My Life with Backyard Chickens

张玉凤

Its been one month since my new little flock1 arrived， and weve had some unexpected excitement. I am now a proud chicken owner. Every morning I let my hens out of their little coop into a fenced-in area， where they spend their day foraging2 for food， sleeping in the grass， and flying up to their favorite point on the coops roof to watch the goings-on. By 9 p.m.， theyve marched into their home and nestled in for the night. All I do is shut the door， and the cycle starts again next morning.

我的小雞群来了一个月了，我们有一些意想不到的兴奋的事。我现在是一个自豪的养鸡人。每天早晨，我把小鸡们从它们的小笼子里放出来，放到一个有栅栏围起来的地方，在那里它们白天觅食，睡在草地上，飞到鸡笼顶上最喜欢的位置，观察那里发生的一切。到了晚上9点，它们已经走回家里，舒舒服服地在那里过夜。我所要做的就是把门关上，第二天早上，又开始这样一种循环。

Its only been a month since I got these hens， but I had waiting long for their arrival. The process began last fall when I asked town council to allow backyard chickens—a request that was met with great controversy3. Passionate4 speeches were given on both sides of the debate and many articles were published in the local paper， but finally approval5 was granted—a two-year pilot project of 5 hens and no roosters.

我刚拿到这些母鸡才一个月，但对它们的到来期待已久。这个过程始于去年秋天，当时我请求市议会允许后院养鸡，这个请求引起了很大的争议。辩论双方都发表了热情洋溢的演讲，并在当地报纸上发表了很多相关文章，但最终获得了批准——一个为期两年的试点项目，5只母鸡，没有公鸡。

I ordered my birds from a farmer in Kincardine， Ontario， who raises a rare heritage breed called Chantecler. These are a truly Canadian breed of chicken， developed by a monk6 in Quebec in the early 1900s who wanted a dual-purpose bird that would be highly resistant7 to cold.

我养的鸡是从安大略金卡丁的一位农民那里订购的，他养了一种稀有的传统品种香特可蕾鸡。这是一种真正的加拿大品种鸡，由魁北克的一位僧侣在20世纪初发明，他想要一种能高度抵抗寒冷的两用鸡。

The Livestock Conservancy writes： “...the Chantecler is the first Canadian breed of chicken. Under the supervision8 of Chatelain， the monks of the Cistercian Abbey in Oka， Quebec， tried to create， ‘a fowl of vigorous9 and simple temperament10 that could resist the climatic conditions of Canada， a general purpose chicken. Although work began on this breed in 1908， it was not introduced to the public until 1918， and admitted to the American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection in 1921.”

畜牧管理局写道：“……香特可蕾是加拿大第一个鸡的品种。在查特拉因的监督下，魁北克奥卡西多会修道院的僧侣们试图创造出‘一种精力充沛、性情淳朴，能抵御加拿大的气候条件，具有普通用途的鸡。虽然这一品种的研究始于1908年，但它直到1918年才进入公众视野，并于1921年通过了美国家禽协会的‘完美标准。”

Chanteclers， Ive discovered， are quite shy. They keep their distance and resist being caught for daily hugging， much to my young sons chagrin11， but once held in his arms， they settle right down. We got them at 3 months of age， so they look like full-grown feathered hens， though not so big and not yet laying eggs. Hopefully， theyll start producing by September.

我发现香特可蕾鸡很害羞。它们会保持距离，不让人发现它们每天都在拥抱，这让我年幼的儿子很懊恼，但一旦被抱在怀里，它们就会马上安定下来。我们在它们三个月大的时候就开始饲养它们，所以它们看起来像羽翼丰满的母鸡，虽然个儿不是很大，也还没有下蛋。希望它们能在九月份开始下蛋。

The most amusing part of this adventure， so far， has been the accidental acquisition12 of a rooster. One week after arrival， one of our “hens” began crowing every morning as soon as she （he？） exited the coop. My instinct， as a newbie farmer， was to turn to Google， where I learned that dominant13 hens do occasionally crow if theres no rooster present. （I also sent the farmer an email.） But as the crows grew louder， longer， and more numerous in the mornings， I became doubtful. When the farmer replied， she said， no， shed never known a Chantecler hen to crow; and so， very sadly， I had to return my magnificent chanticleer14 to his former home. Now the remaining four hens cluck quietly and softly all day long and I miss the roosters cheerful morning greeting.

到目前為止，这次冒险中最有趣的部分是意外得到了一只公鸡。它们来这里一个星期后，我们的一只“母鸡”每天早上一走出鸡笼就开始啼叫。作为一个新手农民，我的直觉是求助于谷歌，在上面我了解到，如果没有公鸡在场，占统治地位的母鸡偶尔也会啼叫。（我还给那位农民发了一封电子邮件。） 但是，随着它在早晨的啼叫声越来越大，越来越长，越来越多，我开始怀疑了。农夫回复说，不，她从来没见过会打鸣的香特可蕾母鸡。所以，非常遗憾的是，我不得不把我的公鸡送回它以前的家。现在剩下的四只母鸡整天安静而温柔地咕咕叫着，我想念公鸡愉快的晨间问候。

Another challenge has made me worried is how much they poop. People had warned me， but until I was actually cleaning out their coop every few days and seeing the waste lying around the fenced-in yard， I didnt understand how “efficient” they would be！Daily rain hasnt helped either， turning their yard to mud. Ive since learned about the “deep litter” method and am trying to throw as much organic matter as possible into their yard， in an effort to make a soft， interesting forest floor for them that will break down the waste more quickly.

另一个困扰我的挑战是它们的粪便。别人曾经提醒过我，但直到我每隔几天就清理它们的鸡笼，看到院子里到处都是垃圾的时候，我才明白它们有多“高效”！每天下雨也无济于事，只不过把它们的院子变成了泥地。从那以后，我学习了“厚褥草法”，并试图把尽可能多的有机物扔进它们的院子里，努力为它们再造一个柔软、有趣的森林地面，可以更快地分解废物。

The chickens are an endless source of delight to my children， who have never owned a pet before. Even my husband， who disliked their arrival， is growing quite fond of “the girls”， as he calls them. Theyre part of the family already， and will be for many years.

我的孩子们从来没有养过宠物，小鸡给他们带来了无尽的快乐。即使是我的丈夫，一开始不喜欢它们的到来，现在也越来越喜欢他口中的“姑娘们”。它们已经是这个家庭的一份子了，而且还会持续很多年。

Notes

1. flock [     ] n. （羊或鸟）群

2. forage [     ] v. 觅（食）

3. controversy [     ] n. （公开的）争论，辩论，论战

4. passionate [     ] adj. 热诚的;狂热的

5. approval [     ] n. 批准，通过

6. monk [     ] n. 僧侣;修道士

7. resistant [     ] adj. 抵抗的;有抵抗力的

8. supervision [     ] n. 监督;管理

9. vigorous [     ] adj. 充满活力的

10. temperament [     ] n. （人或动物的）气质，性情，性格

11. chagrin [     ] n. 失望;恼怒;烦恼;懊恼

12. acquisition [     ] n. （知识、技能等的）获得，得到

13. dominant [     ] adj. 首要的;占支配地位的

14. chanticleer [     ] n. 公鸡，雄鸡