One of the projects I’m working on (by request from my kids) is compiling all the life lessons we’ve learned into one family document. These are the lessons this mama hen wants her chicks to know before they leave the nest.
Ask Others for Help
A chicken is a flock animal. It does not exist well (or long) living by itself. Let’s face it, a single chicken is usually a very short-lived chicken. They live in flocks for a reason. That old saying – there is strength in numbers – is an old saying for a reason. There’s truth to it – with many, there is accumulated strength.
Along with strength, those in a group can also offer guidance. A rooster, the leader of the flock is always on the lookout for danger. If perceived, he will alert the flock. He is the protective army so that the flock can do their work of getting food, laying eggs, and looking after the chicks without concern. The strength he gives to the flock leads to security.
In the winter chickens survive the cold by using the warmth of each other. If you’ve ever gone into a henhouse at night on a cold and chilly evening, you will see that the chickens are on their roosts huddled tightly next to each other.
If you place your hand between the birds, you will discover the incredible warmth that these bids have been able to generate through united work. Working together, they will survive the bitter cold.
A solitary chicken in the winter is a bird that will eventually freeze to death. A chicken in a flock who uses the heat from her flock mates, is a chicken that will live to see the spring.
You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Take a look around you and see what strengths you can use from others and which you can add of your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – this doesn’t mean you expect people to take care of you, it just means that you might be able to combine your strengths and talents with others to overcome whatever it is you need to overcome.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
Also, join me on Facebook to find out more about the flock (children and chickens) and see some pretty funny chicken jokes, photos of tiny houses, and even a recipe or two.
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