An Ecumenical Prayer for Hatching Eggs

[tommysgirl]

Every little bit helps right so even if you are not particularly religious I thought it might be nice to ask for a blessing from the higher power of your particular belief system. I just pulled this out of my head so feel free to add to it in the thread in case I left out something you think is important.

Start with whatever you start prayer with...

"I know that there are a lot of things more important in the world than the success of our hatches but I ask for your blessing for the eggs we are all setting and the potential lives inside of them. Please bless the hens and roosters who made the life in the eggs possible. Inspire the shippers of eggs to remember that there are live embryos in those boxes and make the hands of all postal workers gentle.

Please protect these eggs from power surges, energetic toddlers and curious dogs. When they time comes for them to hatch we ask that their instincts and their will to live be strong.

Thank you for the opportunity to attempt to hatch eggs and the excitement that goes along with it. Please guide our choices as we help to bring the life you created into the world and into our brooders.

We know not every egg will hatch and again we know that there are bigger issues than our hatch rates but please bless these eggs.

Thank You"

So what do you think?

 

[bargain]

I think prayers matter..... Here is how we ship our eggs and https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/the-garry-farm-how-our-eggs-are-wrapped-packed-and-shipped
And we do pray...... Throughout this process of shipping eggs, I'm thinking of the buyerand what I know about them, praying over the little egg and its journey to be and praying that your hatch will be one which is a marvelous adventure that blesses you and your household. When there are problems I read about on the board with hatches, or birds, I pray over them as well. I am a big believer that prayer makes a difference.

An attitude of reverence for the eggs I think is appropriate and for me personally an attitude that every baby born from shipped eggs is a special miracle. We wrap like "maniacs" and still, when I think of all the little eggs go through in transit, it amazes me so when babies are born!!!! And of course things will happen, incubator problems, etc, etc, And sometimes my prayers then go to peace and comfort. Lovely topic and have a blessed day!!!!

 

[tommysgirl]

What a great post! Thank you for sharing your own thoughts! I pictured you saying little prayers over every egg and I smiled. Your website is wonderful and you birds are gorgeous. Thank you for taking such care with your shipped hatching eggs I just bought eggs from two BYCers and the also packed them beautifully and with reverence of the little lives inside.

 

[Muzhik]

Greetings! Avian flu recently hit the part of Iowa where I grew up, decimating a number of growers, some related to people I knew. On another forum someone had related the story of how her child's prayer and the grubs he dug up saved a favorite hen who was dying of a swollen abdomen. I was suddenly struck with the image of my old Catholic priest, dressed in full regalia, going through some of the commercial operations blessing the chickens and turkeys, and laughed. Then I thought, why not?

I did a quick search and found a traditional Catholic blessing for birds that are to be consumed, but there's nothing that says it can't be used for eggs or layers. It's also not particularly Catholic, in that those of other Christian faiths (and Jewish farmers, too, if they substitute their own traditional prayer ending) can use over their own flocks. It also doesn't require an ordained person, and can be said by anyone who wants to bless their flocks.

Translated from the traditional Latin:

Blessing of Poultry

O God, Creator of all things, besides the other kinds of creatures Thou hast deigned to produce the species of birds for the use of mankind. With these birds, Noe, as he was leaving the ark, offered Thee an acceptable sacrifice; and when Thy people were being led out of Egypt by Moses Thy servant, Thou gavest a precept that they should eat of these birds, separating the clean from the unclean. We humbly beseech Thee, graciously bless and sanctify the flesh of these clean birds, that all who eat of them may be filled with Thy abundant blessing and may merit to attain the well-watered gardens of eternal life. Through Christ our Lord Amen.