A Birthday Chicken

by Heather

The story really started the day we arrived at Kibuye.  Someone gave us a welcome gift:  a rooster.  Our kids adored it, fed it popcorn kernels, attached a leash around its leg, and took it for walks.

It was a great pet… for a day… until it made an enormous ruckus at daybreak.  This meant trouble.  Within hours, the older kids polled the team:  Kill or Keep?  Anna lobbied her hardest, informing everybody of the many reasons to vote “keep.”  She wrote out some persuasive arguments, including “he is important to other chickens,” “he is educashional,” “he is innocent” and “parents can get work done when their kids are playing with him.”  Despite these efforts, after two days of 6am racket, the rooster became Rooster Curry for dinner. 

Since that fateful dinner, the children have been on the lookout for an opportunity to acquire another chicken.  A hen, actually, in order to avoid the 6am disturbance and to see if it would lay eggs.  Anna suggested a hen for Abi’s birthday present.  So we forked over 4000 francs (less than $3) and brought home a shiny black hen for Abigail’s 5^th birthday today.   

The kids are loving it, and it made an easy birthday party theme here where there are no party supplies to be bought.  Egg races, pin the wing on the chicken, and frosting chickens on the banana cake.  Best of all, a real chicken to provide weeks of “educashional” entertainment until we all get hungry for chicken curry.