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The idea for this book came from a song that I sang as a child, about the life of a chicken on the farm. Chickens raised on the farm back in those days were not raised in a commercialized setting, cooped up in cages, but were what we would call today “free-range chickens,” meaning that they were free to wander about the barnyard.
First of all, early in the morning the rooster would act as an alarm clock. From his crowing, the farmer was able to get an early start. The farmer would then let the chickens out of the chicken house.
Secondly, the farmer would throw grains of corn on the ground for the chickens. When the chickens finished eating the grain, they would continue scratching for other food, such as worms. Also, the hens would lay eggs, which were then used for food and for money to buy other foodstuffs for the farmer and grain for the chickens.
Finally, the rooster was always on the lookout for a chicken hawk. When a chicken hawk would appear, the rooster would cry out a warning, enabling the chickens to run to safety. The hens were very protective of their chicks. Even if her life was in danger, a hen would protect her chicks by spreading her wings over them and stay with them until the rooster or the farmer came to her aid. When night came, the chickens would go into the chicken house to roost. The farmer would lock the chicken house door to keep out predators, such as the fox. When the farmer would lock the door to the chicken house, it seemed to disturb the chickens, because they would cackle as if to say, “Ain’t nobody here but us chickens.”
LEAVIE CATER, SR.
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