Ah, the farm stories of my childhood. Let me tell you, it was an exciting and rewarding experience like no other! I have so many fond memories of my childhood on the farm, and I hope you would enjoy some of these stories that I share today.
Roosters crow at dawn
We milk the gentle cows
Farm life is sublime
Every day began before the sun rose, around 6 o’clock in the morning, with the sweet sound of the rooster’s crow or the cows’ moo to wake us up.
I still miss the crowing of our favorite rooster, Rusty. Even before Rusty emerged from his reddish-brown egg, his mom would talk and cluck to him and he would pip and squeak back to his mum.
After he hatched and emerged from the egg, he knew his mother’s voice and followed her everywhere.
Rusty loved to play games. He would spend much of his day running, scraping, and jousting other chickens.
Rusty loved dust baths. He would dig down into the ground in the barn and create for himself a ‘dust’ bath. The chickens loved the dust baths to keep themselves clean and also during the summer to try and cool down.
When Rusty grew up his crow was not very loud. But then our neighboring farm got a rooster. Rusty and our neighbor’s rooster would call to each other all day long. Soon Rusty’s voice grew to be strong and loud. Our yard was loud!
He was very protective about his brood. Even while foraging for food, he would be constantly tilting an eye up to the sky or scanning the perimeter.
If he spotted something such as a hawk circling overhead, Rusty would warn his flock with a series of low noises. If the danger did not pass, Rusty sounded the alarm by squawking loudly and gathering all the chickens in a safe area to hold them there until the danger passes.
One day, a hawk flew into the chicken coop with the intention of snatching an easy meal. But little did the hawk know, it was about to face its match.
Rusty sprang into action, flapping his wings and crowing ferociously. The hawk was taken aback by Rusty’s ferocity. Despite its size and strength, the hawk was no match for Rusty.
Rusty chased the hawk out of the coop and the hawk barely escaped with its life.
The hawk never dared to return, for it knew that Rusty would be there to defend his flock.
Like all chickens, Rusty had a great hearing. He could hear the worms turning among the leaves and would scratch and claw at the ground, looking for food. When Rusty would find insects, seeds, or scraps, he would call to the hens to bring them to the food.
He would always make sure that the hens had their fill, before he did.
Life on a farm may have been hard work, but it was filled with adventure and a sense of responsibility.
I learned about animals, plants, and the environment, and I developed a deep appreciation for the food I ate.
I learned the value of hard work, responsibility, and self-sufficiency, and most importantly, learned to be a part of a community.
Those dusty barns, the crowing of Rusty, and the warmth of the farm community are a collection of cherished farm stories that continue to shape who I am today. These are very fond memories that I hold dear from my life on the farm.
It was a special time in my life, and I’ll always be grateful for the lessons I learned and the experiences I had.
Closing Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed this story 🙂 This is a story from grandpa. Rusty was a rooster I never saw but Grandpa tells me he was one of a kind 🙂
346
