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Prior to
her marriatre to Bahram DlavUUn c
Sunday, August 30, 1981
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Looking like a flock of little masked bandits, these parrots are but one of many varieties of exotic birds that can be found at Fejta Feather Farm in Hancock County.
the tropics in Hancock County
give them an environment where they’re contented. We got the myna bird a mate, but she died. Then we put him with an African turaca, related to the road runner, to keep him company.’’
Living alongside some of the more stress-prone birds are small white dove?, gently cooing their message of peace inside the cages.
But all are not caged. Strolling around the yard like domestic chickens are Hungarian pheasants, some three varieties of turkeys, and peacocks.
The tour proceeds to the emus’ compound. The largest of Fejta's birds, the emu is the smaller
Australian cousin of the African ostrich, the only bird Fejta says he won’t keep at the farm. The ostrich, whose aggressiveness is backed up by powerful beak and legs, would be too dangerous, he adds.
The emus crowd at the gate for approaching guests, curiously poking their beaks at anything that shines—including the photographer’s lens. They follow humans like curious puppies, probing belt buckles and eyeglasses. “Emus have no tongues,” says Fejta, ever the informative host. “And it’s the male who sits on the eggs.”
Then there’s the chicken yard.
Bantam white and black silkies and millies fleur, like no chicken we ever saw in grandpa's henhouse. Light, fluffy feathers stand out on their heads and ankles, reminiscent of a loony 1920s flapper who let her feather boa get out of hand. These bantams, Fejta says, are known for being devoted parents, to the point of dying rather than abandoning a nest. “They will hatch other birds’ eggs, even eggs as big as a swan’s,” Fejta says.
On to the lake, several varieties of swans haughtily ignore the geese flocked on the far bank. As the party moves onto the gazebo, the geese See FEATHERS, Page C-6