Taking chicks to church......

Don't worry it's not what you think.

It is time to purchase market chickens for our fair, which happens at the end of September. This is a pretty simply project for kids. They buy some chickens (in Suzanna's case, 7 little fluff balls), feed them, give them a bath (another story for another day) the morning of the show and the judge comes around to each pen, evaluates the bird and you are done until sale night. Well you do still feed and water the birds all week. But unlike cattle, sheep, pigs, etc., it's not like you have to teach them to lead.

One of the moms in our club bought 100 market chickens and offered to sell whatever members needed to them. Among our 4-hers are several families from our church and one of them is taking on market chickens for the first time. I got their chickens and planned to take them with me to prayer meeting to get them delivered.

Off the kids and I went to church with 7 little chicks in a cardboard box. The temperature has been awful for the past few days, so I knew that we couldn't leave them in the car. We took them into church with us and left them in the back. Mind you we go to a tiny little country church, at the corner of two dirt roads, in the midst of several Amish families. So maybe bringing chicks to church isn't totally unusual. But it would be good to get to church on time, so that you can warn the pastor that you have baby chicks and they might get noisy.

We were late.....so that warning couldn't be delivered. We sneaked into a back row and then they started...getting louder and louder. People in the back row began to look at each other and behind them, trying to figure out what they were hearing. The commotion got louder and the snickers began to get louder. The Pastor had a very puzzled expression on his face, wondering what he was saying that was worthy of snickers. I finally raised my hand and confessed that I was the guilty party for disrupting the service, that I had brought the chicks for Sam and I was sorry. At this point, the youngest daughter leaned over to me and said, "they aren't coming tonight mom, they have a birthday party." Thank you Kathryn, why couldn't you have remembered that when we were getting ready to leave for church??????

Amazingly, the chicks got quiet and we were able to listen to the Pastor without distraction. After the service, everyone had to see the chicks, especially the little kids. By the end of the evening, the chicks went home with another 4-H family who decided it would be a good project for them to take on. I owe Sam 6 chicks, but will find out for sure if he is coming to church before taking them along next time.