Day 57 of 365
Today, my son and I were delivering farm shares, and I got a text from Ron: “Ruby has abandoned her babies. There is much cheeping and crying.”
Last night, Ruby looked at me though one of the holes in her crate, and it was a different kind of look. I could tell she was worn. I think she was telling me she was tired, so I wasn’t surprised by Ron’s text.
When I got home, I could see that Ruby had flown outside of the fenced area, but she was acting like she wanted back in with her babies. Ron was busy working in the garden and hadn’t noticed, so I opened the gate to see if she would go back in–and she did! I guess she just needed a break.
I don’t blame her. Her children are wild! They are all over the place, and there are seven of them! Ruby has been one of the best moms I have ever watched raise baby chicks, but after five weeks with her babies 24-7, I can see she’s growing tired. Maybe she would just like some alone time.
Tonight, when everyone was tucked into their crates, I took a peek at Ruby down there in the crate, and that poor girl had a chick on her back, chicks under her wings, chicks under her belly, and, truly, they are nearly as big she is now. Poor Ruby. My heart just broke for her.
It reminded me of one time when I was trying to use the bathroom and my son followed me to the door telling me every specific detail of some tank used in World War II (he’s obsessed with World War I and World War II history). You don’t want to hurt their feelings, but you are a tired mama. So you say, in as kind of a voice as you can manage, “Ok, but let’s pause this story because I have to use the bathroom, okay?”
Farmer-ish 