Before we owned 25 chickens, there was only one lone rooster whose name would become Roosty.

Roosty was the very first of many birds at Breezy Acres Mini Farm, and whenever he is talked about, it is always said that he was “the rooster that started it all.”  

Back in 2019, while driving home following a trip to town, my partner and I came upon a rooster who was wandering around on the dirt road where the farm is located. As we approached the rooster, he stayed directly in the middle of the road, looking up toward the car, hesitating to move.

I slowly got out of the vehicle and walked over to the rooster, then picked him up with ease and was able to get him back to the car.

Deciding it would be best to find his home, we drove with him up and down the dirt road, asking the neighbors if the rooster belonged to them, with no success.

So the rooster was brought back to the farm, cleaned up from mite infestation, and was set up in the barn to sleep for the night. That evening, a small hutch was ordered, chicken feed and supplies were bought, and Roosty’s new life was almost complete.

After we observed Roosty for a few weeks, it became apparent to us that he was lonely and needed some friends. He would look at his reflection in truck tire rims every morning for hours on end.

Soon, two hens were brought to the farm to keep him company, and that was only the beginning of many more chickens to come.

Over the next few years, more chickens and roosters were brought to the farm, and now there are even two ducks. The flock has its own building to live in, with roosts, nesting boxes, and a heating lamp for this wintry weather.

 If we had never come across Roosty that day on the dirt road, we might have never gotten chickens at all because it wasn’t in our original plans, but we are glad we did.