In Pringle Bay Jozlyn Kitching prepares beautifully plated meals not for people but for her four silkie chickens, who arrive running whenever the gourmet plates appear.
When Kitching, my Facebook friend, began posting photographs of carefully styled food for her chickens I assumed I was hallucinating.
The plates looked less like poultry feed and more like something that may appear in the pages of Bon Appétit Magazine: berries arranged just so, miniature pancakes stacked with care, retro jelly salads gleaming in layers. Only the diners were not people but chickens.
Kitching works in education, but should she ever want to change careers, she could easily pass for a professional food stylist. Her audience consists of four silkies, the ornamental chicken breed famous for its fluffy plumage and slightly bewildered expression.
“I have four silkies,” she said. “Three hens and one rooster.” They are called Russell (Crowe), Klaradyn, Fiela and Clifford, although Clifford, she said, is actually a hen.
The household also includes a cat named Pumpkin. “She’s almost 14 years old and not very active,” said Kitching, “due to her age, but mostly because she’s morbidly obese. She follows the silkies around and will happily share a bed or couch with them.”
Kitching’s affection for birds predates the chickens. “I adore birds, especially pigeons and chickens. They are incredibly intelligent, funny and sweet.”
Silkies, unlike many breeds, do not require large roaming areas. Kitching’s birds free-range during the day and return indoors at night.
“They follow a very strict routine regarding bedtime,” she said. “Russell starts crowing at 04:30 sharp.”
The elaborate plating began as a small experiment. “I started by making them charcuterie boards to see which foods they would eat first. It was so entertaining watching them that it naturally progressed to gourmet-style plating for hoendertjies.”
Their diet is refined. “They get a good-quality chick starter mash from Drakensberg Feeds,” Kitching pointed out. “They also get fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds and nuts, eggs and red meat. Lots of berries.” Twice a week she adds multivitamins, probiotics and vitamin E oil. The instinct for presentation, it turns out, is not new. “I used to plate my kids’ meals like that when they were younger. It made me so happy to see the expressions on their faces.”
The chickens themselves are not without personality. “Russell adores me and loves to be cuddled and carried around,” Kitching said. “He gets extremely excited in the morning and does a little dance when it’s time to get up.” He is also territorial. “He can’t stand anyone else and will draw blood if anyone else goes near him.”
Klaradyn, she said, is “dumb as a doornail but very friendly and affectionate”, while Fiela, half the size of the others, is “a real diva” who “sounds like a cicada when she gets excited.”
Silkies are delicate animals. “They’re a high-maintenance breed,” Kitching says. “Their hair constantly needs trimming, otherwise they can’t see a thing.”
When the gourmet plates appear decorum disappears. “They come running and jump up and down to get to the plate,” she said. “They can be quite loud when food is involved.”
Russell, predictably, takes charge. “He becomes a real bully around food and will grab the nearest hen’s tail feathers to display dominance.”
The time investment depends on the menu. “The mini pancakes take about 10 minutes,” she said. “The retro jelly salads take ages because each layer has to set before I can pour on the next.”
For most people the idea of gourmet food styling for chickens may seem eccentric. But in Pringle Bay it has become a small domestic theatre: a rooster named after Russell Crowe, a diva hen that sounds like a cicada and plates of food worthy of a lifestyle magazine, all served with care to four fluffy diners.
And why not? The world is heavy with grief right now; it’s the tiny things in life that are known to keep people sane and happy. Cheers to Kitching and her entourage, which make many people’s day each time they see your happy animals.
• Herman Lategan is a Cape Town-based journalist and author with an eye for the quirky and off-beat.
