A very good friend of ours came to visit on Easter Sunday (Hi Em!) This woman has been a friend of the family for many years, through our clutter, our kids, and now our chickens. Perpetually supportive and fun, Em is always a blast to have in the house. Even the kids look forward to Em’s arrival, we all simply adore her.
And it turns out that our friend Em likes loves Charlie our house – chicken.
Where is my buddy Em? Photo credit: Emily Bersin
You’ve heard of the Chicken Whisperer? Meet the Chicken Negotiator.
While I was on the bus returning from Boston, Em was at our house with Charlie discovering that she likes freeze dried meal worms and will take them out of your hand.
“Did you know that Charlie comes running over to you when you tap the floor?” Em asked me as I entered the living room. Of course all that clicker training where the clicker sounds like a tap and the reward is a worm probably helped – our Charlie still can’t poop on command but she runs a mean path to the treat in an outstretched hand opposite the clicker.
“Charlie likes to be stroked on her front and she likes to have you stroke the bottom of her beak,” Em told me as she passed me some food at the dinner table. “She doesn’t like you to pet her back and she’ll come to you only when she’s ready, never you to her.”
Em, who works with horses, is not new to being around animals. I’m not sure there is an animal out there she doesn’t like. But still, it takes a special person to hold a chicken on Easter morning gently against your body gently stroking her and clucking in her ear that she’s a beautiful bird. Em held many an in-depth conversation with Charlie that day as they both sat, watching and cooing with each other on the couch.
It also takes a special person to have the bird you are petting let loose a large and rather unexpected Easter “egg” right in front of you and not be in the least bit grossed out “If I can stand being behind a horse that’s farting, I can certainly tolerate a chicken pooping” spoke the ever wise Em.
That’s our friend for you.
Which is all the more reason why Em is a valuable member of our flock who will forever be welcomed at the doors of this coop.
