Lessons in Lockdown (from a chicken)
Alison Owens
Hattie with a blueberry
What a strange world we are living in right now! I wandered out into the garden to explain to Henbley, Hattie, Chicktoria and The Black Chicken that the whole country was going into lockdown and our little family would be staying at home for the foreseeable future. The chickens looked at me shrewdly, and Henbley (who is a clever chicken) gave me a glance that said ‘welcome to our world’, and The Black Chicken (who has a bit of a mean streak) added a stare that said ‘suck it up, Buttercup’. The parallels were clear and I felt a bit more sympathy with their frenzied attempts to get out of their enclosure into the rest of the garden and beyond.
All this sitting around has given me a chance to spend some time observing the daily routine of henhouse. And it occurs to me that I could learn a thing or two about living in lockdown from the chickens:
Hembly helps with the gardening by digging a hole
First, it’s clearly important to know where your next meal is coming from. A great deal of time should be spent eating and then wondering how more food could be obtained. Snacking should be encouraged.
Exercise should be approached with caution – strolling about a bit is fine, as is pursuing a hobby at home such as gardening. I planted some young holly bushes in the chicken enclosure this week and Henbley had a whale of a time scoffing the hapless earthworms that my digging disturbed, as well as generally getting in the way and standing on my feet.
Why not try a project? Hattie has dug herself a very impressive hole beneath the flowering currant bush, and thoroughly enjoys a nice long sit in it.
Hattie in a hole!
Self-care should be part of your daily routine, but don’t worry about looking great, it’s how great you feel that matters. If you’re a chicken this means dust baths. Undignified but irresistible!
Hattie’s tiny egg
I have also found that my backyard flock has been elevated from indulged pets to essential members of our lockdown team, especially when eggs were scarce in the supermarket. They have kept us going with lovely breakfasts and helped with ingredients for all the endless baking I seem compelled to do. Hattie, the giddy chicken, has done her very best to contribute to this group effort, but alas, her egg laying powers are a bit hit and miss. She has manged to pop out something the size of a mini egg, though sadly lacking the chocolate content.
The chickens and I send you all good wishes – stay healthy and stay in your nesting box.
Nothing better than a dust bath