Chickerton: The Adventures of the 51st State ~ VOLUME 1

[ChicknsRock]

( This is a story based on my own chickens and how my yard became known as Chickerton. I hope everyone enjoys reading!)

Chapter 1
£ittle Joe crowed proudly in front of the old toolshed, where his wife was busy setting on eggs in a tin clothesbasket filled with hay. She had laid and set on eggs before a year earlier; and it had not been a fortunate family. Her eldest daughter had been killed by a hawk, and her quadriplet sons were killed off by the dogs. Her only descendant left was a coal-black hen named Maria.
And on that cold February morning when Cupcake was setting in the clothesbasket, one by one her little eggs started to hatch. Little Joe stood by the door, chasing off any predators and protecting his family. By the end of the day six little chicks had hatched. They were all unique. Some were black, some were black and white, others mottled, another goldish-reddish. It was quite an interesting-looking brood. Cupcake cooed and clucked to her chicks as they huddled underneath their mama. As night came, Cupcake and her chicks were taken into the farmhouse to keep warm. When morning came, they were all watered and fed wet bitty mash. And as the morning grew warmer they were put outside into a pen on the ground to scratch up worms and small greens and such. Little Joe was not put in the pen, however, for it had no room for an exceptionally large rooster like he; but he stayed nearby, contended as long as his wife and chicks were in sight.
"Bumblebee, Penguin...Cinnamon..." Cupcake said, naming her chicks. "Chickadee, Charcoal, Inkspot!"
"Don't forget the new peep," Little Joe said, looking at the completely yellow chick that just hatched.
"Hmm...her name is Lemon." She finally said.
And so Bumblebee, Penguin, Cinnamon, Chickadee, Charcoal, Inkspot, and Lemon were the new chicks.

 

[ChicknsRock]

Chapter 2
Cottonhead rushed forward, his spurs colliding into Little Joe. Little Joe spurred him back and gave him one final bite on the tail, pulling some of his best and famous lady-attracting tail feathers. It was a comical scene as Cottonhead screamed and bolted, his feet almost coming out from under him. Little Joe crowed triumphantly as he went back to Cupcake's pen.
Cottonhead Martinez was the bully of the yard. He was perpetually fighting roosters, chasing hens, flirting, crowing, spurring, snaking, biting (he even bit the humans!), clucking, running his mouth and gossiping. But of course, he did have some chickens that liked him. For an instance, his sweetheart Bald Eagle never minded his tricks and antics. She even said, "He won't change his ways. That's just him. I'm not sure if I would want to change him." On the other wing, Little Joe and Cupcake were much annoyed by his ways.
The little chicks chirped and peeped as their parents mocked Cottonhead. Bumblebee was dust-bathing with his twin Penguin, Chickadee was eating bitty mash, Inkspot and Cinnamon were underneath their mother and Lemon was perched on a stick wedged between the walls of the pen. Lemon loved perching on things, from a person's hand to a stick or her mother's back.
A month passed. The chicks were four weeks old, and quite ready to have some more adventures. It was a soggy and dreary day when Lydia, the farmer's daughter, decided to make a little contraption for them. Taking the original pen and positioning it to a larger pen for a wall, and then temporarily rigging plastic wire to the larger cage so that the chicks couldn't run through it, she made a playpen of the plastic wire and and put perches and toys and food and a water bottle for the chicks. She let them go into it, and they started to flap their wings and run around joyously. Lemon immediately flew onto the pine tree limb, and the twins continued to do their favorite activity: dust bathing.

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Cupcake was much pleased that her chicks were keeping happy and healthy.

 

[ChicknsRock]

Chapter 3
Peep! Peep! On a warm May Saturday Bald Eagle's chicks began to hatch from underneath the horse trailer. After a while two chicks had hatched and more were coming.
The white-headed black hen went off of the nest to stretch her legs. The two chicks followed. They were so adorable. One was black with a yellow belly, and the other one--despite his cuteness as well--was not as strong and healthy as the other one. His legs were bowed, and he walked on curved feet. Bald Eagle knew he probably wouldn't make it, but helped him to the bitty waterer and food that Lydia set out for them.
Later Bald Eagle, her two chicks, and the other eggs were put into a cage filled with hay, where they stayed for the night. In the morning, two more chicks were hatched; and the poor bow-legged chick sadly died overnight. The brood wasn't off to a great start: one had already died and one of the new peeps was sick. The farm mistress nursed him back to health though, and he was as healthy as any other chick.
The mother hen, with the help of her husband Cottonhead, set to work naming the three chicks. They finally decided on the names: The eldest was Sombrero, the mottled chick was Banjo, and the now healthy chick was Rio. Bald Eagle and her brood were put into a pen on the ground to run around and scratch in, while Cottonhead stayed close by.
Little Joe also guarded his family. Lemon and Cinnamon were perched in their pine-tree limb again, while Bumblebee and penguin were fighting over a grub worm.
"It's MINE!" snapped Bumblebee, bumping his chest into Penguin's.
"It's MINE!!!" Penguin howled as he fell backwards onto his short tail.
Chickadee, Inkspot, and Charcoal were now perched on the stick with Lemon and Cinnamon, cheering and casting votes for the wrestling twin brothers.
"I found it first!" Bumblebee said as he ruffled his feathers, trying to look mean and big.
"I caught it! It's no fair that you get it!" Penguin cried, getting off of the ground.
"Is too fair!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Children!" Cupcake scolded.
"Mother!" Penguin ran to his mother, burying his face in her feathers. "I caught a worm, and Bumblebee won't let me have it."
"Is that true Bumblebee?" Cupcake said, looking at the other rival.
"Yeah, he caught it..." Bumblebee admitted.
"Then he should have it," Cupcake said.
"Too late mom," Bumblebee replied. "I already ate it!"

 

[ChicknsRock]

Chapter 4
Banjo, Rio and Sombrero chirped underneath their mama as she cooed them to sleep. Rio had a hard time going to sleep, so Bald eagle decided to tell him a story.
"Once upon a time," she began, "I was hatched out of a big warm thing called an incubator. I never knew my mother, nor my father. I just knew my name was Águila Calva Alvarado. I grew up with many other chicks in a big coop, and when I was a month old they let me out into a pen with a dirt floor.
"I grew up quickly. When I was a year old my Spanish owners let me go for some reason. I came to this little farm, where I met and married your Padre, Cabeza de Algodón "Cottonhead" Martinez. Then I made a nest of eggs underneath a horse trailer and months later you were hatched."
Rio was already asleep by the time she finished.