The fox and the hens
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Our hens – two Black Stars and a Bluebelle.
I like hens. When I was a child, my grandmother kept hens. When we visited her, we could help her feed the hens. We thought she had hundreds of hens, but actually I think she had 40 or 50. They lived in hen houses in her garden, and during the day they ran around in hen runs. Every week, a man with a lorry stopped at her house to collect the eggs for sale.
A “hen” is, of course, a female bird. A male bird is called a cock, or a cockerel. His job is to look beautiful and make lots of noise. Just like a man, in fact. Very often, people say “chickens” when they mean hens, though strictly a chicken is a baby bird. Hen meat which you buy in a supermarket is always called “chicken”. It sounds so much better than “hen meat”!
My grandmother, however, did not call her hens “hens”. She talked about her “fowl“. Fowl is an old word meaning birds which are kept or hunted for their meat or their eggs. Another word which you may hear is “poultry“. Poultry just means birds kept for their meat or their eggs. A poultry farm is a farm where they keep large numbers of birds, sometimes in big sheds, or sometimes in tiny cages called “battery cages”.
My wife and I have our very own poultry farm, only a few kilometers from the centre of Birmingham. Last summer, we bought three hens, a hen house and a little hen run. The hens grew big and fat, they wandered round our garden and they laid big, brown eggs. The hens were happy. We were happy.
Then disaster struck. A fox killed one of our hens, and then another one. We gave the last hen to some friends who also keep hens, because she was lonely by herself.
Last weekend, we went to a poultry breeder to buy three new hens. There is a photo of them on the website, and – I hope – on your iPod screens. Like my grandmother, the poultry breeder does not call them “hens”. She describes them as “pullets”, which means a hen which has not started to lay eggs yet. In fact, they are what the breeder calls “point-of-lay” pullets – that is, birds of about 16 weeks which will shortly start laying.
What are our new hens or pullets like? They are all hybrid hens, that is they are a mixture of different types or breeds of hen. Many hen-keepers like hybrid hens because they are strong and lay lots of eggs. two of our hens are of a hybrid type called Black Star. The third hen is a Bluebelle. She is very aristocratic. Like human aristocrats, she is big, beautiful and slightly stupid. Yesterday, we found our first egg. Well done, hens!
We shall have to keep our hens in their hen run for most of the time, and not let them wander in the garden, otherwise the fox will get them too. There are foxes in most British cities. Indeed there may be more town foxes today than country foxes. There is an old English sport called fox hunting. Special dogs called fox-hounds find a fox, and chase it across the fields and through the woods, until they catch and kill it. The hounds are followed by people riding horses. There has been a lot of controversy in recent years about fox-hunting. Some people say that it is cruel to let fox-hounds chase and kill foxes. Other people say that it is important to reduce the number of foxes. There have been some changes in the law about fox hunting in the last few years, which restrict the sport but do not prohibit it.
At one time, I thought that fox hunting was very cruel. Now I am a hen keeper again, I think that it should be legal to hunt foxes with tanks and machine guns if you want to.
What sound does this animal make? : A drag-and-drop exercise.
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Comments (10)
This file has been downloaded 85169 times
6 August 2009
After listen the podcast I want to be a hen!!!.
This podcast is the best part of the day. Tank you very much.
God kill the fox !!
16 June 2009
"Now I am a hen keeper again, I think that it should be legal to hunt foxes with tanks and machine guns if you want to." – I'm laughing until cry :) Where are your love for animals :)
12 June 2009
one brasilian guy in the area
I just find you in the google, and I'm from, massachusset i learn english now and never went to school but i speak and undestand what the people say, I listean too wtag radio, crazy guys
my appreciation for what you doing, this is very good stuff
19 May 2009
This website lets me think that I can start afresh to practice my abilities of reading and listen comprehension, because I have quitted English study for two years. I quitted studying when my father hospitalized two years ago. I forget a lot of vocabulary and my abilities of reading and listen comprehension have become weak in English. I hope that I can enhance them by this website.
17 May 2009
Hi Peter! I’m glad hearing for your broadcasting. Your broadcasting makes me to recall my childhood. I hear that the foxes eaten your hens. I think that the fox hunting is not prevalent. So, the foxes are increased. I wish you can solve that the foxes eat your hen’s problem. Good Luck!
13 May 2009
Hey Nassou, Sorry because I'm intruding on your request to Mr Peter, but I'm just trying to help you, I'd say that to understand better you need to listen lots of podcasts, everyday if you have time (about 15 min to 1/2 hour) it's enough. When I started listening and reading podcasts at a text of 5 sheets I didn't understand 80 words and expressions, nowadays I rarely don't understand, even if it's the context. So one primary tip, practice and be patient. Try to listen different accents search for other podcasts website, you must not be accostumed just to Mr Peter accent, the World has 6 billion people, with 6 billion different accent (speed, tone, etc). I hope I've helped you.
13 May 2009
Hey Nassou, Sorry because I'm intruding on your request to Mr Peter, but I'm just trying to help you, I'd say that to understand better you need to listen lots of podcasts, everyday if you have time (about 15 min to 1/2 hour) it's enough. When I started listening and reading podcasts at a text of 5 sheets I didn't understand 80 words and expressions, nowadays I rarely don't understand, even if it's the context. So one primary tip, practice and be patient. Try to listen different accents search for other podcasts website, you must not be accostumed just to Mr Peter accent, the World has 6 billion people, which 6 billion different accent (speed, tone, etc). I hope I've helped you.
12 May 2009
Hi Peter! I ma very glad for your Podcast. It 's very interessing and exceting. I have got the probleme to undestand sometime your english when I hear you.perhaps it is the accent?You know I am guinean (West Africa) so, I want get some advices from to to undestand your podcast sounds. thank .
nassou
26 April 2009
I think it’s more intersting and exciting , I’m a new subscriber and i want to improve my listening english with you.
I hope to hear from you again.
thank more and more.
24 April 2009
I'm glad to hear you again, Peter.