Lessons for life, learnt from the chooks

I’ve been sad this week. The darling chickens in Auburn were all killed by a fox a bit over a week ago. We always had chooks – it is the first time in over 60 years there have been no chickens on the property. Weird! I couldn’t write about it last week – it happened when I wasn’t there and I couldn’t quite face it at the time. Plus I am a bit sick of loss and death. I have been up since then though, and seen and felt their absence, and had a chance to think about the dear little sweeties and so thought I would write a bit about them this week.

In the spirit of those “all I know I learnt from my dog/cat” articles, here are some things the chooks have taught me:

• Get up early and do your work first (eggs are laid mostly before lunch)
• Go to bed early too
• If you get bored doing your job in the same old place, find somewhere new (like the washing basket)
• Scratching around in the dirt is good fun
• It’s ok to escape sometimes – you just need to be able to get back
• Look for holes in the fence – and remember where they are so you can come back at tea time
• Flying is fun but takes energy. Size up the supports to help you get over the fence. Get to the half way point first. (one chook waited till we opened the gate, then jumped up on the old chaff cutter before flying to the top of the fence and then over…)
• Eat your greens. In fact hoover them up.
• If greens aren’t available, hoover up whatever is there
• Protein is good for you too (helps with doing your work. Like laying eggs)
• Most things taste good if you’re hungry (or even when you’re not)
• When you hear your friend coming, run to them enthusiastically
• Lead a simple productive life and don’t dwell on difficulties
• Know who your friends are (the ones with the food!)
• If a fox is about, fight or flight are much more effective than freeze (chooks habitually tremble and cower when they are scared. Makes them very easy pickings for a fox)

Here are some pics of the various dears over time, one taken with dad and another with my great-nephew Jack.