#18 - Loud Roosters a Problem

Having chickens in our backyard has been amazing. I've learned a lot about their behavior as I sit outside in my lawnchair and watch them strut around our yard. A great lesson I've recently discovered as I own my first flock of chickens is to NOT wear red toe-nail polish while bare-foot among the chickens. Farmers out there, beware, red toe-nail polish will entice the chickens to chase you down and peck off those little piggies as they are going to market!!

Since the chickens are only in my backyard, I can wear my flip flops or walk out bare-foot, but on our acreage we can't walk around without putting on good protective shoes.

After receiving a few painful, very serious pecks on my toes, I ran from the chickens and they literally ran after me to chase my toes as if they were food. If only they could make fishing lures that would work as good as this! But, the entire ordeal wasn't as fun as it sounds, but I truly did look as ridiculous while running for the back door. I also learned that chickens are surprisingly FAST.

Red Toe-nail polish not good when exposed in front of chickens.

I love our chickens, but the entire reason for us buying these seven chickens was for us to have fresh eggs, but two of these chickens turned out to be roosters. Uh oh.

Big Boy Rooster

Little Boy Rooster has a Big Attitude!

Over the past week, the roosters have been testing their big boy voices. They started with pathetic squawk attempts that sounded similar to a teenage boy as he goes through voice changes. Quickly, the roosters gained enough vocal experience to boast louder roosterly sounds. I'm sure they'll get better and better at their cock-a-doodle-doo-ing and that's a big problem.

Having awesome neighbors is a beautiful thing, but no one likes to hear a rooster making a morning wake-up call at 6am on a relaxing Saturday morning, especially when there is just a few feet between each house. All the sweet feelings that the neighbors had toward the chickens --- wanting to bring their children and grand-children over to see REAL chickens, the eagerness to get their own fresh eggs from our flock, the laughs we all share as we watch these interesting creatures --- all those fuzzy good feelings begin to disappear at 6:00am Saturday morning as our neighbors wake up from hearing the roosters' harsh, irritating, repetitive noises; murderous intentions take root.

The roosters have GOT to be evicted. Otherwise, can anyone say "Fried Chicken" block party?

Lyla giving Roo a wee taste.

Making matters worse, the two roosters are becoming territorial and aggressive, especially toward each other. Each morning, for one SOLID hour, one rooster will sound off, then the other sounds off and they alternate for one hour straight. Next on the roosters' agenda is their macho game of "I'm tougher than you." This is when the Michael Jackson movements start as the two roosters dance around each other with popping heads and fancy foot work, all we need is the music.

Surely there has got to be SOMEONE around Houston who won't mind taking a couple of roosters. We're determined to find this person this week. I'll give updates.

Calling all chicken owners in Houston!

We got to enjoy a nice break from being backyard farmers this weekend as we were invited to Caprock Electric Suds and Buds Crawfish Boil in Houston's Heights neighborhood.  My husband's best-friend from high-school owns this successful Houston based company, so we get to be buddy-attendees.



The party just getting started in Houston.

Jimmy and Tracy were excellent hosts and the food was AWESOME. Our platters of crawfish, corn on the cob, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage and jalapenos was over the top.

The Heights in Houston is a district with mostly Craftsman style homes that have been renovated or elaborate Victorians...it is a historic part of Houston known for serious efforts toward restoration of the neighborhood along with gorgeous new construction that is unlike normal cookie-cutter houses. The Heights is ultimately a cool place to live.

The party was held at the Heights Fire Station which is now retired, but the interesting building is available for local residents to use for social gatherings.

But, we soon headed back home to check on our chickens and the two roosters. We drove back through the heart of Houston and then through the heavy industrial lined highway toward our house.

Near our city, just outside of Houston, Texas.

And it felt great to get back home to our chickens, our garden and our dogs. But, on the way home from the heart of Houston we must drive through refinery and chemical plants on either side of a highway that's known as HAZMAT Highway. It's an interesting landscape. Daily, we all use products that these chemical plants help to produce, so I can't be mad about the stink and the scary chances we take with potential lethal releases into the air or explosions too near our home. That would be embracing double standards. I know our households need these products, but I'll be glad when I am able to live further away from the plants.

Very soon, we'll live in the country on our beautiful acreage and we won't see these chemical plants any longer as we make a drive home. Instead, we'll see towering pines, rolling hills, cows and two-lane highways, and we'll be able to take in a deep breath of air and be confident that clean, fresh, tree-filtered air is flowing into our lungs. Ah...to breathe country air.


Another section of highway near our house in the city.

Moving to the country will be incredible, but this week, I still live in the city and have two roosters that need to move out of here faster than fast. The search begins...