I knew that at some point it would begin.  This morning was strange.  Maybe love was in the air.  Yesterday, Chocolate decided to crow like crazy in the morning.  He was non-stop for about 20 minutes.  That had never happened before.  I just kept thinking, I can’t let you out until eight.  So, after about 10 minutes, I decided to put some scratch in the coop as a distraction.  It bought me about 10 minutes of time and he was at it again.  Finally eight arrived and I let them out.  He flew out of the coop like a crazy man!  He was going all over the place, excited and dancing.  I had never seen this side of him before.  Before going in, I checked the nesting boxes and discovered a silkie egg.  This was the first time I had found an egg that was laid early in the morning before I let them out for the day.  Interesting;  was all that commotion because of the egg?  The egg was the only thing new in the coop.

This morning, I heard nothing, no squawking or crowing.  It was strangely quiet.  Something was different.  So, as I usually do, after letting them out, I filled up the food and the waterers and started to observe and say good morning to the flock.  There was Chocolate.  He greeted every hen in the run.  Typically they do not give him the time of day.  I think sometimes, they think of him like a bad blind date.  However, when he got to Dolly, one of our new lavender silkies,  she saw something in him the other girls had yet to discover.  He did his little rooster dance and then she squatted down.  He climbed on top!  It only lasted a matter of 5 seconds but he did it.  He tried once more and she allowed him again. 

Nature is so incredible.  I’ve now thought that she is the one laying eggs.  So somehow, nature has just taken it’s course.  When the kids see it, they will want to know what is going on.  I’ve given some thought about that.  Since they were really little, they have witnessed our neighbor’s dogs, animals at the zoo and even at the pet store doing what comes natural.  As all toddlers are curious, we just called it “humpty love” for the sake of escaping details.  I can’t wait to hear what they will tell me when they see the chickens having humpty love!