Things changed rapidly after the first time the chickens were found in the trash. What used to be a local environmental issue turned into a citywide event. By the end of that first day, news crews from the area had set up cameras near to the spot. Helicopters flew over to take pictures from the air, which showed small, yellow fluff balls crawling around piles of debris. The media hadn’t been this interested in the city since the last mayoral scandal.
Some of the first professionals to show up were veterinarians. They checked out a few of the chicks right away and confirmed what many had thought: they were healthy, vigorous hatchlings that were aware and responsive. They were little more than one or two days old. This timeline only made things more interesting. How might fertilized eggs live for three months without an incubator, rot, and be forgotten about, and then hatch almost perfectly at the same time?
People who study the environment began to look at temperature logs from the dump. In late spring, the decomposition of organic waste caused the internal temperature in some portions of the dump to rise a lot, to levels similar to those of a basic incubator. This, together with the high humidity from the spring rains and the fact that the trash pile acts as an insulator, may have made an excellent spot for birds to build their nests by accident. Still, this kind of thing would be quite rare.
To protect the chicks and the public, city officials sealed off the area. Scientists and caretakers can safely get to the hatching zone without troubling it by utilizing wooden walkways that they made themselves. Volunteers worked with local animal rescue groups to collect the chicks and relocate them safely. They were each given a numbered tag to keep track of them, and a temporary shelter was set up in a city greenhouse. The greenhouse quickly turned into a nursery by accident.
A rotating crew of scientists, veterinary students, and volunteers took care of the chicks, which totaled about 900, for the next few weeks. They were in great health for some reason. There were only a few minor problems and no major diseases, and most of them quickly got used to regular feeding times. The city began accepting applications for anyone to adopt the chicks, and hundreds of people from all across the area sent in applications.
Some folks took in the birds because of what they stood for. A teacher who was older and took in three chicks told reporters, “They made it through what no one thought they could.” If they can get out of a landfill, maybe we can all get through what we’re going through. Others thought the event had a spiritual meaning. People on the internet told stories about how they got lucky after bringing home a “landfill chick.” They found work, got better from their illnesses, and repaired damaged relationships. People believed it, whether it was real or not.
People called the birds by a lot of different names, such as “Miracle Flock,” “Phoenix Chicks,” and “Dumpster Darlings.” Some artists in the area began to create paintings and sculptures based on the event. A mural in the city plaza shows a chick breaking out of an eggshell on top of a pile of old electronics and tires. This shows that life goes on even when death is near.
The person in charge of the dump became a strange celebrity. He got to do interviews, go on talk shows, and even publish a book for kids. In one interview, he said, “I’ve seen a lot of strange things out there.” But this? This was not the same. The ground seemed to be saying, “Not done yet.”
The article also made people discuss more about food waste in general. Advocacy groups used the media spotlight to push for new ways to supply eggs and stricter standards. During a protest, someone asked, “How many more eggs go to waste in landfills across the country?”
But out of all the science, symbolism, and presentation, this could have been the most powerful image: small yellow chicks that were born from broken, thrown-away eggs and are now thriving well in backyards, school farms, and gardens for the elderly all around the city. They became a part of daily life, pecking at the ground, looking for bugs, or napping in the sun.
These weren’t just any birds. They got through it. This indicates that even in places where individuals are forgotten, something can happen that people will always remember.
