Them Chickens is Confusin' Me!

        Yup.  Every time I think I understand chicken behavior, they throw me for another loop. A month or so ago, we tried to put Pretty Face back in her original coop with. her "sisters" and they nearly pecked her to death.  We ended up putting her back in with her babies, creating a sort of commune for her, her peeps, and the other peeps we had raised indoors.  We introduced an orphan, Chicken Little, to that brood, and, after a brief rejection, all the peeps have included in her in their routine.
     That being said, here's what happened yesterday/last night. Moshe let all the chickens out on the front yard yesterday afternoon "to graze".  Oh, they were happy!   They ate what little grass and green weeds that remain in the yard,  had a gourmet buffet on the remnants of the winter garden... romaine lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, swiss chard... After the past two weeks with snow and ice and hardship,  I'm certain they were as thrilled as a chicken can get.
  

    But, then came evening.  As expected, the chickens went back into the arks. But, when Moshe went outside  to make an official count, there was a little bit of a discrepancy.  For one thing, Brewster was in the ark he doesn't normally live in... I think we all know what THAT was about!  Naughty, naughty Brewster!!! Moshe corrected that by moving him back to his original ark.  But there was still a discrepancy in hen numbers.  It seems that one of the hens from Brewster's ark was also in the opposite ark.  Problem is, she looks identical to the black hen that's already in there with all the golden comets.  So, Moshe just left them "as is". I was worried about it - afraid that the other chickens would attack her - but, Moshe said he'd check them in the morning and move her if need be.


Well, this morning all the chickens were living together in complete harmony.  No pecking. No cackling or crowing.  No ostracism.  Complete harmony. Eating, sleeping, drinking, laying eggs.  So, now we have come to the conclusion that if we move the chickens around at night, they won't know the difference come morning...

Hey! How'd YOU get in this post?

 maybe I should stick to the kind I collect and decorate the kitchen with!


Shalom   Y'all - 
         Twyla

We're All Little Children

          Yep. Regardless of how fearless we try to appear, how grown-up we try to act, how sophisticated we try to present ourselves as being,  we all are little children.
          What do children need to be happy and well-adjusted?
               #1: Love.  Everybody needs love.  And, we don't just need love; we need to know that we are loved.  We all need to love and be loved.  We all desire to be told we are loved and shown we are loved.  And, we want to be able to express love, without fear of rejection.  What happens when these things are missing in life?  Depression, fear, lack of trust, disrespect for authority, inadequate relationships...  to name a few.
                #2: Attention.  Someone who will really listen.  Someone who spends time, invests time.  Someone who will just hold you when you're tired or sad.  Everybody needs somebody.  Without attention from other human beings, life is empty and lonely.  Babies in orphanages have been known to die due to lack of human touch. Sick elderly people give up if they are lonely as well as physically ailing.
               #3: Discipline.  Yes, discipline.  We all need rules to live by.  Most of us do better if we have somewhat of a schedule - eat meals at about the same time every day, get up around the same time each morning, etc.  Children desperately need structure in their  lives and to be told what is right and wrong. The older I get, the more I realize that I desperately need these things as well.  I find that the more disciplined my life is, the closer I feel to God.  God is a God of order, not confusion. What does your inner child need?  Try to find out; then, fulfill it. You're only young once - now!

Me, many moons ago, with my parents.

                                                               Shalom Y'all,   Twyla