The Slow March of Time.

The Slow March of Time.

Time has a funny way of playing games with your perspective. In the first week of the chicks' lives, I was a nervous wreck. Making sure the babies were safe each evening caused time to slow down. As the weeks progressed, things have just blown by at a furious pace.

Here we are. Tomorrow the babies are six weeks old. They are gangly, awkward, and mostly feathered. I have been thinking that the time is coming for most of them to be off to their new home. Momma has been a doting and protective mother to a fault, but I can see the stress of motherhood affecting her and with less babies to care for, I am hoping to see her put more weight back on and flourish.

Watching and observing carefully has been my guide and this morning the flock gave me the first tre indication that the babies might just be ready. I let them out of the run and fed them breakfast in the yard. I turned to tend to the water fonts and by the time they were cleaned and refilled, I spied the signs of growing up. Seven babies had run off on their own to follow the flock to a favorite foraging spot and momma lagged behind. The babies knew momma was still near, but ran off unconcerned that she wasn't immediately on hand. Momma had the babies in view and slowly followed after, no longer frantic to be immediately by their side. It is time.

I contacted their new owner and we made the arrangement that we would deliver chicks, now pullets and cockerel, next Sunday, one day shy of seven weeks old. They are still young enough where neither they nor momma will understand and since we're keeping two, the others will not only lose a momma but they will be losing a couple of nest mates.

Beulah and Molly will still have momma, the flock, each other, and the coop they know. The others will have a whole new flock to meet and a whole new world to explore, but each will still have four other nest mates for company in a scary new world.

Pleased to announce that their new owner is Bruce! My wife and I can think of no other owner who will treat the babies as wonderfully we could hope for. Our lives will go on, the same but with some renewal, and theirs are about to begin.

Never the less, I will feel like a monster next week when I separate them!