Foul play July 3, 2011

To preface the glory of chicky babies,  I will recount in brief, the chicken murders we had over the last month sans the gruesome details.  While out dancing the nite away to the funky sounds and sexy sax of Buddhas Groove Shoes @ Dawt Mill a few weeks back,  a raccoon found an opportune moment to get in one of our coops and kill most all the hens.  He (surely it was a boy)  only ate one.  Was he scared the other hens would attack him so, he had to do them in as well?  If you know hens after dark (ooooo a good band name)… you know that wouldn’t happen.   After many ‘have a heart’ trap attempts we were able to catch a few possums but no raccoon.  Seems the little bears can eat the bait then actually open the door and leave.  We moved a few hens around from another coop to keep the remaining rooster happy (that’s what it is all about – right ladies?!) and that nite, I heard an ‘uh oh’ noise at 3am.  I ran down to find the rooster out of the coop and the door open.  He was shepherded  back in and I returned to restless sleep.  An hour later, the dogs were barking and I ran down to the bottom lands again to find all but 1 hen and the rooster killed.  It seems so impossible to imagine anything other than a human opening the different latches on the coop that I could hardly believe it.

Lets end that story and cut to this…

There was a sweet brooder who made some babies around the time we were loosing others

5 babies born June 16th8 days old

There was also a not so cute, styrofoam incubator doing its thing – keeping a dozen eggs warm so we could replenish the flock.

22 days later... a break through

As soon as they started to come out, their eggs were put under the sweet mama in hopes that she would see them as her own-

Good mama- tending 3 stages of life - teenagers, just hatched and eggs still cookin'

low and behold…

5 teens and 6 newborns- better her than me!

Life death life cycles.

Thanks to the many friends who offered to keep us in eggs for the winter if we don’t have enough and even gave us a few more hens to appease the rooster.  Latches are reinforced, trap set nightly – so far so good.

Many mornings of late, as I begin my asana practice I seem to obsess a bit over the animals living around me.  Using their perceived needs to forsake my practice altogether or at least distract myself from my own divinity with thoughts of their potential demise, I know this must change.  Why worry now and later Lauren says.  When you find yourself thinking thoughts born of tension and control, relax.  Relax into the current of that which flows from the hearts intelligence and there you will find truth without fear.  All is well.