By Angela Marshall
But Little Momma has proven herself to be a dedicated mother, determined to hatch her young while other hens easily relinquish their eggs. She follows her natural instincts, not the learned habits of so many other chickens at Eckhardt Feed and Coal on Church Street.
You might not expect to find chickens in an area like Baldwin, less than 30 miles from one of the biggest cities on Earth. But they have been a staple at Eckhardt since the store opened in 1917.
And while they may not be a big moneymaker for the business, the owners wouldn't think of getting rid of them. "Our motto is, Change is bad sometimes," said Danny Breen, 28, who has worked for the Eckhardts since he was 14.
He is the keeper of the chickens and was surprised when Little Momma, as he calls her, chose to sit on her eggs. Usually their chickens leave the eggs in their nests and go about their business, knowing that Breen or one of the other workers will take them.
She may have started a trend. One of the other hens is now sitting, patiently, on her eggs.
The business still sells baby chicks from time to time, but many of these are born when Eckhardt hosts hatchings for local school children. Throughout the school year, they receive numerous requests from teachers to bring their classes by and see a chick break out of its shell.
"We get inundated with phone calls from schools," Breen said. But he doesn't mind. He likes watching the children experience seeing the miracle of life.
Breen remembers visiting his grandfather's farm when he was growing up and thinks of his work at Eckhardt as a natural progression.
"It's a neat little thing," he said of the generations who've come to see their first chicken. "It was a great place to grow up."
He relishes the idea of keeping tradition alive, and talks about the need to remember what the area used to be like.
There are approximately 125 chickens living in the pens now. About seven years ago a goat, Eckie, joined them. The goat lives across the street in one of Eckhardt's garages, but during the day she hangs out with the chickens.
Throughout the day, people stroll past and say hello. A big sign reminds them that Eckie has her own food and they needn't share theirs.
