Mission: Midnight Chicken Trapping

I stumble my way through the muddy driveway to my trailer, tonight there are no stars. Last night I can remember lingering outside longer than normal to stare at the brightest stars I’ve seen in a while. But today a thick layer of clouds hung in the sky all day. The clouds didn’t make an exception for the sun and it appears they don’t intend to make an exception for the stars either. My trailer is cold when I get in but I go straight to the HeatDish that warms the sleeping area and turn on the Christmas lights that instantly make the whole room cozy.

I feel my hands, they are starting to get tougher and my nails are now caked with a healthy layer of chicken grime. I've just come in the door from a chicken trapping extravaganza. Tonight our mission was to get the pullets accustomed to their new trailer. Long after nightfall when they were all huddled together in their makeshift pens, eight of us went out to ambush them. With our headlights beaming paths of light infront of us we chased the few loose chickens around, cornering them until we could grab them. Then, three people went inside the mesh pens to trap the bulk of the hens. One by one, they were passed down an assembly line of people by their feet and handed to the five of us who would shuttle them 20 yards away into the trailer. With two chickens dangling from each hand and all sorts of chicken dirtiness dripping from our fingers we walked through the dark and placed them carefully on the floor of the trailer. Stunned form the hypnotic journey they would lay there stupefied for a while until they could get their bearings and stand sleepily. At the beginning, I felt each of the four chickens I was holding, aware of their movements and differences. By the 300th chicken, I was significantly more desensitized, the scaly feet felt all the same to me. Nevertheless the novelty never quite wore off, every time I made another trip to the trailer I watched in awe at the mass of chickens that covered the floor. After a few trips some chickens even began to get the idea and move up to the rafters.