Abby Duvall

Abby DuvallHometownAnnapolis.com, Neighborhoods - Severn junior is honor student, fowl expert
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Abby Duvall's idea of chick lit is a bone-dry tome on testing fowl for the avian flu virus, a bantam breeding manual or the latest online blog from Poultry Youth of America.

Since most people only see chicken on a plate, it's a little unusual to hear a teen chatter cogently about Key West Game hens, the Japanese "Onagadori" or Silver Phoenix, Frizzle Red Chochin Bantams, various breeds of Polish fowl, Dominiques, Welsummers and Silkies.

On her family's farm, Badger's Retreat in Churchton, she also raises guineas, pheasants, peafowl, five breeds of domestic ducks and two breeds of geese.

Besides Abby, a junior at Severn School in Severna Park, the Duvall "family" includes 13 horses, one pig, two dogs, a cat, seven amphibians or reptiles, 30 fish and 125 fowl - not counting the eggs a-hatchin'.

Her sister, Jessica, is an eighth-grader at Severn School.
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Animal Control didn't have the capacity to care for Ernie and contacted Abby.The teen was happy to oblige, as the farm was already home to two female emus.

Not long after, Bert, another runaway emu, was found on the outskirts of the farm, and Abby took him in, too.
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"Abby didn't do this to show off, to earn a good grade," he added.
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She has a depth of interest in poultry raising and breeding and the science of it," said Mrs. Barranco, who has consulted with Abby about starting a "show quality" hatchery at the county park.
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Abby enjoys showing some of her exotic birds.Recently, due to fears of the avian bird flu, some shows have been canceled.

She's also absorbed in poultry genetics and has been tinkering with breeding programs on the farm.

On the more mundane side, barnyard cleanup and feeding duties eat up a couple hours of her daily routine.

Her various birds provide a small nest egg income for the teen.Local fishermen prize her fowls' high-quality feathers for fly-tying.

Her interests range farther than Ernie the Emu: She is an honor student, a cellist and an artist.One of her paintings will be used as the cover of the Anne Arundel County Fair catalogue this spring.No surprise, it features a rooster crowing atop a coop roof.

A member of the Eastern Competitive Trail Riding Association, she often rides 20 to 30 miles a day.Abby uses a stone wall saddle, developed from an old military model.

When not involved with animals, she's involved in raising organic, heritage breeds of tomatoes, lima beans, purple hyacinth vines, squash, pumpkins, winter melons, even cotton.

Abby not only likes to dive head-first into the subject at hand - she's a certified scuba diver - she's also an amateur archaeologist.A box that once held checkbooks is a repository for odd bits of bone handles, buttons, an 1849 dime and crockery fragments she's dug up on the family's ancestral farm in another part of the county.

"I record what I find and when and where I found it," she said.

Her teachers have predicted a career in animal husbandry for Abby, and they may be correct.She's thinking of applying to Cornell University.

"It has a good veterinary school," she said.

Abby Duvall's idea of chick lit is a bone-dry tome on testing fowl for the avian flu virus, a bantam breeding manual or the latest online blog from Poultry Youth of America.

Since most people only see chicken on a plate, it's a little unusual to hear a teen chatter cogently about Key West Game hens, the Japanese "Onagadori" or Silver Phoenix, Frizzle Red Chochin Bantams, various breeds of Polish fowl, Dominiques, Welsummers and Silkies.

On her family's farm, Badger's Retreat in Churchton, she also raises guineas, pheasants, peafowl, five breeds of domestic ducks and two breeds of geese.

Besides Abby, a junior at Severn School in Severna Park, the Duvall "family" includes 13 horses, one pig, two dogs, a cat, seven amphibians or reptiles, 30 fish and 125 fowl - not counting the eggs a-hatchin'.

Her sister, Jessica, is an eighth-grader at Severn School.
...
Animal Control didn't have the capacity to care for Ernie and contacted Abby.The teen was happy to oblige, as the farm was already home to two female emus.

Not long after, Bert, another runaway emu, was found on the outskirts of the farm, and Abby took him in, too.
...
"Abby didn't do this to show off, to earn a good grade," he added.
...
She has a depth of interest in poultry raising and breeding and the science of it," said Mrs. Barranco, who has consulted with Abby about starting a "show quality" hatchery at the county park.
...
Abby enjoys showing some of her exotic birds.Recently, due to fears of the avian bird flu, some shows have been canceled.

She's also absorbed in poultry genetics and has been tinkering with breeding programs on the farm.

On the more mundane side, barnyard cleanup and feeding duties eat up a couple hours of her daily routine.

Her various birds provide a small nest egg income for the teen.Local fishermen prize her fowls' high-quality feathers for fly-tying.

Her interests range farther than Ernie the Emu: She is an honor student, a cellist and an artist.One of her paintings will be used as the cover of the Anne Arundel County Fair catalogue this spring.No surprise, it features a rooster crowing atop a coop roof.

A member of the Eastern Competitive Trail Riding Association, she often rides 20 to 30 miles a day.Abby uses a stone wall saddle, developed from an old military model.

When not involved with animals, she's involved in raising organic, heritage breeds of tomatoes, lima beans, purple hyacinth vines, squash, pumpkins, winter melons, even cotton.

Abby not only likes to dive head-first into the subject at hand - she's a certified scuba diver - she's also an amateur archaeologist.A box that once held checkbooks is a repository for odd bits of bone handles, buttons, an 1849 dime and crockery fragments she's dug up on the family's ancestral farm in another part of the county.

"I record what I find and when and where I found it," she said.

Her teachers have predicted a career in animal husbandry for Abby, and they may be correct.She's thinking of applying to Cornell University.

"It has a good veterinary school," she said.