If you walk near the Levinson Center at Bakersfield College, you may have had a chance to see the manager of Maintenance and Operations, Paula Bray, and her pet chickens. Bray is an admirer of birds of all kinds, owning four chickens, two ducks and two parrots.

Every once in a while, one of her pets will make a visit to Bakersfield College campus. Bray explained that about once a week her husband, Kevin Tschida, comes to pick her up and will sometimes bring one of their pets with him. When he does, she said, “I get to show them off as I’m walking out the door.”

Depending on the day, he’ll bring either one of their roosters, ducks or parrots.

When one of her roosters is brought out in public, they are given a leash to wear. Bray explained that her chickens do not actually walk on the leash. They are usually carried; the leash is just to keep them from running away if they are set on the ground and happen to get startled by something.

Bray is a bird enthusiast and has cared for various types of birds for 10 years. Her two roosters are named Flower and Benji. Flower, she said, “was named after the skunk in Bambi, because when he was a little baby he had a stripe all the way down his back. Now that he’s a big grown-up rooster, it seems silly.”

Originally wanting a large cockatoo, Bray explained, “It takes a lot of care, and I couldn’t care for them that much. So the next best thing to a big fluffy parrot is a big fluffy chicken.”

Along with the small amount of upkeep they require, Bray explained, “they’re useful animals, as well as being nice, soft and cuddly.”

Bray explained that usually people have a bad understanding of roosters.

“They think they’re mean animals,” she said.

She explained that roosters are quite delightful pets as well as being helpful. By letting their roosters roam in the yard during the day, they help minimize unwanted insects. Another benefit, she explained, was that they also get eggs from their two hens, which they eat.

Although she does keep her two roosters outside most of the day, when night falls, her pets are given diapers to wear and brought inside. They wear their diapers to eliminate accidents that might occur indoors. She gets small diapers that are especially made for chickens from a website called chickendiapers.com.

Along with the occasional visit to campus, Bray also brings her pet roosters with her while shopping at Farmers Market and also brought them to the Garden Fest in the Horticulture lab last year.

Her rooster, Benji, has even been in parades.

In public, Bray said people usually give similar reactions to her and her pets. They ask her, “What’s that? Is that a rooster?” Then they usually ask her questions, which she is always happy to answer.

She said that most people are afraid of her roosters at first, but after a while they warm up to them.