Everything but the Cackle

You see this pic, what does it tell you?

I know, I know, just another load of chickens.

But it tells me so much more, and in fact it causes a sense of pride and gratitude to rise in me.

Please read on.

Returning from taking my little not so little girl to school this past week I got in behind this load of chickens being hauled to the processing plant.

It is a common sight on our rural cut through road of Dinan Salem Rd. as we have various chicken farmers scattered through out the area.

What used to be a dairying community has given way over the years to chicken farming and like the once thriving dairy farming was to the area, chicken farming has become the stable for many families.

From their arrival as chicks to their departure, broilers need only six to eight weeks to reach a market carcass weight of four to six pounds.

Some breeds that grow slower may take 10 to 12 weeks.

But the means of an income is not just confined to the producers but the connecting jobs the industry provides to many of the residents here in Walthall and Pike counties and beyond throughout our great state in a spinoff is astounding.

And I need to mention the industry provides a reliable source of nourishment to all of us locally.

Poultry products are a steady part of the Dykes' table fare and readily available in every food mart.

Please pass the chicken!

And with all that being said, I am told there is nothing wasted or discarded with the chicken processed.

Head, feet, internal organs, feathers and even the manure collected over the months of growing in the houses is utilized as some of the best fertilizer called chicken litter that keeps the other cash crops green and growing.

Nothing gets lost but the cackle!

Now, here is why this load of chickens speaks volumes to me and brings a little rise of pride and gratitude inside.

After spending a lot of time in other parts of the world I can appreciate what we have at our disposal that so many other countries don't have, the ways and means to utilize our God given assets.

That's the good thing about living in America and especially here in the deep South.

It truly is the Land of Opportunity and a place where we all are given a chance most of the others can only imagine and dream about.

Especially after spending 3 months this year in arguably the most economically depressed country on earth, Djibouti Africa.

The sight of seeing people digging in the vast city dump for something to eat or use to build a shanty to live in will stay with me until I breathe no more.

My yard dog lives better than they.

So next time you find yourself behind one of these large chicken trucks as I that day, hold your peace and give thanks to the Lord above.

You live in a utopia where you have a blessed life.

Everything but the cackle.

God bless you and God bless America.