I have a neighbor who wanted some ducklings and was having a problem finding ones that would grow to be all white..That and people were charging outrageous prices (like 2 ducklings for $32)... I needed a silkie hen for future hatching out of eggs and thought we would give Mt. Hope a try.
I got my silkie hen...with 11 cochin bantam (I think may be Birchen) chicks. Of course I do not want bantams and the next item up was Americauna chicks...12 of them. So I won those too. I was amazed at the high prices things were going for. Like a New Zealand doe went for $32! Normally the high point would have been $10 or $12. Even bucks were getting up there in price.
I integrated the Americaunas with the banty chicks under their new Mum. So far so good, but she seems to not care for the yellow/white colors. They just hide under feathers when she pecks at them. Hopefully once I sell off some of these Bantam chicks, the numbers dwindling will keep the peace more.
The Banty chicks are the size of a Strawberry! So small like large Marbles walking around.
But there is more to the story. Once I won my bids, we had her Fiance watch them so we could bid on some other things. Now you must picture this with an open mind but thinking of how others with a closed mind would behave. Her fiance' is African American. Great guy and has won me on many levels with his respect and great personality. I really adore hanging out with them. So I can mess with him and it's just fine.
I always joke when she gets upset with him how we must take him rabbit hunting and he gets to be the rabbit.
Imagine walking up into a livestock auction where 99.9% of the people are white. Wearing Country farmers and Amish clothing. He is wearing Baggy pants, a zipped up hoodie and long Gold chain. Kinda like taking a country boy to the city but I was taking a city boy to the country..deep into the country. I walk around with my jeans and henly top. wearing flip flops and have my Pallina gloves hanging from their hook from my back belt loop. He stuck out in many ways but he never batted an eye. Many stared and tried to size him up on why he was dressed like that and coming into the chicken barn.
As he and his Fiance sat with their daughter waiting for me to come back from the office, they were swarmed. People surrounded them trying to tell them how those chicks are sick, the hen would never be a good mother and ..the kicker? a box which held her lion head bunny but was marked Roun ducks became the target of how those ducks were a terrible breed and they would never be able to handle them. Might as well just give them to him and he would save them any future problems. That is when they realized these people were scamming! I had forewarned them not to take a hand or foot off the boxes. People will steal them. They were shocked but once the swarm dissolved (I think they saw me coming back) they were referring it to the inner city.
Oh it gets better. As we laughed about the scammers, we made our way to the big livestock barn. Sat up in the bleachers watching the pigs auctioned off. Poor girl had no clue that by waving her arm up while talking, she was BIDDING on a pig. I had to tell her to keep her arm down. She just bid on a 200lb pig! She was so cute and after oh my goshing, asked if she won and if they take debit cards... Her Fiance was laughing and asked how we were going to squeeze that into my Vue? Then what would they do with it? I said "put a red ribbon around it's neck and walk through the neighborhood calling it Wilbur." Or they could always become pig farmers. He asked if there were any Black Amish... Umm. I don't think so, at least I have never seen any. But you could be the first?!
We had a great time and I'm sure they came away with many stories to share with their family and friends. Of course Having Tif hang out with me shows I am rubbing off on her. Already she is begging him to buy land and raise chickens and gardens. He is a good sport and is open to the idea...a little.
She wants a horse and buggy and she even told Tay (the Fiance') he could put some spinners on it if it would help...He would have the biggest wheels in the neighborhood!
They made me laugh all day. I had such an incredible time and look forward to taking them out to a Friends Farm...Wonder if I could talk him into wearing different shoes..May not like stepping in patties mixed with mud.
Sweet dreams,
~Tammie
0 comments:
Post a Comment