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In my strange environment

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Lily17

In my strange environment

As some of you are aware we have hens. You buy 3 cute things and before you know it .. mother hen gets clucky and very hormonal and is extremely horrible. (like us) She attacks everything that comes near her and becomes protective. I intensely dislike her hormones they smell terribly, she refuses to eat and drink and won't let the others lay they all start screaming- she goes into her little mummy brain world.

 

Sound normal?

She wants to become a mum and so we buy fertile eggs. She turns them around under her overheated tummy - 37.5 deg. 21 days later we have chicks and she clucks to call them for food - she picks it up and drops it straight away for her babies.

We too, make the mush carefully so our babies don't choke.

 

She freaks out if they run out from underneath her or we take her outside without them. We stay with the babies keep them warm, play and talk to them and keep them safe. Newborns need their mums we stress when they are out of our sight. We cuddle and talk to them and they are comforted and quiet.

 

She lets them go when she has had enough. I would so like to copy her parenting style!!

 

At 7-8 wks those cute little babies start to become teens, they are scruffy, ugly and fight over everything. Just like ours and they whinge at the door for food and want to find any scraps my teens will have dropped.

 

Some days those little pitter patters are so cute, I can sit forever as they struggle to get what they want. Others, I want to advertise because their crap just about kills me and does my head in..

Just like my kids.

 

They do live inside until they are old enough and feathered to cope with the weather. They come inside when they are sick and need meds, they have baths just like we do. They have their own plates and whinge when they are empty. I don't always have the time to get their food ready-  just like us. They do sit and watch telly and they love cuddles.

Just like us!

 

They have nappies so the floor doesn't get crapped on - my teens hate cleaning up a mess. 

 

They are all an extended part of our family, they go to the vet if sick, everything we do they pretty much do, they know where their beds are and take themselves off when ready. They love going out in the car they pretty much like anything if we are around.

 

Family is whatever we want or need it to be, society is so judgemental.

 

It fills us with happiness, hope, distress and daily struggles.

 

I worry endlessly - my children tell me I love our feathered family more than them - of course, they are far more polite and co operative even as teens. We get fresh hot eggs for breaky but.. some of my girls hide their goodies and themselves for wks on end. 

Just like our kids they make decisions but not always for the best.

 

Life with animals is about boundaries, trust, providing shelter, love and caring. 

 

Animals don't forget and neither do we. Sometimes life hurts but we need to remember that we are strong, capable of anything and can move forward no matter the circumstances.

 

Our feathered family have taught us many lessons that I had never thought of and the kids do go to them when upset - often found curled up in a bed with teen. Extremely good for their MH when mum knows nothing.