Tilly takes a drink from a freshly cleaned waterer.

I’ve been writing.  A lot.

Most of my days have been spent writing my book as my manuscript deadline approaches.

I haven’t been able to spend as much time with my chickens as I have wanted.

Instead, I have dedicated all my free time to my family, household duties, and making sure that we are all sitting down together as a family to enjoy a home cooked meal each and every night. Mostly, I have relied on the kids and my husband to help out with more of the flock duties, but yesterday I was thrilled to clean the chicken coop. I would be spending a good deal of time with the flock and I knew the feeling was mutual. The chicken missed me and I missed them!

Immediately, they waddle to me. It was like I was a magnet. I pulled them out from the coop while they sat savoring the eggs they had just laid. I tore them from their dust baths! Out they leap, suddenly my boneless chickens in their yoga-like positions came to say hello. I felt loved, appreciated, and missed. I realized yet again how much this flock means to me.

Most of my flock will be turning four years old this year. They all seem healthy yet, as expected, their egg production has dropped off. As I scooped and scrubbed out the coop, the girls were happy to inspect my work. All of the feathers around Tilly’s eyes are gone from molting. Oyster Cracker, as expected, is my heaviest molter but still jumps in my lap each chance she gets and Dolly is once again broody!

I chatted about my book with the girls and thanked them for leading me to this path in life. I owe a great deal to them. I told them that I wanted to give them a bigger coop and add to the flock with chicks this spring. I like the idea of a nursery and a nursing home for chickens in my backyard. It’s the circle of life, just as it should be.

Photo Credit: Tilly’s Nest