Some days chicken, some days feathers
What does "Some days chicken, some days feathers" mean?
It means sometimes you succeed, and sometimes you fail. Foxes and other wild animals often eat chickens, but when the chicken escapes the fox only gets feathers, which he can't eat.
Another related phrase is, "sometimes you get the bear; sometimes the bear gets you". That type of failure is more drastic than just getting a mouthful of feathers.
Sometimes, you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. (Windscreen for our UK friends.)