Like a Mother Hen
Remember I got some new chicks? Well they didn’t want to live in the cage. They started jumping out last week so I went ahead and took all of them out and let them run around in the chicken house.
It didn’t take long for the most adventurous chick to find her way out of the house into the fenced-in yard. The next day she was followed by a couple more , and eventually all of them were outside running around chasing bugs.
My husband was worried that they might be able to escape the fence , and he was correct. Yesterday I went outside with the dogs , who are usually in the house with me, and before I noticed that the chicks were on the loose , Ellie grabbed one in her mouth and killed it. I was holding Chico’s leash and yelling No! No! , but alas.
I finally came to my senses and grabbed Ellie’s collar before she could catch another one and also yelled for my son to help me . I got the dogs into the house and then rounded up the chicks.
That was pretty funny because there was an open animal cage/trap in the barn and most of the chicks ran into it, making my job easier. I only had to catch one of them . By then my husband had come out to help and he picked up the cage and tried to dump them into their actual cage, but they were holding on with their claws! Silly chicks!
Fast forward a couple days. My husband fixed the fence where they had escaped and now they’re safely living with the big chickens.
I’m very glad that the older chickens have accepted them so well. With our other chicks we were so nervous about introducing them into the flock. I think having the cage in the coop was a good idea.
In fact, one of the older hens has adopted the chicks as her own! It’s the cutest thing ever! They are sticking with her and she is teaching them chicken stuff . She’s not one of the roosters favorites, as evident by her fully feathered back, so she never has had any “children” of her own. Now she has 9!
We were walking the dogs this evening and Chico went over to look at the chickens through the fence. The mother hen reacted instantly and fiercely! She fluffed out her feathers, jumped into air and started making noises. I think she pecked his nose. It was hilarious and so cool.
Luke 13:34-35
[34] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! [35] Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
I took a few pictures. Hope you had a lovely Easter!
