Bob’s Chickens

How old was I when we had a chicken coop and my mother collected the eggs? I think I was 10, my brothers and sister were between 3-7.  Mom never let us go inside the coop. I remember peeping through the door of the wooden structure and seeing them all nesting on their boxes. I saw her go in with a small basket and come out with it full of eggs. There was always dust coming out the windows when they were milling about. I don’t remember them being able to run free, but maybe they did. I did hear the rooster crowing at daylight every day.

Another memory is the beheading of the chicken we were going to eat. It was quick with an axe, but then the chicken was thrown in a barrel to flop around until it was over. This is better than chopping the head off and letting the chicken run around until it expired. That is where “running around like a chicken with it’s head chopped off” came from. It’s an awful sight and futile.

I saw the chicken scalded to get the feathers plucked out. This was a Sunday ritual to have the usual fried chicken in country homes. My dad got so he didn’t even like chicken!!

These chickens look so happy and healthy. They live nearby with a cousin of mine who has visiting deer, raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife at his creek front home.

I have two other cousins who were allowed to collect the eggs as kids and as adults struggle with visual problems from a chicken borne parasite that infected them unbeknownst to them or their family.