While raking leaves Bill thought back to the farm his parents had with asparagus, pickles, pumpkins, corn, hay and soybeans. The chores back then were not so bad. He hoed corn from the beans and stacked baled hay. There was the busy time of harvesting, but harvesting had to be done.
The worst were those chickens. He’d reach his hand under a sitting hen to gather eggs only to have it pecked. Sometimes he’d shoo them off the nest. Sometimes they wouldn’t go.
He wouldn’t want some hen doing that to him, but he had to get those eggs.
Linked to Carrot Ranch’s October 15 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of chores.
Whispers and Echoes published one of my very, very short stories, “Lecture”. I wrote it for the Tiny Terrors theme and I am grateful to Sammi Cox for selecting it.
Among other challenges this month, Ronovan Writes announced an annual spooky 13 challenge today and the Carrot Ranch Rodeo is going on.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 
I liked this, Frank. We used to have chores but they didn’t include collecting eggs.
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Although I don’t blame them, those chickens were feisty. Thanks, Robbie!
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I got to collect eggs! I also had a jar of salt my grandma gave my brother and I to put on the slugs on her farm on our way to the chicken coop. That is such a fun memory I have of being a kid. I guess slugs are bad? I loved watching them shrivel up.
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I don’t remember doing that, but then I don’t remember any slugs either. Thank you, Lisa!
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I know an older couple, both had chickens growing up. To this day she enjoys chicken; he despises them, in large part I think, because of having to battle the brooders and those who resent the egg taking. I raised chickens as a kid; the only bad part for me was when the rooster became too aggressive.
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We didn’t have a rooster until we tried to raise our own chicks. I don’t recall if that worked or not. I think we had about 300 birds laying at a time, but that was a long time ago. Thank you!
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I never had more than a dozen hens at a time, knew them all on a first name basis. The banty hen was the incubator, hatching any fertile egg I put in her nest.
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That is a ,more reasonable number than 300 and easier to take care of.
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You’re a busy writer, Frank–always well done!
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Thank you! You seem busy also.
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Not as much on the blog lately 🙂
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I haven’t tried chickens, but understand they get a bit territorial about their eggs!
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I would, too. I can’t blame them. Thank you, Chel!
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