BRENDA WILSON, who has a small farm in Venersborg, raises more than 300 chickens, consisting of about 20 different breeds. She hand raises all of her chickens from the time they hatch out of their eggs so they are friendly and generally don’t mind people. She also sells chicks and eggs.
Although Brenda Wilson only has two biological children, the Venersborg resident considers herself to be a “mother” to quite a few more “children” – about 300 more to be exact.
The 51-year-old Wilson raises more than 300 chickens on her small farm, Brenda’s Heirloom Hens, in the Venersborg area, a total of about 20 different breeds. Among those 20 different breeds are a few chicken breeds that are actually on the endangered species list, including Delawares, Buckeyes, Russian Orloffs, Javas and more.
Each afternoon, the chickens are treated to an afternoon snack of fresh produce that would otherwise be thrown away from an area farm. Wilson loads up the back of her pick-up truck and distributes pieces of lettuce, watermelon rinds and more to the eager chickens.
“They love all this stuff,” Wilson said. “Lettuce, watermelon, squash and in the fall they love pumpkins. I hand raise all of them, so people who want to buy chicks from me, but maybe don’t have the time to raise them from chicks to adults, I keep them here and people can come visit them and feed them and then I hand raise them for them until they are ready to take them home.”
Wilson got her first chicken when she was 3 years old and has maintained a strong passion for birds and other animals ever since.
“All my life I’ve had numerous animals,” Wilson said. “I’ve been rescuing animals as far back as I can remember. I’ve rescued and rehabilitated squirrels, baby bunnies, raccoons, opossums, owls and all sorts of different birds.”
Wilson has also rescued and rehabilitated parrots. Last year, she said she had more than 100 parrots, but she sent most of them to a sanctuary in Bellevue. Currently, she has four parrots living on her farm with her. She said three are unable to fly and one has respiratory problems, so she decided to keep them and take care of them at the farm.
One of the parrots, Wilson said, was actually rescued from a drug house and was addicted to methamphetamine. When they found the parrot, he was locked in a closet with a blanket over his cage.
“He was so used to talking to himself in the dark because of being locked in the closet all the time that he whispers in the dark,” Wilson said. “It will be dark and all of a sudden he’ll whisper, ‘Whatcha doin?’ We had a guy who house sat for us when we were on vacation and he said he couldn’t even sleep in the bedroom because he kept getting freaked out when the bird kept talking.”
The Humane Society for Southwest Washington has also frequently used Wilson as a foster home for animals who need to rehabilitate in a safe environment. She said the animals she’s taken care of from the humane society have included rabbits, guinea pigs, a few goats and other small animals. Two of the parrots she has are also from the humane society.
Another pride and joy for Wilson is her Tibetan Mastiff dog, Dusty. In the end of January, Wilson showed Dusty at the Rose City Classic Dog Show and he won the Best of Winners Major. In order to keep Dusty active, Wilson also participates with him as a part of the Evergreen Search Dogs. Recently, however, Wilson said she has started training with Dusty so he can become a human remains recovery dog. She said the training takes one year. She takes Dusty out a couple times per week for trainings.
Dusty’s training includes going out with Wilson and being able to find different human remains such as blood or bones that are hidden in an area. Right now, when Dusty finds something, Wilson said he will poke at it and come find her to show her what’s he’s found. When he’s completely done with his training, Dusty will sit or lay down next to the area where he’s found something and will wait for his master to come investigate the area.
Wilson lives on her Venersborg farm with her husband Scott. The couple has two grown children, Jennifer and Kyle.
In addition to raising and selling chickens and eggs, Wilson also periodically teaches a class in Venersborg for new chicken owners. Attendees learn all about chicken care, nutrition, how to gentle the hens, coops and fencing that keep predators away as well as the joys of tending chickens and eating fresh eggs.
For dates of upcoming classes, email friendlyhaven@gmail.com or visit www.friendlyhaven.com/classes.html.
Wilson’s farm is located at 20634 NE 242nd Ave., Battle Ground. For more information on how to purchase chicks or eggs, contact Wilson at (360) 687-9057.
