We got the chicks and set them down into the tubs one at a time. We each counted fifty-four. His chicks were light yellow with darker backs, and mine were mostly yellow all over. No deaths and eight extras! They were adorable. We set up their feeders and waterers, and Elliot said that was good enough for now, other than checking and cleaning their mess a couple of times a day. Elliot told me that meat birds eat way more feed than regular chickens. They eat so much that you have to take their food away for twelve hours a day when they get a week old. They can grow so fast that they can't walk or their hearts give out. Dad has been doing cross breeds that grow slower but fewer die. These guys will be gone in less than three months. Another shipment will get here the first week of June. So, I guess I'm going to have to figure out how not to get attached.
How could anyone kill and eat something this cute? Anyway, I’m trying to focus on what I’m doing right now and deal with the other stuff as it comes up. Out in the field, the kids were scampering and butting heads, goading their moms into kid behavior. Elliot and I finished feeding the chickens (the grey hen’s chicks are getting big), and the vet came out and picked him up. She took a second to check Frodo’s paw, and they were off.
After they left, Frodo and I took a little walk over to Dad’s tree. I sat on a stump and had a little talk with him. Dad, that is. It was quiet except for a few tiny birds in the bushes and an occasional truck on the highway. There was no one around, but I tell you, for a second, I could smell pipe smoke again…
Amy Stinnett grew up in Louisville, Tennessee. By a circuitous route, she completed her degree, made two cross country moves, and raised a child. She has written short stories and articles that focus on LGBTQ relationships and coming of age, edited an LGBTQ newspaper, and edited works for other writers.
She has a varied background, having worked in group homes with developmentally delayed and chemically addicted individuals, a homeless shelter, private prisons, and a day care, to name a few places.
Some of her favorite authors are Dorothy Allison, Cormac McCarthy, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, William Faulkner, Tom Robbins, Barbara Kingsolver, and Fannie Flagg.
She has a degree in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is a member of the Idaho Writers Guild and the W.I.L.D. Writers Group.
Amy has also lived in Georgia, Florida, Arizona, Idaho, and Eugene, Oregon. She now lives in Ontario, Oregon with her partner, Stephanie, and their son, along with their two dogs, cat, nine goats, and too many chickens to count.
Blog – https://www.amystinnett.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/jumblefish @jumblefish
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/amystinnettwriter
http://www.waitingdogpress.com
Other Works by Amy Stinnett:
Now that Billie has made her choice to run the farm, it’s time to roll up her sleeves and get to work.
Baby chicks and goats want to be fed. Gardens need to be planted and tended. And Billie seems up for the task.
As the farm teems with life, Billie goes after her chores with zeal and tenacity, as her dad did before her. But, unlike her dad, Billie’s no hermit. Before long, the farm has more visitors than ever, but the one person Billie wants in her bed insists on taking things slow, to grow their relationship from the ground up. Dates, day trips, and working with friends on the farm give Billie and Jodie time to get to know each other’s virtues and vices before they are in over their heads. Soon, Billie will learn that nature works on its own schedule.
Chickenshit Volume 2 is the second novel in a four book series that follows Billie Hatcher as she continues to deal with the many challenges that come with life on a small farm.
Billie’s garden is growing. Peppers are popping. Lettuce and tomatoes abound. Squash and melon vines spill over into the yard, and Billie is doing her best not to kill anything.
But every garden comes with a few weeds and pests. Some are harmless, more annoying than anything, but some are noxious, persistent, and intent on destruction. As Billie starts to put down roots in Milepost, with her girlfriend, Jodie, good friends, and helpful neighbors at her side, some unwelcome intruders want to make trouble for her and Jodie.
In the garden, she can just pull the weeds or feed the bugs to the chickens. With people, it’s not that easy.
How will Billie and Jodie deal with a woman who wants to get Jodie fired and run Billie out of town? And when they suspect Billie’s farm has been targeted, can they ever feel safe and know it won’t happen again?
On top of all this, Billie has to say goodbye to this year’s goats. Geez.
Chickenshit Volume 3 is the third novel in a four book series that follows Billie Hatcher as she finds that life in a small town is not always simple.
Autumn leaves are falling. Billie’s meat birds are all gone, butchered and sold, or in the freezer. There are only a few spring goats left from the dozens born in May. The garden is dwindling and ready to close up for the year.
For months, Billie has been working at full speed and trying to grow into her father’s shoes. She dreams of quiet winter evenings with Jodie and time to gather her thoughts, even as she scrambles to get
