Three months ago I made a decision to start rearing 'village' chickens at my home. This decision was compelled by the fact that even though I had no chickens of my own, chickens in my neighbourhood were always spending most of their day in my yard. These chickens would feed on my vegetables making it impossible for me to grow certain types of vegetables in my garden. I therefore bought two hens during one of my frequent visits to rural Zambia. I brought the hens home. As anyone who has ever reared chickens on free range will know it is not easy for 'village'chickens to be accustomed to a new environment. You have to give chase several times to make them adapt to their new home. Once they have adapted they will always come back home regardless of the endless movements to several places in the neighbourhood.
It was therefore surprising that the hens one day did not return home in the evening. One hen was nursing 5 three day old chicks. She disappeared with 3 chicks. 2 chicks were found in our garden anxiously looking for their mother. When asked one of the neighbours living next to my house said she had found a hen with chicks on her yard. She had asked another neighbour if she knew who the owner could be. Thereafter the two neighbours decided that the hen could below to a woman in the neighbourhood living 6 houses away. One of them approached her. According to the woman who first found the hen and her chicks the woman living 6 houses away came and collected the chicken. She further said that she did not know that I was keeping chickens at my home that is why she had not bothered to find out if the hen belonged to me. I visited the women who was said to have collected the hen to inquire about my chickens. She denied taking the hen saying that she had left the hen in my neighbour's yard after realising that it did not belong to her. Up to now I can not find the nursing chicken. This development has really saddened me because I am now stuck with 2 week old chicks without a mother's care. My other hen is also missing up to now.
This has really made me reflect on how much I know about my neighbours. Knowing a little more about the people living around you is important and in some cases can even be necessary. You never know when knowing your neighbour could be a life saver or prevent unnecessary loss. If only my neighbour had taken a little interest in my hobbies and looked at what was happening in my yard she would have known that I reared chickens and she would not have gone round the neighbourhood looking for the owner for the hen she found in her yard. How well do you know your neighbour?
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