It’s common to see dogs being walked, but not to see a chook being led around the block by its owner — unless you live in Naomi Barlow and Mavis’s neighbourhood.
Naomi takes her pet chook for a walk every morning around the streets of Boronia Heights in Logan, south-east Queensland.
With a small red harness on, Mavis struts down the footpath, turning heads along the way.
It all started when Naomi was given a special gift.
“I got a chicken lead for my birthday, I put it on Mavis, and at first it was a little hard to put it on as she ran away but now she likes it,” she said.
“She’s sassy and she often goes in the opposite direction of me.”
Sporting a shirt that reads, “Chickens make me happy; humans make my head hurt”, Naomi said it was the “adorableness” and the friendly responses from others that encouraged her to keep taking her chooks on walks.
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Her favourite chicken Mavis draws a lot of looks from passers-by, and she gets to chat to her neighbours as they say hello and ask her about her pet.
Naomi’s mum, Sue, said although their feathered friend did not always walk straight down the footpath, it brought smiles to people’s faces.
“It’s really great to see and definitely entertaining,” she said.
“It’s certainly not like walking a dog and Mavis doesn’t know quite how to walk in a straight line yet.”
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The walks don’t always last long, but it gets the three of them outside each day.
They have to be careful during magpie season though.
“Mum and I had to take Mavis home recently because of the magpies swooping, we have to watch out for them as they come at the chooks,” Naomi said.
Along with Mavis, Naomi has four other chooks that are part of her family’s menagerie.
“We have 11 guinea pigs, two dogs, two cats, and a bunch of birds,” she said.
“Mavis is supposed to stay in her area in the chicken coop, but she manages to get to the deck area through the cat flap into the house.
“Sometimes the chickens try to steal the dog’s food while the dogs are eating it, then there’s a bit of drama.”
Sue, who is a mother of six, said life with her children as well as their many pets involved a lot of juggling, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I love cuddly things and I’m a farm girl at heart so that helps,” she said
“When Naomi asked for things with chickens on them for her birthday I saw the chicken lead and I bought it for her and I said, ‘Good luck!’. I knew it would bring good things.
“The walking is just part of Naomi’s love for chooks.”
Listen to the latest episode of Make Me Feel Good to hear more about Mavis the chook and to discover other feel-good stories.
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