Moving On and Moving Out

It's so warm and cozy in the nest...but is that where we belong forever?  Nope.  I was reminded of this in life and in watching our chickie babies.  So, first the chickens, then the life-lesson.

Chicken Update -- week 3...ish
Okay, so I'm late posting this, but the pics are at about three weeks.

Chickies are starting to outgrow the box.

Cozy Chicken Box
I tell you, these chicks are growing by the day!  They get a little frenzied (aka assertive) when the food or water runs low.  And if you open the box, they flap a bit and some try to jump out.  They have just about out-grown the box -- very little head room, and if they stretch they can easily reach the top screen.








Growing Girls
They are getting their big-girl feathers too, though there's still some baby fuzz. Just waiting for what some have called the "dinosaur chicken" phase -- they loose the fluff before getting all their feathers and they look like the equivalent of a scraggly, scrawny teenager.  But for now, they are still cute!

Chicks have loved being able to forage --
haven't been eating much feed when they are outside.

Good Day Sunshine!
The sun has been shining and it's been warm enough to put them outside for the afternoons.  I was a little unsure, as I thought they would be at least another week old before we could do that, but my sister, a seasoned chicken-veteran assured me they have enough feathers and they would be fine.

On Kids, Dogs, and Chicks
We've had the chickies in a hexagonal baby-gate style pen (leftover from trying to keep the half-pints in one place while we gardened or socialized).  I love being able to re-purpose something and this baby is handy.  I scored ours at a re-sale shop for half the retail price.  Actually, I got two, one for me and one for the sister who had kids the same age.  We hooked them together for family outings and vacations = giant kid-pen... until DS2 figured out how to prop it up on his rubber ball and squeak out!  Blah -- that kid -- but that's a whole other story!   Hopefully he doesn't teach the chickens any tricks!

Watching you, chickies...

So far DS2 has been very gentle with the chicks; he's earned the privilege of helping put them in the box by picking them up and setting them down, based on his careful behavior.  They all love feeding the chicks by hand, though DS1 gets startled and dumps the feed.  DS1 has been my challenge.  He has some impulse control hiccups -- yesterday I saw him toss a chick (I was inside and he was out).  "I wanted to help it learn to fly."  If I were a cartoon I would have had all those angry squiggles and stars above my head, with funny pointed eyebrows!  DS3 just follows suit with whatever the big bros are doing... still working on him.  They all love to pet the chicks (only when Mom or Dad are holding them).

Tula wants some attention!

Tula keeps going back and forth between guarding them, herding them, and hunting them.  She gets swift discipline for the hunt.  So far said pen is keeping her out, though she is mighty jealous when we pay attention to the chicks and not her.  She stuck her nose in my armpit today while I was trying to round them up!

close-up of Bertha

Naming Babies
Now this is the chick we have dubbed Bertha -- we're concerned she may indeed be a "Bert" the way she likes to strut around like she owns the pen.  We've another that seems to be a little older than the others.  She's a little bigger and her comb is turning red earlier.  One is a little yellower than the others, that's Peep.  And Bo is the smallest of the flock (get it?  Little "Bo" & Peep?)   DS2 has named another Marshmallow. (I think it's because he heard us say Peep and we got them around marshmallow peep season, but who knows).  I hadn't planned on naming them, but sometimes it just fits and sticks.

Cozy Nests and Spacious Sunshine

Coop is coming along, too!

The chicks are nice and cozy in their box, but they LOVE being outside.  Sometimes we have to jump out of the comfort zone to grow the direction we are supposed to.  In case you haven't guessed yet, I'm a junkie for a good metaphor. ;)  When we transition them back into the house for the night, they make such a fuss and squawk getting put back in the bucket to go in, and out of the sunshine they really make a ruckus.  But picking them out of the bucket back into the brooder box is easy, they are calm, and cozy down pretty fast under that warm light.  The comfort zone is always there for them, so they are safe and healthy, but it's much more enjoyable for them to spread the wings and run!  And soon enough their pen and coop will be ready, then they will be out of the brooding box -- their childhood nest for all intents and purposes -- and onto their own home and their own nest.

Leave & Cleave
The Word tells us we are to leave our childhood home and cleave to the new one we are building with our spouse.  Our new family unit supersedes the old one.  You don't forget where you came from, but now there's the new comfort zone, too.  That's where you spread your wings and run in the direction God is sending you.  Going back to the comfort of the nest is wonderful.  I totally dig an afternoon at my mom and dad's house, or vacations with the in-laws.  Yet, after a while we itch for the life we've built outside of that.  We itch for home...and eventually our own nests, rather than that of our parents. We know we are always welcome, and love going back, but there is a new place for us where we fit even more.  It's healthy to leave and cleave... God says so, and he's never wrong!  It's normal -- not something to feel guilty about.  Do my chickies feel guilty about flapping around in the sunshine when they were raised in the brooder box with a little lamp?  Nope.  Stretch your wings and run!

Note... the leave & cleave is intended for grown ups -- teens should not leave and cleave, teens should stay and obey the authority of their parents until they reach their majority, as God designed the family unit to teach you what you need to know for your grown up life.  Just a little mom-ism disclaimer. :)