Some months ago my brother Thomas had the idea to re-activate the old chicken house in our mother’s garden and get some chicken. As he said “for entertainment and eggs”.  Said and done – suddenly 5 brown and rather jittery chickens came in a box and were moved into the house.

Instead of producing eggs they were just eating and eating and demanding food from everyone who passed nearby their house. Actually they were quite hoggish. My mother said after 2 weeks that she will make soup out of them should they furthermore resist to lay eggs. Calling the breeder, we learned that the chicken were still very young and needed some more time to grow up to lay eggs.

To keep the story short: Meanwhile they lay eggs – 5 chickens make 5 eggs per day. We have got an abundance of eggs and everyone visiting my mother needs to take some eggs along. But – and that is really mindboggling – now these chicken are obviously in love with my brother. He has turned into their rooster – the master of the chicken harem!2017-07-25-PHOTO-00000335

Particularly Ludmilla, the one on the picture, is so excited about him that she freezes and drops like dead whenever he talks to her directly or calls her with a “beep beep beep”. She drops on the floor, and unless he picks her up she won’t elevate! When he picks her up, she is all happy and well.

All 5 chickens walk after him when he makes the garden or works in the workshop – they literally follow every step of him. When he sits down, Ludmilla jumps on his lap. They do not run away but just accompany him!

My brother says they are mad, but actually he loves them – same does my mother. It is really fun to see those animals becoming emotional part of a family – I do not even want to think about the soup they are going to end in one day (my brother is a chef…).