Marshal Finch Returns: Chapter Four It Could Be a Good Day for Egg Laying

By Benjamin GroffMedia© | benandsteve.com | ©2026

June 12, 2026

Wait a minute there has been a change!

What change?

During the weeks Marshal Finch was occupied battling chickens, the chickens secretly organized.

Led by a radical rooster faction known as the United Poultry Front, they held an unauthorized election behind Peterson's Feed & Grain.

The vote was conducted under questionable circumstances.

Only chickens were allowed to vote.

The ballot contained one question:

Should Finchfield be renamed Clucksville?
  • Yes
  • Absolutely Yes
  • More Corn
The measure passed overwhelmingly.

The chickens immediately erected new signs around town.

Unfortunately, no human noticed because everyone was busy avoiding peckings.

The town remained legally Finchfield. But, the signs said otherwise.

The Chickens had grown very bold.

So bold, in fact, they had secretly held an election.

Marshal Finch A Good Day For A Egg Fight In Cluckville

Nobody knew about it.

Nobody attended it.

Nobody was invited. Except for those Foul – Birds!

And somehow the chickens voted unanimously to rename Finchfield.

Overnight new signs appeared reading:

WELCOME TO CLUCKSVILLE

C-L-U-C-K-S-V-I-L-L-E

The town charter stated animals can’t vote.

The chickens simply ignored that fact.


Overnight new signs appeared reading: WELCOME TO CLUCKSVILLE

Marshal Chester Finch discovered one of the signs and ballots while riding his moped to work.

He studied the sign carefully.

Then consulted the town charter.

Then consulted the county charter.

Then consulted three separate books regarding poultry authority.

Finally he announced: "I am reasonably certain chickens cannot rename a municipality."

"The chickens disagreed."

The citizens of Cluckville awoke to an unusual sight.

For the first time in weeks, the chickens appeared calm.

No one had been chased into a tree.

No wagons had been overturned.

No mail carriers had been forced to seek refuge atop water towers.

In fact, the chickens seemed… content.

Marshal Chester Finch parked his sputtering moped near the town square and studied the situation carefully.

He adjusted his safety helmet.

Reviewed three pages of poultry regulations.

Then peered through a pair of borrowed binoculars.

The chickens were everywhere.

Perched on rooftops.

Sitting on fences.

Gathered around feed barrels.

And nearly every one of them appeared to be laying eggs.

Finch lowered the binoculars.

“Well,” he said thoughtfully, “it could be a good day for egg laying.”

The townspeople gathered around.

No one knew exactly what that meant.

But everyone agreed it sounded official.

Within hours, baskets of eggs began appearing throughout town.

Hundreds of them.

Then thousands.

The local grocer ran out of storage.

The feed store filled completely.

One farmer reported his barn looked like a giant omelet waiting to happen.

By noon, the town faced a new crisis.

Too many eggs.

Nobody knew what to do with them.

Then old Mrs. Weatherby offered a suggestion.

“What if we throw them at each other?”

There was a moment of silence.

Then enthusiastic cheering.

By one o’clock, Cluckville’s First Annual Emergency Egg Festival was underway.

Rules were established.

Mostly.

Children formed teams.

Adults formed teams.

Even several chickens appeared to organize into teams.

Marshal Finch was appointed Official Referee because no one else wanted the responsibility.

The first egg sailed through the air.

It struck the town banker squarely on the forehead.

The crowd erupted.

The battle had begun.

 

Eggs flew from every direction.

Neighbors attacked neighbors.

Children ambushed adults.

The mayor accidentally hit himself while attempting an underhand toss.

The town doctor declared it the healthiest civic activity he had witnessed all year.

For nearly three glorious hours, Cluckville forgot about its troubles.

People laughed.

People cheered.

People slipped repeatedly. Some egg fights went off better than others. Some people, didn’t take it well.

Egg yolk covered nearly every building in town.

Even the chickens appeared entertained.

Then everything changed.

A rider arrived from the northern road.

His horse was exhausted.

His hat was crooked.

And his expression was one of pure alarm.

He galloped directly into the town square.

The egg fight stopped instantly.

An egg bounced harmlessly off the horse’s saddle.

The rider pointed toward the hills.

“The Feathered Brotherhood!”

The crowd gasped.

Marshal Finch removed a piece of eggshell from his shoulder.

“What about them?”

The rider swallowed hard.

“They’ve collected enough protection money to hire reinforcements.”

The town grew silent.

“What kind of reinforcements?” asked Finch.

The rider hesitated.

“You aren’t going to like this.”

“No one ever says that before good news.”

The rider nodded.

“They’re bringing in trained chickens.”

The townspeople stared.

The chickens stared.

Even the horse appeared concerned.

Marshal Finch slowly closed his notebook.

This was becoming serious.

Very serious.

Because regular chickens were difficult enough.

But trained chickens?

That was an entirely different level of poultry-related emergency.

Finch climbed onto his moped.

The engine coughed.

The siren chirped.

The safety beacon spun.

And somewhere in the distance came the unmistakable sound of hundreds of chickens marching in formation.

The battle for Cluckville was about to enter a dangerous new chapter.


Stories concerning Marshal Finch always appear at High Noon, Arizona time. Where the Sun is High. The Desert is Hot. And the Time Never Changes!

To Be Continued… cluck, cluck, cluck.  

Stories concerning our Moped Riding Hero always appear at High Noon Arizona Time. Where the sun is high, the desert is hot, and time never changes!

 

 

 

 

 


Groff Media ©2026 benandsteve.com Truth Endures

 

Tim’s Journey Raising Game Chickens

GROFF MEDIA 2024© TRUTH ENDURES IMDBPRO

Presented by benandsteve.com By: Benjamin Groff II©s

4–5 minutes

Tim and His Prize Chicken

Tim had been caring for his father’s White Rock chicken pen for months. It was a new chore he got handed as he got older. Tim collected eggs from nests, fed the chickens, and cleaned the pens. He also ensured plenty of fresh water for the fowl to drink.

One day, Tim’s father came home from work. He told Tim they were going on a short trip. The purpose of the trip was to look at game roosters and hens. He suggested that if Tim wanted to buy one, he should bring the money. Tim had been saving this money from doing chores and receiving it as gifts.

Tim gathered his savings—an impressive $25.00—and he and his father set off to explore this new thing he had just heard about: “Game Chickens.” They arrived at a property owned by the Gaines family about twenty miles away. Tim was surprised to see dozens of small doghouses spread across the backyard.

Mr. Gaines, a middle-aged man, came out of the house, greeted Tim’s father, and asked, 

“You’re here about the chickens, aren’t you?”

Tim and his father answered in unison, 

“Yes, we are!”

They looked around and discussed their options. Tim’s father purchased five hens and five guineas. Tim proudly bought a rooster with his savings.

When they returned home, Tim’s father explained, 

“We’ll use the rooster you bought to encourage these hens to lay eggs. Once we collect enough eggs, we’ll place them in a new incubator I bought. I’ll teach you how chickens lay eggs. You’ll also learn how they set and hatch their eggs.”

It felt like forever to collect enough eggs, but it only took about a week. Once they had gathered a good number, Tim’s father marked each egg with an ‘X’ on one side. He marked an ‘O’ on the other side of each egg. He then placed them in the incubator. He ensured the proper humidity. He added a small amount of water to the bottom tray. A screen was placed over the water, and the eggs were laid on top.

Tim’s father explained, –––

“For the first eighteen days, we must turn the eggs regularly. Turn them at least thrice daily. This prevents the developing chicks from sticking to the shell. The incubator will handle the temperature, but it’s up to us to turn them.”

Tim learned they couldn’t touch the eggs with bare hands, as oils from their skin clog the shell’s pores. They used cotton gloves to handle them. Tim eagerly helped his father turn the eggs daily, hoping to see signs of life inside.

As they approached the last three days, Tim’s father announced, –––

“No more turning. The chicks need to position themselves for hatching now. And we must keep the incubator closed—no peeking!”

It was the hardest thing for a nine-year-old to resist opening the incubator, but Tim managed. Then, on the twentieth day, he heard a faint ––

“Peep, peep!”

“Should we open it and see if they’re okay?” 

Tim asked excitedly.

“Not yet,”

His father replied.

“Let’s give it another day or two to make sure they all have time to hatch.”

That was not the answer Tim wanted to hear, but he trusted his father. The next two days felt like an eternity. The soft peep grew louder, and his father finally said, –––

“Let’s open it up and see what we have!”

To their amazement, all fifty eggs had hatched. The incubator was full of tiny, fluffy chicks, chirping loudly in their new world.

Tim and his Rooster
Tim holding his Rooster

Over the next month, Tim was responsible for feeding the chicks a unique grain mix. He also provided fresh water with added vitamins to prevent early diseases common in poultry. In about eight weeks, the chicks had grown into young roosters and hens, scattering in all directions across the farm.

Tim learned that game roosters were naturally aggressive toward each other. As they matured, the males had to be separated or butchered. Many ended up in the freezer, while a few got held back as breeders for future generations.

Tim’s father also explained why Mr. Gaines had so many small doghouses in his yard.

“He separates his game roosters to keep them from fighting. Some people sell them, and some even use them for illegal cockfighting, but we’ll never do that. It’s inhumane and against the law.”

As for the guineas, Tim’s father let them roam freely around the farm. 

“They’re the best burglar alarms you can have. If anything or anyone unusual comes around, they’ll make a racket.”

Tim discovered the game chickens laid green, blue, and brown eggs. All are in demand by area residents looking to avoid white eggs, and they have added health benefits.

Through this experience, Tim gained a lifelong appreciation for the care and responsibility of raising animals. He learned patience, the importance of careful handling, and how to nurture life from beginning to maturity. This lesson stayed with him forever.