Today, outside in chicken world, we had a record - a six-hen hug! To achieve this marvel, Judy, the six-month old SS, who looks more like a rooster with her giant comb and wattles, forced herself into my area of vulnerability, demanding a hug. Francie, an eighteen-month old EE, never lets a hug opportunity pass without her being in on it. Then Judy's two SS brooder mates, Geobette and Sylvia, pushed in to get in on what Judy was enjoying. From the side, four-year old Brahma royal, Lady Di, pushed in to take part in what she recognized as a good thing. Last, Rachel Corrie, another eighteen-month old EE, stood in front of this assembly telegraphing her intention to be a part of the joy, so I manage to just reach my arms far enough to take her in. For a hen-hug of this magnitude, I have to be on my knees in the run, bent over with my arms around the entire grouping. This is a disparate assortment, most will gladly peck a pullet when one is in the proximity, but everyone is cordial in their scrunch inside my arms, Judy's "chook-chook-chooking", causing the entire assembly to rock with the rhythm of a Ford Model A - 4 cylinder engine. I eventually pull back, exposing the cohesive six, motionless in their configuration, none anxious to disperse, supposedly hoping the arms and half-lap will come back and things can go on this way forever. And I've no doubt they would all remain this way for as long as the human consents to play her part. Pure bliss. I wish it could go on forever. Have any of you experienced this sort of wonder?
