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Raising Chickens in my Youth

Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2012

by David Tanguay

I was born and raised in the city however when I was 12 years old my family moved on a chicken farm. We would raise chickens (broilers) 15,000 to be exact.

It was my job to feed the chickens every day after school. There were feeders lined up in the barn; I had to fill the feeders with grain for the chickens to feed on. It took me about 3 to 4 hours to feed them all.

When I started feeding the chickens, we had the feed in 100 lb. bags. For a 12-year-old boy that was heavy. My brother build grain bins in the barn when a delivery of feed came it went into these bins so when it came time for feeding I would only have to put my pail by the trap door and alloy the feed to empty into my bucket.

We raised the chickens from the day they hatched as chicks until they were about 9 weeks old. Then the company we raised them for would come and take the chickens away and slaughtered for market as broilers.

We only lived on the farm for about two years then we moved back to the city. Feeding those, chickens every day made me quite strong for it build up my muscles doing that work. When I was in school, no one could put me down in arm wrestling I was the champ and I owe it all to those chickens I fed every day.

Looking back at those days I reminisce at those days it was then I began to smoke. Yes, I was only 13 when I began to smoke cigarettes; I use to hide them from my mother. At night after feeding the chickens, I would find a place to light up and smoke.

During the time, I lived on the farm Kennedy was president it wasn’t until I moved back to the city when assassinated by an assassin’s bullet he was on that brutal November day in 1963.

“Dare to be honest and fear no labor.” Robert Burns

Dave Tanguay was born on November 8,1948 in Westbrook, Maine. The 10^th. child of a family of eleven children. Served in Vietnam in the 60s, he became active with the youth movement of that day on completion of military duty. Now retired and living in Florida. (still believes in the young)

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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)

» left by Susan Thom
100 days 14 hours ago.
178 fans.

hi david,

times change and so do we.

it appears from this and other articles you've written that you actually had a good childhood, that created a good man.

my best to you,

chick, i mean sue! :)

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» left by David Tanguay 100 days 13 hours ago.
187 fans.

Thank you for commenting chick. I mean Sue

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» left by Susan Thom
100 days 13 hours ago.
178 fans.

clever there, mr. david......

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» left by Natalija Kontanistova
99 days 18 hours ago.
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Hey David! I think that this experience gives us a basis for life and makes it easier to overcome difficulties. I live in the city only six years, but rural life, however, pulled me back.

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» left by David Tanguay 99 days 17 hours ago.
187 fans.

Yes Natalija, living in the country with responsibilities gives us a lesson in life. thanks for commenting.

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