OMG, now you are speaking my language. Growing up in northwest Louisiana, with both sets of grandparents as a youg boy, and my parents, I know each of the sayings you mentioned. Except the "Hens a pecking"...Somehow I missed that one. One of my grandparents lived out in the country and had a huge back yard. A small farm, all kinds of buildings and out buildings, and even a chicken coop, some cows ect. But we called it "The Back Yard".... Anyway, when it rained there not too bad, but a Hurricane Katrina type rain, and yea the cricks rose, and just getting to thse animals was difficult.

There is a Johnn Cash song called Five Feet High and Rising...

Sorta reminds me of those days., although it never got that high at my grand parents.