Birds of a feather: 3-lessons my chickens taught me about caregiving
FOWL LANGUAGE - what it means and why we should pay attention!
If someone had told me years ago I would eventually gather crucial life-lessons from chickens I would have laughed in their face!
I would have thought they were crazy. After all, the only chickens I was exposed to were those already processed, wrapped in paper and offered up as chicken breasts in the grocery store. So imagine my surprise at how things have turned out!?
In 2016, I moved from South Florida and returned home to Northern California.
That was when the heavy-duty lifting of my caregiving journey began. I moved my mother, Miss Nellie, as well and she spent the final years of her life with me.
Nellie Yarbough/Northern California 2016
Making the move to a more rural community also brought with it the opportunity to dive into the world of owning a small flock of backyard chickens.
Who knew I would gather valuable insight on how to be a more compassionate, attentive and caring caregiver, by observing the antics of chickens?
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1. Stick together
Our initial purchase was ten little chicks. Chickens grow fast, and we quickly realized ten was just too many to handle for beginners.
A neighbor offered to take five and we gladly agreed. However, throughout the rest of that day the remaining girls were distraught.
How do I know this?
They frantically ran around the yard, looking for their sisters.
Their usual clucking sounds were more like shrieks of panic and fear.
Where was the rest of their family?
Why couldn’t they find their sisters?
Why had the humans ripped their community apart?
Lesson: Be aware of how leaving a loved one, especially an individual in your care, might impact them. Remember: they need you in ways you might not understand. Be patient and understanding. Our actions could trigger various emotions and even fear. Consider the impacts of separation anxiety.
2. Speak up
Chickens can be noisy. They chitty-chat all day, making unique and distinct sounds. The cadence changes depending on their activity and moods.
Throughout the day, the girls are calling to one another. When I go out to feed and water them, they engage in conversation with me as well.
And when something isn’t right - they speak up! Case in point - one evening at bedtime, I went out to put them back into the coop for the night.
My favorite, Girly Girl, was pecking at the back door, making a rather urgent sound.
Julia & Girly Girl/Northern California 2017
Turns out, she was trying to get my attention. A small bird had flown into the coop, was fluttering around, stuck inside the chicken coop.
Girly Girl clearly had no intention of allowing this bird to stay in her house overnight.
Her pecking and shrieking alerted me to the crisis. Once I shooed the bird out, Girly Girl took one walk around the outside of the coop doing a once-over, and only then did she go inside with the others.
Lesson: Communicate! Caregiving is all about being able to clearly talk about what everyone involved needs and/or wants. Sometimes we have to have tough conversations. Staying quiet won’t solve anything. Let those around you know what you need, especially when you need help.
3. Companionship
My chickens are spoiled. Several mornings a week, they are allowed to roam outside of their usual area and into a larger portion of the backyard.
One day as the girls excitedly teetered off into the larger yard, one was inside the coop (probably laying an egg). So when she came out, her sisters were nowhere to be found.
I could hear shrieks of panic - a high-pitched rhythmic call. When I looked out the window, I could see the chick running around the yard, looking for her sisters.
Being a good chicken-mom I picked her up, and walked her to the other side of the house with the rest of the flock. Immediately, the cries stopped.
Lesson: Do not underestimate the power of companionship. Sometimes just being in the same space can be of comfort; of knowing your loved one is there.
As caregivers, we can often run ourselves ragged taking care of all kinds of errands.
Sometimes, simply sitting still with our loved one may be one of the most effective actions we can take. Hold hands. Sit and talk. Just be. Learn to enjoy the simple moments.
After all, that is what I observe the girls doing most each and every day.
Until next time~
Julia
*Thank you for being on this Keeping It REAL Caregiving journey*
