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Health & Fitness

Lessons I Learn From the Chickens

What lessons can I take away from my second chicken stay? I think I have to learn patience. Chickens do their thing and they’ll get there when they get there – you can’t really rush them. And they like variety. They don’t stay in one area – they move around. Getting exercise and finding new treats and giving them something to do I suppose. I wonder if the grass and seeds and whatever else they’re eating tastes different in the leaf covered area at the front of the property than the leaf covered areas in their pen? Is it just a different view? They have a routine. Like people going to work each day – they have a “commute” that takes them to where they need to be. It’s a circle around the property. I find it fascinating. But you have to have time for it. They will not be rushed. This is, like prisoners in the exercise yard, their only time to be free and wander. So patience is key. 

Of course, yesterday, when one of the chickens would not go in the pen and the other 8 were already in, I spent 20 minutes chasing, scooting, directing the one loose bird to head in without letting the 8 out. I did not have patience and the result was a nervous tic that didn’t go away until I sat on a chaise, pulled up the furry blanket and let the book-on-tape play in my head while the sun baked on my face. PATIENCE. Learning to relax. Unwind. Do something with no other purpose other than to unwind! I am learning. 

Read more about my pet sitting adventures on my website blog at http://www.FernsPetHouseSitting.com

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