You know how just last week I was saying that with regard to my rooster and my wannabe-rooster, I wasn’t going to do anything to them (re-home) until the fat lady sang?
Guess what my two fat ladies did this weekend? Yup, not only has my boy; Mrs. (Mr.) Bucket grown up but my “wannabe”; Josephine (Joe) is now a “bona fide.” Not surprising. It’s that time of year when spring chicks have finally reached maturity, eggs are being laid and boys are beginning to strut their stuff. It’s not something that many of us Backyard Poultry owners look forward to.
And in our case, it signals the end of a beautiful friendship.
*Sigh*
This means, of course, that it’s time to call my friend (hi Linda) to set up a time for transferring our boys to her flock. I know that they will be going to a good (great) home so I’m not in the least bit worried about them, but I am worried about our family’s reaction to the inevitable emptiness that is guaranteed to take their place.
It’s hard to see a member of the family leave the nest and let’s kid no one, chicks that are raised by hand and who live in your house for months at a time, are true members of the family. The balance gets upset and you do things like call out the names of those who are no longer there as you gather up the rest of the flock. The memories so momentarily vivid, that you swear your kids, away at college, are upstairs just waiting to be called down to dinner.
Chicks leaving the nest might be away, but they are hardly forgotten.
When you raise chicks in your home, when all of their adventures and successes are shared with the family, those stories embed themselves into the overall family history. How could they not? We have shared our lives together. Long after my young roosters have been re-homed, the tales of Mrs. (Mr.) Bucket and Josephine (Joe) will continue to be remembered in our evening dinner conversations – their adventures an important part of that which is our family’s tapestry.
Part of our tapestry
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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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