Reflections: The chicken wore glasses

Ed Hungness

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Ed Hungness

January 22, 2012

By Ed Hungness Local columnist The Record Eagle Mon Jan 30, 2012, 01:12 PM EST

'She saw the world through rose-colored glasses." Most of us have heard this expression at one time or another. It is a saying that can have several connotations. It's generally interpreted that those who look through rose-tinted glasses look on the bright side of life and are usually happy. They are friendly, cheerful souls that are hard not to like. They seem to focus on beauty and radiate positive vibes.

Seeing the world through rose-colored glasses can carry a different interpretation. Although the colored glasses paint a pretty picture, now and again this positive attitude is inspired by sentimentality or inaccurate information. In the real world, not all situations are as rosy as they might appear. There are those "red flags" or realities to be dealt with. Often a fine line separates the idealist from the realist.

So where did rose-colored glasses come into the picture? During the mid-1800s, glasses with colored lenses were used to treat various diseases and illnesses. Blue lenses were used to treat insanity, yellow ones were prescribed for treating syphilis and pink lenses cured depression. The belief was that pink or rose-colored glasses made you a happier individual. This is most likely where the expression, "a rosy outlook on life" originated.

You are probably wondering about the title of today's column. What about the chicken that wore glasses? Chickens don't always get along with each other. Sometimes, for questionable reasons, they "pick" or should I say "peck" on each other. Most chicken aficionados explain this activity as having to do with dominance. The terms "pecking order" and "hen pecked" no doubt originated as a result of this rude barnyard behavior.

When one chicken starts to peck another, it is difficult to get them to stop. If unchecked, feathers are pulled out; leaving a bald spot and eventually blood is drawn. Once the dominant chicken sees blood, it continues to peck the open wound eventually leading to the death of the victim. Things are not always rosy in the henhouse.

So what is a chicken farmer to do? Necessity, it is said, is the mother of invention. In 1939, Joseph Hass, who founded National Band & Tag Co., invented rose-colored glasses for chickens. When attached to its beak, the chicken is unable to distinguish the color red. The inventor correctly assumed that this would calm the chicken's aggressive behavior.

Once equipped with the new specs, and seeing their world through rose-colored glasses, the cooped-up chickens became more laid back. They quit picking or pecking on one another. Peace and tranquility prevailed and life in the barnyard soon returned to normal. Normal that is until the farmer developed a craving for a Sunday dinner of fried chicken.

Ed Hungness and his wife became full-time residents of Fife Lake in 2005 after Ed's retirement. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com or by mail at P.O. Box 57, Fife Lake, MI 49633