Domestic chickens

Domestic chickens were both a source of cash and, after the Rantz family’s departure, one of Joe Rantz’s remaining food sources. Their place on the farm makes their losses during the economic collapse more than a change in livestock: they mark the narrowing of the household’s means of survival.

The Farm Flock

Harry Rantz and Joe built a rough henhouse on the stump farm, which eventually housed more than four hundred Domestic chickens. The flock belonged to a working farm still being built piece by piece; its eggs became one of the household’s principal sources of money.

Losses on the Farm

After the 1929 financial crash, the farm’s difficulties accumulated. Wild dogs began chasing the cows, weakening the farm’s milk income. Two weeks later, mink entered the henhouse and killed dozens of Domestic chickens. They returned a few nights afterward, and the resulting loss of egg income further reduced the family’s cash resources.

Joe’s Remaining Supply

When Joe later took stock of the food left in the house, eggs from the Domestic chickens that had survived the mink attacks were among the few provisions available. He drove iron stakes into the ground to strengthen the coop against further attacks and valued the small number of eggs he could gather each morning. The flock’s role had shifted: from a large farm enterprise whose eggs brought in money, it had become a guarded, limited source of food for Joe as he learned to fend for himself.