Jed has taken charge of the chicken chores this year. This isn't an easy job for him, especially during the cold winter months, but he has been remarkably diligent for a little guy. Sometimes he complains, but whenever we go outside he always loves talking to the chickens and spending the time outside.
We haven't had an easy run of it this past winter, with almost half our chickens dying in various gruesome manners, but Jed's been a tough cookie and hasn't even winced helping clean up and deal with the aftermath.
I feel tending the chickens teaches some of the greatest lessons a child could learn, and is the primary reasons why I want chickens. Daily work is required. It isn't fun, but it is rewarding collecting the eggs and seeing the flock grow. During hard times, he comes face to face with the realities of death and the natural cycle of life. Realizing his actions have real, lasting, permanent consequences for these helpless animals has opened his eyes. I know if he can learn to understand these lessons now, he will be stronger facing challenges as a teen and an adult.
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