We need a play by play of this chicken saga there's so many twists and turns
CHICKEN SAGA
oh my god it’s driving me nuts! so first off, I pre-ordered a read-to-lay light Brahma and Naked Neck from a hobby farm up North, for pickup on May 30. a nice lady offered me a lavender Orpington for my third bird, but lavender Orps are meh so I ended up saying nah and endlessly salivating over potential kijiji chickens instead
all seemed well until a once-a-century style global pandemic broke out? perhaps you’ve heard of it? anyway, last week the lady emailed me with “due to coronavirus we will be eating your birds, don’t your dare take your city germs up North” (which no shade, that’s actually super reasonable). I’m assuming the birds are going to freezer town due to my order being ‘cancelled’ rather than ‘postponed’
SO I was thrust back into a pandemic bird market. and uh, I’m not sure if y’all are aware, but people are responding to these Troubling Times by panic buying chickens?
this means birds are going fast! every ad I replied to was met with the person going “nah I don’t talk holds, OOP AND THEY’RE GONE”
one lady was willing to hold her Naked Neck/ bantam Cochin cross chicks (such a fun mix!), but for whatever reason she ended up ghosting me.
next, I finally!!!! managed to actually secure a bird!!!! at last! Yennefer the black Orpington/ Cochin cross, who I will pick up Saturday (with no contact and my apocalypse mask/gloves set) and love with every fibre of my being.
but wait, she needs 2 more birds to keep her company. so I answered an ad & arranged to buy a light Brahma and puffy white Cochin! except that after setting up the sale, the man messaged me with “actually, we’re in an unprecedented global pandemic, fuck this” (which again, super fair. I think I have a city-dweller perspective on this, as my once-a-week trips to the crowded Danforth Street grocery store are infinitely more dangerous than driving to a house and grabbing a boxed chicken off a porch)
I replied with “I can do it with no contact and an e-transfer if that helps”, and he said “okay yeah that’d work”, but then didn’t respond with the email address I can e-transfer to -_- so this may be a no go.
the latest possibility is the 2 chicks circled, smooth-feathered Easter Egger x Silkie crosses. the guy says he can guess sex with 70% accuracy at this age, and is willing to take back cockerels, so?? perhaps?
in totality: buying chickens during a pandemic isn’t an enjoyable process, wouldn’t recommend it, but at least Yennefer will be home on Saturday!
EDIT: brahma fella FINALLY replied, brahma + cochin are back on the menu. I can’t handle this whiplash, already got emotionally invested in the chicks 😭
