Back another step

You may remember that about 3 weeks ago one of my two chickens "Shirley" passed away--> read it here.

The remaining chook "Laverne" was doing pretty well I thought. We spent time with her every day and she happily sat there as we stroked her glossy green-black feathers. During the days we let her wander around in the garden under the watchful eyes of Maddison who adores her. At night she was safely tucked up in her coop, safe from foxes, feral cats and anything else that might be out there.

I thought she was doing ok on her own, and we were planning an extension to the chicken coop to add in a second room in preparation for getting more chooks (we wanted to separate them from Laverne initially until they were all friends and it always gives us a place to put a broody chook on her own for a while, at a later date).

As I said, I thought she was doing okay. So you can imagine how I felt when I went outside yesterday afternoon to spend time with Laverne and found her sleeping the big sleep, stretched out in her straw bed.

I'm sorry Laverne. I am sorry if we didn't give you what you really needed. I'm sorry we didn't get more friends for you sooner. I am sorry I didn't see this coming. I thought giving you water, food, a safe place to sleep, maddison's company during the day and a few minutes every day of our time would be enough. Perhaps I was wrong.

Laverne and Shirley came to me on the 19th June 1999 aged 11.5 weeks. You were almost 6 years old. Everything I have read says that your breed "Australorp" cross "Rhode Island Red" usually live 4-5 years but have been known to live up to 9 years. Did you die too young?

I am now wondering if we should get any more chooks. Perhaps we are not the right people to be chook "parents".

And if I can't look after a couple of chooks am I going to be able to care for a baby? I guess that is what scares me more.

When I was about 8 I rode my bike up to the corner shops. I met a friend there by chance, got talking and forgot I had ridden my bike there. I walked home and a neighbour knocked on the door several hours later asking if that was my bike they had seen up the shops.

Am I going to do that with my baby? Will I walk up the shops, get so interested in the fresh veggie department that I forget I brought my baby with me? Will I go home wondering why the house seems different and realise 4 hours later that I left my baby with the lettuces and carrots?

I think it was in the movie "28 days" with Sandra Bullock (apologies to all if I am wrong), when one of they guys in therapy says "when will I know when I am ready to start dating again" and the therapist said "When you leave rehab, buy a plant. Look after it for a month, and if it is still alive, get a dog. If after 6 months both the dog and the plant are both still alive, then you are ready to date".

I wonder if there are similar rules for having children. Do you think it would go something like this? "Buy two chooks, look after them and if they make it to over 8 years old, then you can have a baby".

I hope not. Otherwise I am really screwed.