I have said it time and time again, that animals are capable of emotions. It is underestimated and under publicized but I know this to be true, without the need for any scientific evidence. Strangely enough, my girls are my science experiment. I watch them like a petri dish experiment, except only good has grown from keeping them! We have learned so many lessons from the chickens and have been reminded about the importance of living simply.
Dolly is one of our Silkie Bantams. She is the head of the Silkies but the Silkies always keep to themselves. They let the big girls eat the treats first and use the best nesting boxes. The little ones stay out of the way. However, they are still a family and they care about each other. All eight chickens sleep on a 3’roost, despite that fact that ample roosting space exists.
For the past two weeks, Dolly likes to steal moments with me. While the other girls are busy in the morning gobbling up scratch in the run, I like to do light coop housekeeping. Dolly always sees this as an opportunity. She peeks in the door as the others are not looking. Then she comes into the coop and just sits by me on the roost, watching. She quietly converses with me. She never tries to escape out the door, rather, she waits. Then, interestingly enough, she stands on the coop floor in front of me and goes into the submissive position. Up until this point, I have not even tried to pet her. She is just there, telling me that I am allowed, like a rooster, to interact with her. I pick her up and place her upon my lap. She is warm. I smell the top of her sweet little fluffy head. She snuggles right in, sometimes under my armpit, sometimes in the crook of my neck. There, I pet her gently. I offer to place her on the ground outside of the coop. She just stands there and then tries to hop back into my lap. She wants nothing more than my love.
Dolly and I bonded when she was having her clutch of chicks this past Spring. I find it fascinating that she comes to me, on her own, alone in need of nothing more than love. Love is universal, even in the world of chickens.