My Feathered Friendsby Bam Azores | 15-12-2013 11:53 |
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 In our backyard we have many feathered friends. Here are some of them. We have ducks, geese, chickens, and French guinea hens. I am the one incharge of feeding them and giving them water. It's fun to have all these animals so close to home. We don't have a pond so I put huge metal basins in the enclosures of the ducks and the geese. I did try to bring them to the lake once just outside our house but I was warned by my fisherfolk friends not to leave them out because people might try to catch them for food. So my ducks and geese have learned to make do with their huge basins. Some people ask if we eat these animals. My answer is simple: how can you eat a creature with a name? I don't eat your pet dog, so don't ask me if you can eat my pet chicken. I don't even eat their eggs and instead allow them to hatch. So you might think we have too many animals but no. The thing is we never really have too many because only the really strong ones manage to survive through the rainy season, cold weather from December to March and the predators like cats, snakes, neighbor's dogs and even rats. That's just how it is! Some people have also asked if I am afraid of bird flu since they are all feathered friends? Well, I think, if bird flu enters the country it would be through migratory birds. Since our home beside the lake is way inland I don't think infected birds will get here. So no, I'm not afraid! My story ends here. I enjoy my backyard friends a lot as you can see in the photo below. |
