Which Came First the Chicken or the Egg?

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for chickens.  They are so cute with such variety of shapes , colors, and sizes.   I cannot help but smile when I see one.  They have such spunky personalities!  But the real fascination I have had is with the actual hatching of the egg.  I have always secretly wished that I could witness this first hand.  Over the past several years we have acquired quite a few chickens.  Folks seem to know that I will take in any animal that needs a home and that is pretty much how my number of chickens has continued to grow.  One day I was given the cutest miniature solid white rooster with the name Gandolf.  I think he is a bantam.  Although tiny in stature he has  stepped into his role as the only rooster amongst all females.  Knowing that I have a male now ,  I began to hope for fertilized eggs and I continued to secretly pray for the chance to one day witness a baby chick actually hatching from its egg.

Well it was molting season so I knew that I had to wait.  After several months I began to notice a stray egg here and there.  You see , my chickens are what you call free range.  I just let them cruise around the property and they go into their little house or in the top of the trees at night.  They really are so smart.  They never wander off and know to come at feeding time. The really cool part is in between feedings they come to me when I just call their names when I don't give them food.   There is a bond between us and I love them and I know they love me.   In the late afternoons I have a routine with them and I just " hang out" and watch them.  One of these chickens is especially precious to me because she belonged to my brother .  I had been babysitting her when he passed away.   He had named her Ruth after our grandmother . She lays the most beautiful blue eggs!

One afternoon as I was " hanging out"  with them I couldn't help but notice that Ruth was behaving rather odd. She would come up to me then run off into the bushes frantically. Then a few minutes later she did it again.  After about the sixth or seventh time it dawned on me to follow her into the bushes.  I had been a little slow on the uptake !  What I found was amazing !  She was sitting on a whole pile of beautiful blue eggs!   Then I realized that she was trying to get me to help her protect them .  You see Copper my cocker spaniel  tends to creep around the chickens and he had been circling  her eggs making her very nervous.   I knew she needed my help so I quickly began to research how to properly move or secure a nest of eggs.  As I completed the task , I thought about those eggs hatching and I wanted so badly to see them hatch !

All of a sudden I had the craziest idea! I often have crazy ideas but this was by far one to top the list ! I picked up one of the eggs.  I noticed how warm it felt in my hand and I just imagined that there was a baby in there.  And not just any baby , but a baby from Ruth my brother's chicken.   I wanted so desperately to hatch it and raise it by hand . Could I ? I knew others had done this.  I had a heating pad and a lamp.  All of a sudden I noticed that as I had been thinking , I had actually walked into the house carrying the egg!  I gathered up a small box , a lamp , and the heating pad. My project had begun!  That first night I set my alarm for every 2 hours so I could turn the egg.  I knew this was very important in the hatching process.  As usual I tend to jump into things all excited without completely thinking things through.  What I hadn't considered was what would happen to this egg when I was at work!  My husband was too  busy to attend to this egg , making sure it was turned, checking the temperature, etc.  As I was getting dressed for work the next morning I knew I had to figure this out and I had to do it fast !  All I really wanted to do was to be with this egg , all the time to care for it , make sure that it was safe, and especially be there when it hatched!

I knew what I had to do! Oh boy! What a crazy idea !  Could it work?  I reached down and gently picked up the egg. I knew just the place to keep it safe and with me all of the time .  I placed it next to my heart.  My clothing was able to keep it in place securely against my heart without it falling out.  It was perfect I thought !  It will keep warm with my body heat and it will feel my heart beat and my love AND I can turn it every 2 hours !  It just happened to be during the summer months so I figured that the summer heat would help my body temperature rise up to the 2 more degrees needed to hatch the egg. My adventure began!  As I told my husband , my mother , and my kids what I was doing the response was always the same . Uncontrollable laughter !  " What's so funny ? "I asked .  It made all the sense to me but I realized that I probably shouldn't tell anyone else. They would think that I had lost my mind.

The next three weeks were very interesting .  I took the little egg everywhere!  She was always with me.  At work I would gently reach in to turn her and feel for the temperature while softly talking to her , telling her that I loved her and that I would care for her .  I also began to ask God to keep her safe and I prayed for His will to be done.  I told Him that I knew it took 21 days to hatch an egg and the day was getting close.

One morning well after the 21 days , I woke up with a sinking feeling.  It was as if I knew that this egg was not going to hatch.   I could not believe how sad I felt.  I had become very attached to this egg and loved the thought that she was growing and had been with me next to my heart for the past three weeks.  I remembered my prayer and I knew that God's will was not my will and that I had told God that I would be OK with whatever the outcome was.  I had to discard the egg so I buried it in my pet cemetery.  Although I felt sad I knew it was part of life and I was beginning to get pretty good at letting go of those who had passed away.  I knew God had been teaching me how to " Let go and let God".

Several days went by and again I found myself outside with my chickens.  I noticed another pile of eggs!  Oh boy! I thought to myself that I am not going to do the same thing again.  I felt a prompting to pick up two eggs.  No way! , I thought but I knew it was God asking me to pick them up. So I picked up two eggs just to hold  them , not to take them.   All of a sudden they began to hatch!! Right there in my hands!  Right at the very moment that I had picked them up!

I knew ,that I knew, that I knew that this was a blessing from God to me !

A special blessing from the God who created the universe  to me at this very moment in time uniquely orchestrated just for me to tell me that he loves me , and hears me , and to remind me that he knows our deepest prayers and desires.  I was in total awe at this site!  Two baby chicks hatched in my hands !  I laughed and cried at the same time !  I brought them into the house and placed them in the same box that I had been using for the first egg.  They stayed next to my bed and I carried them everywhere.  I put them in my pouch  and took them for car rides, to the store, and they slept on my chest.  I am reminded of the verse :  Ecclesiastes 3 : 1-2  "To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven .....  a time to be born and a time to die ".

I learned that I can do nothing without God.  I tried to force my desire for a baby chick to hatch.  I tried to do it on my own.  It was only when I surrendered it all to God and asked Him to take over and be a part of this that it turned into such a glorious blessing - letting me know that he truly exists and truly loves me .

I dedicate this story to my brother Mark ..... today makes two years since he passed.  While I have been sitting on my back deck today writing this story  .... Ruth , Mark's chicken actually flew up and over the railing and has been sitting at my feet and just laid a beautiful blue egg!  Needless to say the blessings continue to overflow  ( as do my tears ) and I continue to be in awe of our God !