It's for the birds

While everybody loves a drive on a country road, especially those from more rural areas, there is one road in particular in Sayre, where travelers may want to heed caution.

Jacklin Road, which is located on the outskirts of Willawana, is home to many things. But during any season of the year, one traveling this dead-end street might surmise that it is clearly for the birds — all 300 of them.

Jacklin Road is also home to Angela, Jackson and Mariah Faulkner — a family that hung up their city hats to enjoy life on their property that has transformed into a sort of sanctuary for show birds.

When driving near the home, which was built in the 1930s, guests and travelers are greeted by the birds, which flock in the yard and cavort on different areas of the property.

Some of the birds are small, some are large. And the sounds of squawking and honking resonate well within the walls of the home, which the owners say is a sound they have grown accustomed to. And most of the birds, according to their owners, are considered endangered.

The home, along with its ducks, geese, guinea hens, chickens, pygmy goats, miniature donkeys, quarter horses, rabbits, turtles, hamsters, turkeys, dogs and cats, is the result of an employment arrangement — one that the Faulkners made with Vulcraft Group in Chemung, N.Y.

According to Angela, her husband Jackson works for Vulcraft Group and was offered a transfer to the company’s New York facility three years ago. But the family put conditions on the offer, and stated that the only way they would transfer from their urban home in Ft. Payne, Alabama is if they could be placed on a farm.

With some assistance, Angela and Jackson discovered the 80 year old farm with 25 acres on Jacklin Road, and transformed from city life to farm life with their daughter Mariah.

Arriving with their five dogs and two quarter horses that they housed on another property down south, the family soon settled into their farm to begin what would become a hobby of raising and showing a variety of birds.

Jackson was raised on a farm, so he had some background and knew where to begin with the venture upon them. "We thought we would get cattle, but we ended up with birds and it worked out better," he said.

Angela, a retired nurse, was prepared for the new venture, and spends every day taking care of all their birds and animals with assistance from their 18-year old daughter Mariah.

Jackson is also a retired Army Sergeant First Class who served 22 years with the National Guard, and performed his last tour in Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005. So settling into a farm life with flocks of birds and animals that greet him at the door was easy to become accustomed to.

But one my wonder, how did they acquire so many birds in such a short amount of time? Birds that would soon be on the road and winning ribbons at shows?

According to Angela and Jackson, their pastor at the First Baptist Church in Sayre, Pastor Roland Romig, introduced them to raising birds and gave them their first hen and several chickens. Romig, a nationally-renowned poultry judge, offered the family advice as well on how to care for and show their birds.

This is where it all began for the Faulkners. And with the first few birds grew a hobby and obsession that now encompasses every aspect of their lives — including birthdays.

For Angela’s birthday last May she received a gift of two geese that she affectionately named Manny — because the goose came from Manheim, Pa. — and May for the month of her birthday.

On Mariah’s birthday she unwrapped a box of bantams that she would name Pastor — after Pastor Romig — and Beverly, the pastor’s wife. Mariah also owns a pot-bellied pig that she named after her older sister Elizabeth, who still resides in Alabama.

And all of these birds, which now number close to 300, have, shall we say, taken over the Faulkner household as they bask in the sun in the driveway and roost underneath the vehicles that are parked there.

The birds even ward off passers-by on occasion. According to Jackson the birds will travel across the road to get to the garden, sometimes getting aggressive with the little traffic that travels up and down the country road. "Sometimes the geese will become protective of the property," he said, "especially during mating season."

And mating season can also be challenging with a variety of breeds that include, but are not limited to LeFleche, Houdan and Crevecoeur chickens; and Toulouse Buff and Toulouse Grey geese.

Right now Angela has her Toulouse Buff geese separated from the rest with hopes of off-spring in their future. According to Angela, geese will mate for life, but ducks and chickens don’t. So separation of the birds is vital to keeping them purely bred.

And it is the hopes of the Faulkners that their "expensive hobby" will soon become a business for them. As recent as last Tuesday, Jackson received a call for three dozen New Hampshire chicken eggs that will go to Oklahoma. To ship the eggs, all that is required are some cartons and plenty of wrap.

Shipping birds and their eggs is just part of the business for the Faulkners. Angela explained that she has even received a live rooster in the mail — picking it up from the post office in its box with tiny holes. But, she added, this bird retrieving method can be costly. "The shipping was more than the chicken," she said.

But what the Faulkner’s really love to do with their birds is probably the most costly of all - showing them.

Operating at shows as "Bama JAM Farm," the Faulkners began attending them in April of 2009, and continue to do so with their most recent show bringing in 107 first place awards, 49 second place awards, 15 third place awards, and five fourth place awards. The Faulkners also took Champion light duck, Champion medium duck, Champion light goose, Champion medium goose, and Reserve Grand Champion.

The show, which was held in Harrisburg, Pa. Jan. 8 through Jan. 16, took all three of the Faulkners to prepare 178 of their birds for, and to transport to and from the show. But traveling to a show where over 80 farms and 1,600 birds compete for a title takes every ounce of effort, from the Faulkners and the birds, to accomplish.

According to Angela, the birds, prior to being shown, must have a blood test performed. This difficult task is made much simpler with Angela’s nursing background, but still difficult to achieve on such a large number.

And prior to loading the birds for travel to the show, each one must be bathed. The geese, according to Angela, will clean themselves in pools of water. But for the other birds, Angela must wash them in a bathtub, and then has to blow-dry the chickens.

Temperatures are also a factor, and in the summer the Faulkners have to load them and deliver them to the show quickly - stacking them in crates loaded on a trailer that is pulled with a recreational vehicle.

And once they arrive at the show, the birds seem to be a natural fit. According to Jackson, the two Grey Tulouse are very photogenic. "They love to be photographed," said Jackson. And the secret to winning the shows, according to Angela, is a lot of TLC, or Tender Loving Care.

But the hustle and bustle of webbed feet is missed during the show when the Faulkners are forced to stay in accommodations that are separate from where their birds are housed during the duration of the shows.

"You get used to hearing the geese at night," said Jackson. "It felt lonely when we were at the hotel and didn’t hear them," he added.

But back home in the daily routine, Angela will get up when her husband goes to work and will begin running water for the ducks. When it is cold, she explained, she will put the birds up in the chicken pens where it is warmer.

The Faulkner’s also have to keep the hose in the cellar of the home during the winter months, and fill the water in the barn. Also, throughout the day, the birds will be given close to 100 pounds of feed, and the pens will be cleaned out with new shavings added.

But in spite of the cold weather, and a barn and pens available, the birds seem to prefer ruling the roost, and have become part of the landscape at the Faulkner Farm on Jacklin Road.

And with seven major awards under their belt from their most recent show in Harrisburg, Pa., the Faulkners are inspired to do more shows. "We were quite surprised that we won that many awards," said Jackson. "We knew the competition in Pennsylvania."

With birds arriving from as far as Wisconsin and Indiana, and eggs that are currently incubating, it is hard for the Faulkners to predict just how large their flock will grow. And the scenery on Jacklin Road is a littler livelier these days as well. "Most people that drive by stop to look at them on the hillside," said Jackson. "They may even see a donkey in there too."

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