SO MANY THINGS CAN HAPPEN

It seems living in the country

I see more of God's beauty and miracles.

However, there are times when it is painfully real.

With modern day conveniences, I don't think it is appreciated

all that happens for a gallon of milk or a dozen eggs

to be picked up at the grocery store.

There are so many things that can happen.

All of this brings me to my story.
We have a second hen (a Rhode Island Red)

sitting on eggs that should hatch this coming weekend.

They are well over 80% through their journey....

just to enter this world.

For some reason, the other 3 hens choose to lay eggs in her box.

Yes, right on top of her!

There are 8 other boxes and that ONE is the box every hen wants.

Crazy Hens!

Anyway, over the past 3 weeks on 3 separate occasions

I have found a cracked egg.
In the begging this broody hen was sitting on 5 eggs.

Four days into it I marked the eggs with an "X"

so I would not gather them.

On the 7th day,

I found one of them completely busted....in the nest.

I have no idea what happened but I suspect

one of the other hens was laying in there

with the broody hen and they stepped on it.

It was early into the development and

I noticed nothing but simply a busted egg.

I cleaned it out the best I could with a squawking hen after me.

Put more hay in the bottom to try and pad it better.

Now there were 4 eggs.
A week later I found a busted egg on the floor!

Thank goodness not one of the brooding eggs.
Because of the other hens

laying their eggs in with the broody hen,

I have to check the eggs and gather the ones without an "X".
Yesterday, my heart sank.

As I checked the eggs as always,

I discovered a very cracked egg.

Nothing was oozing out and

since they are only 7 days away from hatching,

I feared what may be inside.

I left it alone hoping it would be OK.

In the evening I checked again,

Now the shell was laying over to the side

and yes, there was a chick in the hay.

Still wet...no breathing or heartbeat.

It was perfectly formed

except the eyes seemed to have a film over them.

The body, claws, feathers and beak were perfect.

It was so close to making it.

What happened?

Did the other hen step on it?

Was something wrong and the mother hen destroyed it?

What?

So many things could have happened.

When I pushed the hen back, it was as if she knew.

She didn't peck at me as usual,

rather allowed me to remove the little creature.

She just blinked at me

and settled back down on what was left

.....3 eggs.
I showed John the precious tiny thing and then

I dug a whole in the earth and buried it.

I did not take a picture, it just didn't seem right.
There are so many things that can happen.

This hen is having a much rough time.

Her eggs should hatch by this weekend.

Time will tell,

SO MANY THINGS CAN HAPPEN.

So the next time you pick up a dozen eggs,

know that there were countless events

that did or did not occur

in order for those eggs to be at your store.