CHICKENS’ REVOLUTION

Taofeek Babalola

It’s mid December, Josi sat at a corner in her pen, thinking of how the end of the month would be.

A number of chickens had been brought to the poultry two weeks before now, they all are happy to meet new chickens, and their joy could be traced to the care and hospitality they are enjoying, which is obviously greater than their previous poultry.

“Josi stood up and gazed, what? Saba! Kolo! What is with the drama?

The broilers are climbing the pen’s wall and jumping around with their mouths full of feeds. Two layers in Josi’s pen, Gemu and Kali can be seen flapping one feather at a time and purring in contentment.

“Do y’all know what will happen to you at the month’s end? Do y’all think these over feeding and care come from the depth of humans’ hearts?

Frustrated Josi questioned them in anger, her petal like feathers puffed up and she growled loudly in distress.

Out of confusion, Saba asked Josi why she is so angry at their behaviors and impatiently wanted to know what befalls them when the month ends.

The end of us! Saba,We would be dead bodies rolling around inside pots of soup. Josi replied!

“Why would we die? What is our offence?” Saba asked.

Josi’s tone changed and said; “See, Fellow chickens! All of you should listen carefully wherever you are and hear me. I was a chick when they brought me and some others here, out of all of us that were brought, only Simu sitting right there, Bluffy who has been ill since last week and I are remaining, the coming Christmas will be my third in this place.”

“All the Chickens we met here and those among us that have grown to what they need would be taken out to that big house at the front, they would kill them, remove their feathers and sell them to their fellow humans to devour. We do not offend them, our meat is what makes their Christmas merry, they only raised us to kill and eat us.”

Gemu got frightened, she squawks, the feeds in her mouth could not pass down to her throat and she felt like vomiting. Other chickens in the poultry murmured, they couldn’t believe their ears.

A broiler then asked what can be done to avert the massive killing, as he doesn’t wants to die yet.

Revolution is the solution! Kolo, Simu snapped, and immediately replied. He stood up from where he was sitting, “Josi and I had thought about it, we revolt! That’s only the way out.”

Our plan is to attack them when they come to feed us tomorrow morning.

He moved a bit closer to the door of his pen and said; “Fellow chickens, we have claws that are sharp and our beaks are long and pointed, these people are afraid of what we have, I have tried it few times. If everyone chicken join hands to attack them, our victory shall be announced in a day.

“It’s high time we put a stop to this, let who is asleep be wake, let who could not hear this hear. These people shall run helter-skelter tomorrow, we shall attack them from every angle. Aim at their eyes, your beak is strong enough to blind them.” Simu Concluded!

His voice can be heard across all the pens in the poultry. Each and every chicken stood, a layer crowed; cookle-a-doodle! They all growled and crowed in high pitch and unanimously chanting;

This is our time! This is our time! This is our time!…