#Muffin the Polish hen

[epipremnum-aureum]

Muffin has things to say about snow

[kariachi]

Random fic, Alan on the topic of his brother Jason’s animals and the showing of such.

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Jason was the most put-together looking person in the barn- his whites crisp and pristine, practically glowing he was so clean, and his hair absolutely perfect- and the knowledge their mom would’ve killed him the second there weren’t witnesses if he ruined any of that was all that kept Alan from giving him a hug and mussing his hair. He was certain it would’ve helped with the nerves that were making him fidget, biting back cinders, but this was a serious competition, as he couldn’t take that risk. Instead all his poor baby brother got was a firm pat on the shoulder.

“You’ve got this,” he said. Taking in a breath far too deep to be human, Jason gave a curt nod and pasted on a confident smile.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, then huffed out some of the air, teeth clicked shut around the cinders. “I’m gonna go check on the idiots, okay?”

“Alright.” Alan patted his shoulder again and gave him a gentle push forward. “I’ll be scoping out the competition for you.”

“Tell me if you see anything interesting?”

“Of course. Now go on, git, your birds need you.” He shooed him as he said it, responding to the raspberry blown his way with one of his own. Still, Jason’s shoulders relaxed just a fraction as he headed off to check on his turkeys. Waiting until he was out of earshot, Alan looked around for any potential audience before kneeling beside the pen they’d just be fussing over.

“Muffin, Cherry,” he said, tapping the floor in an attempt to get their attention. Muffin turned to him, walked up to the side of the pen and started begging for treats, but Cherry couldn’t have been less interested if she was trying. “I’m counting on you to bring in this win. Don’t fail me.”

This same thing had been said to his brother’s chickens, and to his prize guinea Pig. Jason had been showing animals for the last four years and placed exactly once so far, with one of the crested bantams that were actually the reason they had peafowl in the first place. The summer after the Highbreed Invasion the Tennysons had come out to the fair to lend their emotional support and Ben had been apparently unable to keep his mouth shut about the poor cresteds and how ‘funny’ they looked. Jason had taken this as a personal insult- likely not helped by Alan, Helen, Kevin, and Grandma Eva’s own responses- and after Kevin had let slip that Ben was scared of peacocks, and also just happened to find an unreasonable amount of money to give him for his birthday, and a few trades with other owners over the last two years…

They now had ten peafowl on the farm, alongside four guinea hens, three turkeys, and about a dozen crested polish bantams, all belonging to Jason. Plus he’d asked for a puppy for Christmas, though he hadn’t gotten it. Alan had not let it be missed that he had only ever wanted to show cattle, which you only needed one of. His mom had not been moved, and unfortunately three grandma’s didn’t trump her. But if he wasn’t going to compete anymore, having long gotten tired of showing goats and poultry, the least he could do was try to get some wins for his siblings.

In all honesty he didn’t have much hope for Muffin, the oaten peacock was only two and his train looked awful because of it, but Cherry was a perfectly fine pied peahen and he had his fingers crossed. Alan hadn’t even bothered to talk with Sarah’s harlequin rabbit, he was certain he was bombproof and near as he could tell from hearing other people talk seemed like a shoe-in for the Under-13 crowd. Chris was exhibiting eggs and vegetables, so there wasn’t much he could do there. Really all he had left was to talk to the turkeys, maybe bring Manny around as a subtle threat, and he would be out of valid options.

“Treats,” he said, as Muffin continued to beg, “are for ribbon holders. Remember that.” Shaking a finger at him, he straightened back up and gazed out over the other gamefowl. With any luck, they were all crap.

His brother put in a lot of work, and damnit he deserved a win.

[epipremnum-aureum]

Muffin must yell

[epipremnum-aureum]

war cry of the two fluffs

[epipremnum-aureum]

May I present,

Muffin

and Pepper! (she's still a bit skittish so she's hard to see through the pen)

So our neighbor down the road who works at the general store nearby heard that some of our hens had been killed. She has chickens as well, specifically, two Polish bantam hens who are getting beat up by her rooster.

She just offered to give them to us because she knows they're unhappy and just wants them to have a peaceful all-girl flock, which our girls can definitely provide. The weird thing is, I've always wanted Polish hens, and my mom wanted another bantam (as Pearl, our old English game bantam who was killed was definitely her baby). And here's these two, needing a new home.

I'm beyond excited to introduce them to our girls, who have definitely been sad and traumatized. They're so, so good with new birds being introduced and I think this will make them all feel happier. I'll try to post pictures of them as soon as we get them settled into their temporary pen!