My Life as a Chicken — the Trials and Troubles of My Life (Part 1)

A Note From the Author:

The following is a story that I started writing in the states. You could call it true, because it really did happen--I remember. I made the diagrams from my best recollection of the buildings, and was surprised that I remembered the pigs' ears in the barrel! Yes, that was part of the "old farm life", a little piece of my history. I remember all the little chicks in the back room, peeping wildly, and holding them with my brothers and stroking their soft, warm, bodies. I remember punching out all the little cardboard circles, and I believe I even got up to 1/2 a gallon bag full at one time! We had a lot of fun playing with them, too, the few times we remembered that they were there. Most likely the most fun part, though, was punching them out in the first place. :) And yes, sad to say, we did step on the little chicks. But that didn't happen often, I can only remember (in the 10 years I lived on the farm) one chick dying as a direct result of being stepped on. And I also remember dipping their beaks in feed and water as we pulled them out of the box. We would also count the chicks as they came out, and often there would be several extra in case there were roosters (which we would butcher). I hope you enjoy the story! :) God bless.

          2nd April          

I broke the air sack this morning. Then I began a frantic pecking at the side of my shell. By mid-morning, I had used up almost all of my air, and I still had to peck through part of my shell. Finally, when my feeble neck was about done for, it opened up. PHEW! The blast of warm air blew into my nose, setting me sneezing. I now heard (for the first time) other chicks pecking at the sides of their shells, and wondered if that was my siblings? I wanted to find out, but I had to take a short nap because, after all, it is hard work to hatch out of a shell! Time to work some more. Will write later.

Later...

I'm out! I'm out! After my nap, I struggled with my shell some more. It finally cracked open enough that I could squeeze out into the big world. A few other chicks were around me, some fluffy and dry while others were wet like me. There were plenty of eggshells around, some cracked open, and some still whole. I shivered and shook until my feathers dried, then started on a search for Mamma. She was nowhere to be seen! I peeped wildly, but the only answer I got was the cheeps of the other chicks. I knew she had been there before, I had felt the warmth of her feathers all the time I was in my cramped little shell. I finally gave up calling for her, and got acquainted with my neighbors. Come to find out, we're all related—if not by mother then by father.

I found it a lot of fun to talk to all of them, but it was tiring too, and I hadn't eaten in a long time. One of my siblings (one of those that hatched out first) showed me where I could get some water to drink. That quenched my hunger for a while, and I played with some of the other chicks.

It's been a big day, and I'm tired. Will write more tomorrow.

          3rd April          

  The Box I Was Stuffed In

  I had the most terrible awakening anyone could possibly have this morning. I was aroused as a plastic-coated hand snatched me up and put me in a section of a box, along with other peeping chicks. In the confusion, I was separated from the other chicks that I had made an acquaintance with, but it really didn't make much difference—I was still too tired to do much because of my exhausting adventure yesterday. 

One of the chicks in my part of the box told me that he had seen this same thing happen the day before, only then he hadn't been quite out of his shell, so they didn't get him. Apparently, those terrible and huge giants with plastic-coated hands come through every day and get all the chicks that are out of their shells and dried off.

After we were put in boxes, a lid was pushed on and we were lifted onto something that rolled along on the ground, and then placed in an even bigger thing that moved that had a scary sound to it. We were taken to a store, where with a thump we landed on the cold floor of a back room. There we stayed, peeping away, trying to huddle together to stay warm. The air was cold there compared to the incubators where we had lived before, and I wasn't too happy about my terrible awakening.

Where I was (a diagram of the feed store)

Suddenly, I heard a chatter of children's voices. They got louder and louder, and then the top of my box jerked open.

“Oh, how CUTE!” I heard a little girl say, “Mommy, can I hold one?”

Someone laughed quietly behind her. “Yes, you and Seth may each hold one while I pay for them.” Gentle hands soon held me, and I peeped even louder in distress. The little girl was holding me. What was I to do? It sure was scary!

Soon the mother came back, and I was placed in the box again. Relief! The lid—and the sides of the box, too, had holes punched in them so that we could breath a little easier. Soon after I was put back, the lid was pushed gently back on, and our stack of boxes were picked up with another one of those things with wheels. We were pushed out to the waiting thunder-sounding something-on-wheels, and forced into the back by strong hands. Soon, we were on they way to a new place.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being lifted by soft hands onto a bed of wood shavings. There was a board running right down the middle of the room, dividing us from the white chicks that were going in the other side. As each of us were lifted out, our beaks were dipped in a big water container and in the feed trough. I heard a man say to the mother, “That way, they'll start eating faster.” She agreed. I felt sorry for some of the chicks, the little children kept stumbling over them, and they walked (rather I should say, limped) away. One chick even died when one of the little children accidentally stumbled on it! 

After all the boxes were unloaded, the little children grabbed them and took them to another room down the hall, where they punched out all the little circles in the cardboard boxes that were made for air holes. I heard them planning how they would use them as play money, and play store with them. The little girl got a bag half-full of the circles!

Well, night is fast approaching, so I should go to bed.

A Diagram of Where the Chicks Were Placed:

Yup, that's where I was!

Well, I should go for now. Will be back in a few days with part two!