Looking After The Animals

by teamidris

Chapter One - Chickin' Kickin'

"This one’s not laying no more," called Apple Bloom, her muzzle appearing around the side of the chicken coop.

Applejack frowned, "Chase it out here so I can get a good look at the critter."

Soon she heard the sound of small hooves on wooden planking, followed by squawking and angry clucking. Waiting patiently in the early morning sun, AJ wondered how old the bird was. Was it past its best? Before she could work it out a ball of feathers blasted through the hen house door and made for the gate. Realising the gate wasn’t shut properly, she bucked it shut, but far too late.

"Woah!" Exclaimed Apple Bloom as she studied the decapitated head lying next to the gate, its eyes wide and beak open. "That was amazing. Let’s try another one."

"No can do, little sis. We need as many eggs as we can get."

Giving the gate a good tug, it opened with a jolt, immediately freeing the larger half of the chicken. Upon release, the chicken made a dash along its original escape route, now completely blind due to its missing head. It got up quite a velocity before crashing into a water trough, a trail of blood marking its course.

Apple Bloom studied its adventure with fascination. "They say a chicken can live for weeks without its head if you feed it with a funnel."

"Why in tarnation would we want to do that fer? It already stopped layin'."

The commotion had already attracted the attention of Winona, who sped into the yard to check out the fun. She could smell the blood and made straight for the chicken currently running in circles around the farm yard. One good crunch of bone and she was off with the bird, one wing dragging uselessly on the ground as she headed into the nearest hidey-hole with it.

"Well," mused Applejack, "I guess we don't need to kill anything else for a few days. If’n there’s anything left, I’ll send it on for Gummi. Now, you'd best get your butt to school afore y'all is late!"

Author's Note:

Trying to keep farm animals alive is surprisingly difficult. I was amazed at how far a teenage pig can fall and just shake it off. They land with more of a splat noise than a thump?

Comments

[nothingtoseehere]

"Why in tarnation would we want to do that fer? It already stopped layin'."

I completely lost my shit right here.