'She's a people person': Urban chicken inspires positivity in B.C. neighbourhood
When he first moved to his urban neighbourhood, Barry Devonald was surprised to be welcomed by a whole flock of new neighbours.
“I thought it was a bit unusual,” Barry admits.
Until it became quite common for Barry to visit the chickens that lived down the street during his daily walks, which led to amusing talks.
“I’ll call it,” Barry says, leaning down to call over a neighbour’s fence, before imitating the bird’s sounds with a laugh.
“Bwak-bwak-bwak. And then (the chicken) says, ‘Bwak-bwak-bwak!’”
Seeing as Barry isn’t actually as fluent in chicken as he seems, we’ll let the bird’s owner introduce us.
“This is Silver Bright,” Thomas Dickau says, cradling the bird while gently stroking her black and white feathers.
“She’s almost nine years old, pretty old for a chicken.”
Thomas and his family first met Silver Bright when she was pretty young, part of a quartet of cluckers they started raising in a cardboard container inside their home.
“We got her just for fun,” Thomas says, showing pictures of his son smiling and caring for the chicks. “We thought it would be fun to have chickens.”
The poultry proved to be perfect pets. Even after they moved outside to live in a coop that Thomas built for them, the chickens would hang out with the adults while they were working in the yard and play with the children on sunny days.
“She’s a people person,” Thomas says, pointing out how Silver Bright likes spending time in the area where the fence meets the sidewalk.
“She’s hilarious. She just goes out the front and waits for people.”
And so many people — like Barry — started regularly visiting Silver Bright that Thomas built a bench on the boulevard for them to sit and spend time with the chickens.
“It’s really nice they did that,” Barry says, sitting on the bench, where he often feeds the bird.
“It’s relaxing.”
“Many parents will tell us that (visiting the chickens) is how they get their kids out of the house,” Thomas smiles. “Or it’s the main event (of their children’s) day.”
The chickens became so many folks' feathered friends that when Silver Bright’s sisters eventually passed away, people left notes of condolences on the fence, and expressed their gratitude for the meaningful moments the birds had inspired.
“(When you’re) sitting down and having a break, you notice things around in you in wonder,” Thomas smiles. “And that’s such a lovely thing.”
But even better than that, Barry says, is when those breaks on the bench with the chickens lead to a comical conversation.
“Bwak-bwak-bwak,” Barry smiles, while imitating what he says to the birds. “The average chicken would fall over laughing if they heard that.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Gunman's steps after killing UnitedHealthcare's CEO gives police new clues in hunt for the killer
As the hunt for a masked gunman who stalked and killed the head of the largest U.S. health insurer moved into its third day Friday, surveillance footage provided more clues about the suspect's travels and the places he visited before the shooting.
Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid Canada Post strike
Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike.
NDP's Singh forces debate on $250 cheques for more Canadians; Conservatives cut it short
With the fate of the federal government's promised $250 cheques for 18.7 million workers hanging in the balance, the NDP forced a debate Friday on a motion pushing for the prime minister to expand eligibility. The conversation was cut short, though, by Conservative MPs' interventions.
Sask. father who kept daughter from mom to prevent COVID-19 vaccine free from additional prison time
Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan father who withheld his then seven-year-old daughter from her mom for nearly 100 days to prevent the girl from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and 200 days probation on Friday, but credited with time served.
Ticketmaster hidden fees settlement credits expected in 2025 following class-action lawsuit by Regina lawyer
A longstanding lawsuit against Ticketmaster is nearing its end, with a judge expected to approve the more than $6 million dollar settlement before the end of the year.
What is still being delivered? What to know about the Canada Post strike
With Canada Post workers on strike, many individuals and businesses are facing the challenge of sending and receiving mail. Here are the answers to some of Canadians’ most-asked questions.
How the combination of diapers and splash pads led to 10K illnesses
New research is raising concerns about the safety of splash pads, which can be ground zero for germs and greatly increase the risk of spreading disease.
Which guns are now banned in Canada? Here's what you need to know
Canada is expanding its federal ban on firearms, adding 324 makes and models of guns to the prohibited weapons list, effective immediately.
Canada's 6.8% jobless rate boosts bets for 50-point interest rate cut
Canada had 1.5 million unemployed people in November, propelling its jobless rate to a near-eight-year high outside of the pandemic era and boosting chances of a large interest rate cut on Dec. 11.