Wild chickens

My favorite thing in Key West was the wild chickens that roam the streets. Key West undoubtedly has a lot of charms, but for me, it was all about the birds.

My grandfather had an egg farm when I was a child, for several years before he retired. I have a lot of memories of the absolute din and stink of thousands of chickens in cages just big enough to turn around in.

I wasn't liberal then, or taught to be shocked by these things, and it just seemed messy and nasty, the cost of doing this kind of work. I felt sorry for the chickens, but I was told they didn't hurt. I don't know what chickens feel, maybe they didn't. They were certainly dumb as a box of rocks.

But I loved the 'bitties,' the chicks, and wanted to know every time I came if there was a new shipment in. They didn't have individual coops, they ran around in a big empty barn all together. They didn't stink as bad or make as much noise, although the shrill *cheep* of hundreds of bitties all at once is still quite deafening.

And of course they were soft and fuzzy and cute.

My traveling companion and his family thought I was funny and silly as hell when I chased chickens all over the sidewalk. Then I caught one. I herded a bitty away from the group and kept his eye fixed on me while I brought my arm around behind him. He was sweet and didn't bite and I petted him for a moment then let him go again. But I wished I could keep him.

There's a Chicken Store in Key West, too, a tourist stop that sells chicken-themed souvenirs and promotes the owners' desire to 'save' the Key West wild chickens. Apparently they are considered quite the nuisance by some people, who want to catch them and kill them, or deport them. The store houses several chickens and roosters who have roomy coops and are given roaming time around the store as well. The chickens are, though not aboriginal, as much part of Key West as people, as they came there with the first settlers. Here's a link if you want to read more: keywestchickens.com

The thing that impressed me the most about the birds was the family ties that I never got to observe around the farm as a kid. Roosters defend their territories, hens and broods, making sure their children are safe and have food. They are fierce, loyal, proud, responsible.

One day, we stopped the car to watch as a hen and her chicks crossed the road. Once they were safely approaching the far sidewalk, here comes the rooster. It was apparent he was watching them from a better vantage point to make sure that they crossed safely, before making the trip alone by himself.