Saturday 19th February 2022
Enabling Grace
There's been a lot of firsts in my new country life and this month was no exception. Breaking the spell of a broody hen!
It all started when I noticed Grace hadn't moved from the nesting box (where they lay their eggs) for a whole day. She didn't climb up to roost either and was still sitting in the box when I opened up the door in the morning. Having no roosters in the flock, it didn't occur to me that a chicken might sit on non-fertile eggs.
A short web-surf later, I learnt that chickens often get broody in Summer. I also found lists of helpful tricks to break the spell of the broody hen, beginning with taking away the egg they're sitting on.
It was small-scale heart-breaking to get her off the nest and take away that egg. Checking on her later in the day, I found she had climbed back to sit on the empty nest. I decided to give her a bit of time to realise her folly, only to realise it was human folly to underestimate the power of natural forces at work. She remained sitting in her broody trance for another day and night.
Much to her disgruntlement, I had to lock her out of the chook house. The only trouble was, when locked up at night, she'd climb straight back into the nest and stay there until physically removed again. I placed frozen eski blocks in the nest to deter her from sitting there, but Grace decided she could nestle in beside the frozen blocks. Extreme chicken!
The situation peaked when having to go to Melbourne and she was left to her own devices. I returned to find Grace still sitting there like a dedicated meditator, only her comb had changed from blazing red to pallid pink. Bewildered and off-balance when placed on the ground, she was one "crook chook" as a friend joked.
A complete chicken lock-out was called and the spell was finally broken, but not after a premature lifting of the lock-out mind you. It really was a circus. As I watched Grace sitting there in her broody trance, I naturally wondered what the gift was in bearing witness to this.
It made me question when determination helps and when it hinders. It made me question if I was nurturing anything that perhaps belongs to the past; dreams, beliefs or emotions. Through the eyes of beauty I saw Grace simply doing her chicken thing, just as we humans fall under spells and do our human things. In the end though, the most interesting question that arose for me was,
Do I need to get out of the way and enable Grace?
It all started when I noticed Grace hadn't moved from the nesting box (where they lay their eggs) for a whole day. She didn't climb up to roost either and was still sitting in the box when I opened up the door in the morning. Having no roosters in the flock, it didn't occur to me that a chicken might sit on non-fertile eggs.
A short web-surf later, I learnt that chickens often get broody in Summer. I also found lists of helpful tricks to break the spell of the broody hen, beginning with taking away the egg they're sitting on.
It was small-scale heart-breaking to get her off the nest and take away that egg. Checking on her later in the day, I found she had climbed back to sit on the empty nest. I decided to give her a bit of time to realise her folly, only to realise it was human folly to underestimate the power of natural forces at work. She remained sitting in her broody trance for another day and night.
Much to her disgruntlement, I had to lock her out of the chook house. The only trouble was, when locked up at night, she'd climb straight back into the nest and stay there until physically removed again. I placed frozen eski blocks in the nest to deter her from sitting there, but Grace decided she could nestle in beside the frozen blocks. Extreme chicken!
The situation peaked when having to go to Melbourne and she was left to her own devices. I returned to find Grace still sitting there like a dedicated meditator, only her comb had changed from blazing red to pallid pink. Bewildered and off-balance when placed on the ground, she was one "crook chook" as a friend joked.
A complete chicken lock-out was called and the spell was finally broken, but not after a premature lifting of the lock-out mind you. It really was a circus. As I watched Grace sitting there in her broody trance, I naturally wondered what the gift was in bearing witness to this.
It made me question when determination helps and when it hinders. It made me question if I was nurturing anything that perhaps belongs to the past; dreams, beliefs or emotions. Through the eyes of beauty I saw Grace simply doing her chicken thing, just as we humans fall under spells and do our human things. In the end though, the most interesting question that arose for me was,
Do I need to get out of the way and enable Grace?