The Trouble With Chickens

Millicent, who J.J. calls Moosh, is a secondary character in The Trouble With Chickens who acts as a foil to the protagonist. Moosh’s humorous appearance and funny mannerisms make her an entertaining and likable character despite often irritating and confusing J.J. He describes her as a “crazy chicken” who was “short” and “tired-looking” with a “funny red comb on her head” (1). J.J.’s impression is that Moosh is an unintelligent bird: “The truth was somewhere between her brain and her beak. I wasn’t sure it would survive the trip” (10).

Throughout the story, Moosh acts on emotion rather than logic, often worsening her already difficult situation. Moosh is a caring mother to her chicks and panics when Poppy and Sweetie go missing. For example, Moosh breaks down in tears when she receives the first ransom note, only asking, “What does it mean?” (29).

Panic overwhelms Moosh when she sees Vince’s shadow in the window. While J.J. tries to problem-solve, “Moosh was keeping herself busy by losing her mind. ‘Vince the Funnel has my chicks!’ screamed Moosh. She was running around like a chicken without a head” (40). When Moosh learns that three of her chicks are in the house with Vince, she runs inside the house by herself without telling J.J., ruining his rescue plan. Moosh’s heightened emotions and lack of planning contrast with J.J.’s calmer demeanor and logical approach.

While Moosh did not intend to endanger J.J. or organize the kidnapping herself, she did not help J.J. unravel the mystery, even though she suspected her chick, Sugar, could be involved. Moosh’s apology to J.J. shows her humility and desire to make amends with him. Despite her mistakes, Moosh also has some strengths: she is “tough,” and she is very motivated to care for her family.

Peep, or Sugar as J.J. calls her, is an intelligent and gutsy chick with an important role as a secondary character in the story. The book introduces Sugar at the beginning of the story alongside her sister, Dirt, when Moosh approaches J.J. for help. Overwhelmed with worry, Moosh cannot articulate the problem to J.J., and Sugar is the one who reveals that her siblings Poppy and Sweetie are missing.

The author characterizes Sugar as a surprisingly tough little bird, considering how small and young she is. Sugar has a delicate and funny appearance, and J.J. compares her to a piece of popcorn. However, he soon realizes that she is also very brave and resilient as she urges him to keep searching for Poppy and Sweetie in the rainstorm: “Sugar was in my face. ‘Listen, mutt, my brother and sister are missing, and you’re worried about getting wet?’ She was so close to me I could have bitten her in half. ‘Get lost,’ I mumbled. ‘Make like a sponge mister.’ I had to hand it to Sugar — she was as tough as her mother” (18).

Sugar’s intelligence is obvious and an important part of the story’s plot. Sugar uses her smarts to try to dictate what J.J. should do. For instance, when they receive a ransom note, Sugar immediately understands it and directs the others: “Sugar spoke before I could. ‘It means we need to be in the chicken coop by six thirty. Sugar’s head wasn’t filled with feathers, that’s for sure. I was going to have to keep my eye on her” (29). Moreover, when J.J. is locked in the house, Sugar reveals that she colluded with Vince to gain access to the house’s library since she loves reading.

Sugar can be selfish and short-sighted; she betrays J.J. to fulfill her own goals. However, she can make amends by helping J.J. and the chickens escape from Vince. By contributing to the team effort, Sugar redeems herself and shows that she can be humble and work with others. At the end of the story, Sugar is no longer rude to J.J. and kindly invites him to join her family on the couch: “Sugar motioned for me with her tiny wing” (115). By becoming more friendly and mature, Sugar forms form a friendship with J.J.

Little Boo, or Dirt as she is called throughout the story, is a secondary character in the story. Dirt is one of Moosh’s young chicks. Like Sugar, she is a small and fluffy chick who looks young and fragile. The author describes her as a “little puffy” bird that looks like “fuzzy popcorn.” Dirt often gets into mischief with her sister, Sugar, which annoys their neighbor, J.J. He narrates, “Dirt and Sugar were playing in my food bowl. Crazy chicks. I was losing patience” (6).

Unlike her sister, Sugar, Dirt is not very assertive or intelligent. At the beginning of the story, the text portrays Dirt as somewhat simple and distractible. For instance, as J.J. and Moosh try to deal with the ongoing crisis, Dirt is daydreaming: “She looked like a toothpick with a head. She was about to speak when a ladybug flew by. ‘Pretty polka dots,’ she remarked” (56). Nevertheless, Dirt is obedient and follows her mother’s or Sugar’s instructions. J.J. uses this quality to his advantage, training Dirt to get into the house and spy on Vince.

By learning from J.J., Dirt develops her skills and becomes a big help to her family later in the story. While the chickens are trapped in the house, Dirt uses her training to closely observe Vince and the house. This helps her make a plan to trap Vince and free J.J.: “Dirt took a good look around the kitchen…‘I have a plan,’ she said” (102). Dirt’s plan is a success, earning her J.J.’s respect and showing her growing intelligence and maturity. J.J. congratulates her for her good thinking, and she replies that he was a great teacher.