. I have found multiple birds cuddled up beside her, just sleeping. She is beyond comfortable with the brooder-multiple flocks. She knows they are not toys and her humans take care of them too. She has never had babies, so I’m wondering if this is a nurturing thing for her. To be clear, she does this all the time. We started with ten quail and still have ten quail. She has no desire to harm them.

Korie Merritt

I pulled up the driveway and didn’t see ducks or the rooster. I parked and could hear quacks. Rolled my window down to get a better look; lo and behold this crazy duck squad is laying up at the building. Waiting and yelling. I sometimes live in fear from them and their stalking abilities. They hide and wait like I am the prey and they are my predators. If I disappear it’s because of them. Just tell the cops, the ducks did it.

David Eaken

These two meet me at the door every morning when I go out to feed the critters.

Kristen Burton

Meet Willow. She’s our livestock guardian dog (LGD) and protects chickens, ducks and geese. At just over a year she is very good at her job. Today, my very jerky rooster decided I was in his way and I shrieked because I didn’t see him coming and was distracted. Willow decided I also needed protecting and took my rooster in her mouth and carried him all the way across the field. I went out not knowing what exactly she was going to do. She dropped him and came truckin’ back. After a few minutes the rooster came walking back to the barn and the dog did it again, but this time went all the way to the fence.

I can’t figure out what she thinks she’s doing and even when commanded, ”leave it” she refuses to acknowledge I’ve spoken, which has not happened for months.

As I type this from inside and watching the barn, she’s now done it twice more and I’m not out there to “protect”.

Merry Fischer

Say what you will about Guinea Fowl, but today they really impressed me with their guarding skills! They have alerted me to hawks and an owl, but today they are getting an extra treat.

For the past few weeks, something has been getting our chickens (they free-range during the daytime). Today, while working from home, they started squawking frantically. I looked out the windows and watched them usher a chicken into the run where they continued to squawk staring south from behind the fence. I ran to a window so I could see, and lo and behold, a coyote had caught another one of our birds. I ran to the porch and yelled at it, and it dropped its kill and ran into the neighbour’s property.

I called the neighbour and he went out to look on their land. I collected the remains of what turned out to be our rooster, Gunther. Although I lost a third bird, at least now we know the culprit and I’ve been able to alert the neighbouring properties to be on the lookout. One neighbour fired two shots and missed (likely trying to make sure he didn’t hit his own livestock), but said there were two of them, and he will continue to monitor. I’ll be making adjustments to the chicken run, and the fence line (like creating bigger breaks in the bushes) to deter predators, but learned I will no longer ignore the crazy Guinea fowl! Thank you Thing 1 and Thing 2 for trying to protect your friends.

Cheyenne Rexrode

This morning around 5 a.m. we had a chick escape the brooder and could hear it chirping loudly. It then vanished and quieted down by the time we got to there. We couldn’t find it anywhere. A few hours past, and lo and behold I find my golden retriever concealing something in the corner of the dog room. She wasn’t moving off her bed but did the little shy tail wags.

She had managed to move the chick to her blanket without injuring it, and kept it warm under her neck. It wasn’t making a peep. I didn’t know dogs could go broody! I didn’t catch a picture of the moment, but here is our chick hero.