Ever See a Chicken Swim?

Turkeys, chickens, and swimming chickens?!

Before heading into the house in the evening, Grace would quickly examine the trees for her sleeping turkeys, making sure to they were tucked quietly and safely up and away from the many predators that abound around the ranch.

Day after day, young Frank was confused by the turkeys confusing tame 'pet-me' - wild 'runaway' actions they displayed towards him.  Although not the family pet, they did serve a great purpose in keeping the grasshopper population down - one would think that with the boundless plethora of grasshoppers to eat these turkeys would be nice, fat, plump, and juicy by fall - quite the contrary - they were quite skinny!

Front LtoR: Grace Houser, William G. Calkins,
Elizabeth Apgood (Nanny), Hope Henry,
Betty Houser - Back LtoR: Frank Houser Sr.,
Richard Tweed, Harry Kroh, Robert Funk,
Frank Henry, Frank Houser (my grandpa)

During the early summer Grace would hear the far off sounds of wild desperate clucking noises; wings flapping up and down, breaking the calm spring afternoon air; feet scratching and kicking up fresh spring growth along with moist warm soil next to the pond -  mamma hen 'lost' another baby to the lure of the pond's crystal clear sparkling water:

In the spring time, James (Frank's brother) would walk the quarter mile or so to the Flat Head River in search of one of the families favorite fowl.  He would locate one of the nests along the river bank, wait until it was safe, and then quickly and quietly raid the nest of it's valuable eggs.  He would continue doing this to several of the nests along the river bank until he had quite a clutch.

When James got home with the snatch of raided eggs, he would carefully sneak them into several of the hen's nests.  The mamma hen would incubate the stolen egg as one of her own, raising, caring, and loving it.  After about two weeks, the baby 'chicks' would finally give into the lure of the pond - and take to it like a duck to water.  According to Frank, "I'm sure the mother chicken had quite a startle when her baby chicks were swimming on the pond"

To keep the ducks from flying away, Grace would catch them when they were still being raised as confused baby chicks and trim their little duckling flight feathers to keep them ranch bound.

When I asked Frank why this was done, he answered in his matter-of-fact-I-can't-believe-you-are-asking-me-tone, "Well my brother and mother did this so we could have ducks - for dinner in the fall!"

Reaching an Understanding

Surveying her corner of the wild Montana landscape, Grace Lena Buck (Frank's mom) took a sweeping exhausted look around  her garden and knew she had to make a plan:

Packing Trip to Glacier Park
James M. Houser (Buster) is in the back
with his over his face.
 About 1918

On the east portion of the Houser ranch, Grace had a carefully tended vegetable garden that was fed by a little crick. The short growing season meant that every day above freezing was spent cultivating in her garden.  Cold tolerant vegetables like turnips, parsnips, potatoes, carrots and rutabagas grew the best on the natural lush ranch land.

To keep her vegetables as pristine as possible, she had a pest deterrent fence surrounding her garden.  Most of the time she was quite tolerant of the native animals that would jumped over or burrowed under her fence.  However, one summer she'd had enough!

Surveying the mess that was left behind by the deer, she did the only thing a woman could do in those days!

She got her small gage shot gun!

Over the span of 2 or 3 days she hid amongst the wild growth and startled those fence jumping deer with buck shots from her shot gun.  After those few days, the deer and Grace had an agreement:

Deer were not welcome to feast and trample in her garden or else they risk being filled with buck shots!