- Jul 22, 2008
- 448
- 1
- 129
Prologue
It was dark inside the egg, and cramped. It used to have more room in it, and food, but now the food was all gone, and the chick had grown big enough to feel cramped in its egg. It needed more room, so the chick pecked at the walls of the egg until a crack appeared. The chick kept pecking until it could get its head out. Then, exhausted, the chick fell asleep... but not before seeing its mother, a beautiful Buff Orpington, looking down at him and clucking softly and happily.
When the chick woke up a few hours later, he could not find his mother. He finished pecking his way out of the egg and looked around for her, but he did not see her. He was not in the same place; before, he was outside, but now, he was in a house, in a brooder with the other eggs, his siblings. Some of them already had their heads out of their eggs, and others were pecking their way out of their eggs, but none of them had emerged as far as he had. Once again, he was tired from pecking his way out of the egg, and he fell asleep.
The next time he woke up, his siblings were done hatching too, and were sleeping. There were two pullets and one other cockeral. He looked around for his mother again. When he did not see her, he started peeping for her. He said, "Mommy! Mommy! Where are you?" as loudly as he could, but there was no reply. His brother woke up, but he did not hear his mother.
The chick's brother said, "Be quiet. I'm trying to sleep." Then he dozed off again. A little while later, he lay down and fell asleep too. Since chicks in a brooder always have a light on nearby, they just take naps a lot instead of sleeping the whole night.
When the chick woke up again, it was because they were being moved. A human picked him and his brother up and put them in a small box. Then he put their two sisters in the box too. The box was closed, so they could not see where they were being moved, but they were all peeping loudly. His sisters were peeping in fright, his brother was trying to ask the humans what was going on, and he was peeping for his mother. When the box was opened, the chicks were taken out of it and put in a cage that had other chicks in it. Some were Buff Orpingtons, and the others were Black Austrolorps. They were in a feed store, though they did not know it.
One of the humans said about the chick, "He will look like a gold leaf when he grows up." Then, for some reason, everyone started calling him Goldleaf, and that became his name, since his mother was not able to name him before he was taken away from her.
Every day, someone entered the store and bought a few chickens. When a chick was bought, he or she never came back to the store. One day, someone bought Goldleaf and a few of the other chickens, including two pullet Buff Orpingtons, Dandelion and Buttercup, a cockeral Buff Orpington, Goldfinch, some Black Astrolorps, some White Leghorns, and some Silver-laced Wyandottes. They were all put into a box that was smaller than the cage they had been in, but still large enough. The box was closed and put inside a truck. After a little while of riding in the truck, it made a sharp turn and went over a bump, sending the box flying out.
When it landed it opened, and all the chicks went flying out. They all started running in different directions. A Silver-laced Wyandotte pullet ran back onto the street, but a car was headed straight for her. She started running and calling for help, but of course the car soon caught up to her. The car drove over her, litterally. The wheels did not touch her; the car just went over her. Then all the chicks ran into a nearby group of trees to hide.
It was dark inside the egg, and cramped. It used to have more room in it, and food, but now the food was all gone, and the chick had grown big enough to feel cramped in its egg. It needed more room, so the chick pecked at the walls of the egg until a crack appeared. The chick kept pecking until it could get its head out. Then, exhausted, the chick fell asleep... but not before seeing its mother, a beautiful Buff Orpington, looking down at him and clucking softly and happily.
When the chick woke up a few hours later, he could not find his mother. He finished pecking his way out of the egg and looked around for her, but he did not see her. He was not in the same place; before, he was outside, but now, he was in a house, in a brooder with the other eggs, his siblings. Some of them already had their heads out of their eggs, and others were pecking their way out of their eggs, but none of them had emerged as far as he had. Once again, he was tired from pecking his way out of the egg, and he fell asleep.
The next time he woke up, his siblings were done hatching too, and were sleeping. There were two pullets and one other cockeral. He looked around for his mother again. When he did not see her, he started peeping for her. He said, "Mommy! Mommy! Where are you?" as loudly as he could, but there was no reply. His brother woke up, but he did not hear his mother.
The chick's brother said, "Be quiet. I'm trying to sleep." Then he dozed off again. A little while later, he lay down and fell asleep too. Since chicks in a brooder always have a light on nearby, they just take naps a lot instead of sleeping the whole night.
When the chick woke up again, it was because they were being moved. A human picked him and his brother up and put them in a small box. Then he put their two sisters in the box too. The box was closed, so they could not see where they were being moved, but they were all peeping loudly. His sisters were peeping in fright, his brother was trying to ask the humans what was going on, and he was peeping for his mother. When the box was opened, the chicks were taken out of it and put in a cage that had other chicks in it. Some were Buff Orpingtons, and the others were Black Austrolorps. They were in a feed store, though they did not know it.
One of the humans said about the chick, "He will look like a gold leaf when he grows up." Then, for some reason, everyone started calling him Goldleaf, and that became his name, since his mother was not able to name him before he was taken away from her.
Every day, someone entered the store and bought a few chickens. When a chick was bought, he or she never came back to the store. One day, someone bought Goldleaf and a few of the other chickens, including two pullet Buff Orpingtons, Dandelion and Buttercup, a cockeral Buff Orpington, Goldfinch, some Black Astrolorps, some White Leghorns, and some Silver-laced Wyandottes. They were all put into a box that was smaller than the cage they had been in, but still large enough. The box was closed and put inside a truck. After a little while of riding in the truck, it made a sharp turn and went over a bump, sending the box flying out.
When it landed it opened, and all the chicks went flying out. They all started running in different directions. A Silver-laced Wyandotte pullet ran back onto the street, but a car was headed straight for her. She started running and calling for help, but of course the car soon caught up to her. The car drove over her, litterally. The wheels did not touch her; the car just went over her. Then all the chicks ran into a nearby group of trees to hide.
e
