A Sad Tale...
Tess attended the Agricultural Fair here in East London and fell in love with a little fellow called Monk. After paying the handsome sum of R20 Beth, who is visiting from Cape Town, got to hold him as the girls and our new family member made their way home.
I heard calls from the front garden.."Come and see what I've bought you!!!"....as I got outside the tune changed slightly..."This is mine and his name is Monk!"
Released from his transportation facility Monk engaged with our lawn and starting searching for bugs and things to eat. He then explored our entire garden before settling in the hedge for the night.
Unfortunately at 6:20am Tuesday morning we heard Monk begin to crow. He went non-stop for about 20 minutes. This produced animated discussion between Tess, Beth and myself covering a wide range of topics including neighbours, our sanity and "what happens in summer when the sun comes up close to 4:30am?" Our conclusion was as follows: He only goes for 20 minutes just before sunrise. Lets go talk to the neighbours and make sure all are happy.
Tuesday afternoon was great. Monk did his thing and even started to follow us around a bit and was very comfortable having us in close proximity. He is a Peking Bantam Chicken...a stag to be accurate. They do become very tame and affectionate given time and love. They also have very small brains.
Unfortunately Wednesday morning came. Monk, having really settled in now, started at 5:20am....1 hr plus before sunrise...and he went and he went and he went. Then Tess and I went outside. I picked him up, put him back in his transportation facility and put it in the entrance hall. We now have a problem. Over an hour of crowing everyday before sunrise is not good. It will be worse in summer when an hour before sunrise starts at 3:30am. This could seriously hamper the odd weekend sleep in.
We then came to the sad conclusion that Monk is not suited for suburban life. As I type this he is sitting and snoozing on the spare desk in my office. I will be taking him to a local farm where they have animals for children to enjoy. If they do not want him I will be taking him back to the fair from where he came and return him to his original owner.
Chickens are cool.
I heard calls from the front garden.."Come and see what I've bought you!!!"....as I got outside the tune changed slightly..."This is mine and his name is Monk!"
Released from his transportation facility Monk engaged with our lawn and starting searching for bugs and things to eat. He then explored our entire garden before settling in the hedge for the night.Unfortunately at 6:20am Tuesday morning we heard Monk begin to crow. He went non-stop for about 20 minutes. This produced animated discussion between Tess, Beth and myself covering a wide range of topics including neighbours, our sanity and "what happens in summer when the sun comes up close to 4:30am?" Our conclusion was as follows: He only goes for 20 minutes just before sunrise. Lets go talk to the neighbours and make sure all are happy.
Tuesday afternoon was great. Monk did his thing and even started to follow us around a bit and was very comfortable having us in close proximity. He is a Peking Bantam Chicken...a stag to be accurate. They do become very tame and affectionate given time and love. They also have very small brains.
Unfortunately Wednesday morning came. Monk, having really settled in now, started at 5:20am....1 hr plus before sunrise...and he went and he went and he went. Then Tess and I went outside. I picked him up, put him back in his transportation facility and put it in the entrance hall. We now have a problem. Over an hour of crowing everyday before sunrise is not good. It will be worse in summer when an hour before sunrise starts at 3:30am. This could seriously hamper the odd weekend sleep in.
We then came to the sad conclusion that Monk is not suited for suburban life. As I type this he is sitting and snoozing on the spare desk in my office. I will be taking him to a local farm where they have animals for children to enjoy. If they do not want him I will be taking him back to the fair from where he came and return him to his original owner.
Chickens are cool.
posted by Al and Tess at 8:19:00 AM
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