As someone who grew up with chickens (my parents raised them for both meat and eggs), chicken chores fell on my shoulders. Sure, while my friends were watching TV or riding their bikes, I was cleaning out nest boxes, gathering eggs, and carrying buckets of feed to refill the feeders. After a hiatus of not having chickens while in college or even when I was working at my first job after college, I was ready to have a flock.

Even though there is work involved, I still love hens. They provide fresh eggs, entertain me with their antics, and they help control the insect population in the backyard. By looking at them as individuals from one season to the next, I truly saw how they lived their lives. And you know what? A lot of what I learned can be applied to my daily living.
10 Things I have Learned from my Flock
- Get out and enjoy the outdoors on nice days. Snow, cold, and rain may limit outdoor adventures.
- Eat your vegetables when they are in season. Nothing tastes better than when they are at the peak of ripeness (or when you snitch them out of the garden when you think no one is looking).
- Don’t be afraid to wander away from the flock. (You just may find the biggest grubs by yourself).
- Even if you can’t fly, don’t be afraid to stretch your wings. You just may get off the ground after all.
- Hold your ground. Stake your claim in your favorite nest box and don’t leave until your ready regardless of how many others try to force you out.
- Listen to the squawk of others. There really may be a hawk flying overhead.
- Share your spa time with others. A good dust bath is really more fun with the rest of the flock.
- Let folks know when you are happy and content. It’s okay to trill out loud.
- You don’t have to have a large McMansion to be happy. Your small, urban coop is adorable, comfortable, and it is a wonderful home.
- Be proud of your achievements. Go ahead and sing that egg song nice and loud!

So with this list in hand, life is quite enjoyable for both my flock as well as myself. So go ahead and watch your hens. Little life lessons exist in unexpected places. And your teacher doesn’t necessarily have to have to be human. What do you think you can learn from your flock?
Nice 🙂
Thanks. I love my hens and what they have to teach me.
Thank you, I learnt 10 new things too 🙂 Great post 🙂
You are welcome. My little flock continues to delight and educate me everyday. 🙂
Timely! Thanks. We had a flock. Relocated and my children say they don’t want more but the stories and memories lead me to believe otherwise. Cleaning coops is better than hanging with friends…. Unless you convince your friends to hang with you while you clean the coop. 😜
Oh… there you go. Get some friends to help clean the coop. Maybe the promise of pizza and beer would be enough to entice them?
oh cute post, chickens are so fascinating, I could watch them running around all day, especially if there’s a good rooster looking after the hens.
Same here. Love their antics.
This is so sweet!
Thank you.
I loved coming back & reading this post again. I have to ask, is that really a hen with the caption of “hen staking her claim at her favorite nest box”? Also, is she an easter egger or something else? The plumage is absolutely stunning!
I am glad you enjoyed the post. And yes, that is our hen named Frost. She is a mixed breed, one of which is Ameraucana and I don’t remember what the other cross is. (She lays beautiful green eggs).
Thank you for sharing. As an overly busy business executive with kids , my girls taught me more lessons than people. They taught me , “There is no such thing as meaningless tasks”. Enjoy the moment. They taught me to fight for what you love, mourn for it, and to enjoy the passage of time. No matter what the day, year, or weather, Enjoy it TOGETHER. You never know when somebody might be missing the next day.
Please. Take this wisdom, with you. In honour of our “Dancin Tootsie”, “Boo Boo” . If she was a person, she would have been a Rockstar. 💖💖💖
Yes!
This is wonderful sweet timely lessons l learned. .Thanks for this cute message like the cute chicks
You are welcome.