A Basket of Chicks

     I ran through the forest as fast as I could to the small grove of trees I knew so well. I knew today would be the day they arrived. I could hardly breathe as I peeked under the large rock with the moss and ivy intertwined in its crevices. I carefully pulled the looser ivy blanket from the hollow space beneath the boulder. I heard some faint cheeps and held my breath as a low growl was expelled from the small cave. I reached in, getting pecked and growled at several times, and found my way under the wild turkey to feel some fluffy turkey chicks cheeping in protest as I carefully wrapped my fingers around one of them. Pulling her out, I heard the mother hen calling her back in. I carefully placed her in my large basket filled with hay. Mama will be so happy, I thought, as I quickly gathered the rest of the chicks and hatching eggs and placed them in my basket, along with the loudly protesting mother. Yes, this would make Mama happy at last. I quickly got up, being careful not to hurt the chicks or the mother. I knew I was doing these babies a favor, as soon as I heard gunshots a few miles off. The hunters should not be on our land, but sadly the poachers are a common sight in the thickets of our farmland. I have been watching over these eggs that are so precious, while always making sure to cover my tracks. Should hunters have found the hen, she would protect her eggs to the death, most likely being shot in the process, and the eggs would be left to die. I had found this nest several weeks ago, hoping they would hatch in time for Easter, and thankfully they have, seeing as tomorrow is Easter Sunday. Mama always tries to make us small cookies in the shape of eggs to have for our Easter baskets, but this being our first year on the new farm, she doesn't have enough time or energy to make them. I thought I should get her something instead, seeing as she gave up her flock of laying chickens to move to Virginia for farming. She has been looking for some chicks or a hen, but she has not found one yet. I had hoped to find an escaped broody hen, but had gotten caught at the next door farm, and the hen was soon retrieved from her hiding spot to hatch some chicks for those farmers. However, walking home from their farm, I had heard a rustling and growling in a circle of trees. Trying to contain my excitement, I soon found the hen and her clutch. I knew that Mama would be just as pleased to have some large speckled turkey eggs as the small, brown chicken eggs. I just hoped that she would then keep the toms as well and hatch more, and not use them for meat, as they were too cute to eat at the moment.
   Like my story so far? If so, please tell me how it should end in the comments below. This is not a true story, but if you know of a story somewhat like this, I would love to hear it. Thanks!
-Amelia




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting to know myself.

Image
If someone ever says they know themselves, truly and wholly, I would not believe them. I learn new things about myself everyday. Some things I think I have known for a while, but I have never truly realized their depth. I have never realized that animals are a legitimate addiction, even though I have known it for years. My latest "these will be the last ones!" other than the fish, which tend to be okay since they don't add too much work. I never realized that whenever I ask for a new pet, I always, always, say, "After this, I will not ask for more. My collection will be complete." I realized that today when I asked Dad if I could get this little creature instead of a coldwater tank: "Please, Daddy! If I still want it by the time it is my birthday, can't I have it instead of my coldwater tank? I could empty all the water out, and it wouldn't take much care." What Dad said next went something like this: "It is not a...
Read more

Another Post is Due....

      So here it is! I am sorry I have kind of put this off, but I have been very busy lately. I have been reading, writing, cooking, farming, and many other things. I have started to write a book, and that is going very well so far, and I hope to talk about it more in another post. I have been cooking and baking, the most recent being chocolate mousse and tiramisu. I have been farming, and the latest big but sad news on that is that Ferris, my beautiful male quail, got killed by something. His ladies, Ophelia and Athena, are doing well, though they have stopped laying. I have finally signed up for Classical Conversations, which is my local homeschool co-op, and I am going into tenth grade level, although I still have to do some ninth grade things during the year. I am the only girl out of four students, but I know all the guys, so it should be fun. Katie is still being a very crazy puppy, but we figured out some new ways to help tire her out. Right now, she is laying dow...
Read more

A LOT of stuff happening!

     Hi guys, how are you? I am quite well, and am enjoying my last two weeks of being 13; wow, it has almost been a whole year since I started this! Well, my birthday is June 10th, if you want to comment happy birthday, or if you just wanted to know. We have been quite busy on what I like to call our hobby homestead.  Two female adult quail have been added to our small flock, named Ophelia and Athena, as well as two Salmon Faverelle pullet chicks. Names for them are TBD, and we just put seven, yes seven, duck eggs into the incubator, this night, as a result of the duck tragedy . Thea is at a dance right now, about to get home. I am quite tired; I had babysitting at high school youth group, as I am not quite in high school. I also did a bit of work around the house with the chicks and quail. I always feel like when I turn another year older, I am going to somehow feel so different, but it just feels like I am another day older, which I technically am. I have been wri...
Read more