My Visit To A Hutterite Colony {+ How Hutterites are NOT like the Amish}

You focus is on one extreme to the next. Many free range do not step back in their own feces. Many caged are not that clean. It is not like they poo pebbles. It is quite messy and many do not have conveyor belts below them. Also think of standing on wire cages that are often rusty and sharp.

I have varied opinions on both sides of how chickens are kept. I have worked farms and understand that working with a larger flock is extremely different than just a few. But so many don’t realize how amazing and intelligent chickens are. They actually have the potential to be so much more. Lengthy little story, but all i have shares it with liked and learned a lot from it. So try to give a read if you will-

I was given hour old chicks while on a road trip. They were miniature batans. One black rooster and two gray hens. They were kept in small boxes and upgraded aquariums and took them out to roam the house and yards often. Never pooed inside and only one spot of their enclosers. Very clean like their ama, lol. I had some knowledge of care & studied much more.

It was exciting to experience so many of their first. So much like children with individual personalities & so many hilarious times. Spoiled but not rotten we’d say. They grew quickly to know a schedule of being out during the day and in at night. They honestly preferred it that way. Especially after they learned of predators outside.

I got a large cage they could run to if they felt threatened and I was not able to be in the yard with them. It had no bottom so they were still able to scratch. I would move it daily throughout the yard, square by square. I did not have to mow the yard for years that way either. I also put branches and that one so they could perch and shed their beaks. Also otherwise they prefered concrete, LOL.

Inside I could hear them wake around 6 am. Yet they remained quiet until I was able to get up. Then they wanted out. I would take the lid off their cage and they would hop out. He would go into the kitchen to eat and come back into the living room to snuggle and take a nap. I laid paper in the kitchen but they would actually go and poo on. Later i had an orphaned Canadian goose that acted almost exactly the same.

As they grow older they wanted to get outside more. Good morning ritual took them straight to the back door where they would tap for me to open it so they could go out. If I did not open it immediately the rooster who was smaller would fly up onto the curtains and start getting noisy. I figured I would let them see the bad weather for themselves.

They were stunned at first but came to like the rain. I would put the mister on for hotter days and a little baby pool they liked to splash around in. They also did like their indoor baths. Again very clean they were. Especially after taking their instinctual dust baths during the day, LOL.

They were very sociable and friendly. They got excited every time the little boy next door came out. He brought over a jar his caterpillar had lived in. It was about to emerge from it’s cocoon. I had bet him that it was a moth and he was excited to see. It was, but more interesting to watch the hens hop around watching it fly in the jar. Seemed as if they were excited for him as well.

As Joey opened the jar, it flew out and he tried to catch it. Just then our one hen Linda jumped up so high and caught it in her beak and gobbled it up. Joey was in tears and I was grossed out. But Linda & Wanda (i did not name them) begin to hop and flap their wings so excited that his tears and my grossed out feeling turned to laughter.

At dusk they would tap on the back door and make little noises to come in. Again if there was no response quick enough Alice the rooster would fly up onto the screen so he could see in untappd louder to make. If I was not where he could see me they would go and sit in the cage for 10 minutes and come back and try again till I would let them in. They walked right back into the back bedroom where their cage was and hopped in the three of them would cuddle in the corner and nest down for the night.

Basically the same routine every morning. No matter of the weather they would have to go out for at least a bit to decipher when they wanted to come in especially if it was too cold and then the living room became more of the hangout.

We beginning to do a release out the door to further their enrichment by allowing them to fly a little bit. It was more of a flap and glide. And they could fly up briefly a few feet up to perch on smaller trees and fences. Accidentally went into the neighbor’s yard a couple times and freaked out until they got back in our yard.

On the first day of snow their first year they demanded to go out. So I did the release and the second Alice landed and touched the snow he freaked out and flew up onto the roof and did not move. The hens had a similar reaction on the ground until they saw Alice Up on the Roof. They got upset and then started hopping around crying to him. He would not move. We had to get a broomstick to shoo him down. Needless to say they immediately wanted to come back In.

As the weather broke they could not wait to get out into the yard and run and play. Unfortunately they were locking tree cover at that time. I always kept the one door open and stayed attentive. I heard them screaming like never before. Ir jumped up and saw the largest Hawk I ever did see going after my babies.

I ran out the door calling dor my husband. He had a hen in each talon. Alice was jumping onto the hawks back attacking it. I was yelling and screaming trying to corner it so it would drop Linda and Wanda. My husband was right behind me grabbing the broom and swatting at it. The hawk then dropped the hens and launged at my husband. Just then the neighbors came out and started yelling at it as well.

My husband was six foot seven and this thing was fearless. It shocked all of us. It had to have at least a 5-foot wingspan. It was not a vulture either. I am in Pennsylvania anf saw many of them, including a lot of rare birds. One was a said to be extinct Condor from South America. Them’s is other stories.

Quickly i also found daid to be extinct minks also from South America. Those I researched and found out they were freed from a furrier 20 years earlier. Apparently they survived undetected and the vast Pocono Woods happily. But no clue how that Condor got there.

Anyway as they were all running to their cage for protection the hawk then swooped over andAlice went after it again as it scooped up Wanda. Just then my antisocial cat who always acted as if he hated them came out of nowhere and jumped on the Hawks back. Wanda was dropped and ran into their cage.

The hawk looked at my cat and flew off. Most say it was the size of my cat. He seemed normal to me but I always had large cats as I learned 14 lb lean is not normal size. But still this thing went after my husband. So I think it was the sharp claws really did the trick.

After that I made sure my dog was in the yard with them every time. In fact they look to see Bel was out, or they would not even try. They would however try to coerce Bel to go out so they could. It’s amazing to see the interactions between all my babies. Especially after that day and how they all came together.

Mr. Grey the cat would stick around in the yard if he saw them out. He came in and became much more affectionate and caring too. It was odd because I would sometimes go weeks without seeing him, worrying. Just came to figure he only wanted to be a tomcat. First like that, no matter what I did and how much love I gave, which was a lot. Nothing I did made a difference.

But from the time they were little chicks they would always tease him most while he was sleeping. They wanted to play as they did with the other cats. The others were gentle with the chickens except for mr. Gray. He was a little more hostile toward them. It seemed like mkre of a challenge for Alice i think. Eventually they went their separate ways, until that day.

Their first year they just had to go out and assess the everything themselves. Eventually they learned what I was telling them and what they saw through the glass door. They learned to associate my words and similarities to bad weather they saw and all. It was quite amazing how intelligent they were. How much more they were able to learn with such hands on love.

I do have a lot of amazing animal stories for my life filled with unconventional animals especially. Everyone says I should write a book but I feel it would be better to find a Ghost Writter to rant my stories off to. Then allow them to print it all best. As anyone who read through this I am sure would agree. Be fair and offer 49% right off. Just love to share my good & bad. But I would love in put?