Hen Corner

Sara Ward says “Don’t count your chickens!”

Oh my, I’m really nervous to put our plans in writing in case it all goes horribly wrong, however, I’ve been very excited as I’ve begun the preparations to hatch a clutch of eggs as part of this year’s Easter Celebrations… It all began in a Sunday School team meeting when we were discussing how to celebrate Easter this year and someone nudged me and said ‘Couldn’t we have some chicks?’ My initial response was ‘It’s not that straightforward’ remembering the last time that we hatched chicks under a broody hen in the back garden and all six revealed their masculinity by crowing an hour before dawn the following Boxing Day. Sadly, we couldn’t keep them as boys together are not only noisy but can be very aggressive towards each other. But it did get me thinking. Newly hatched chicks are lovely, tiny, fluffy and cute for the first ten days, then they start that awkward transition of adolescence, growing odd feathers in unexpected areas and eating you out of house and home. Speaking of which, if we wanted to hatch them at church so that local families can visit them in the school holidays, then we’ll be using an incubator and heat lamps to mimic their mum. We need to parent them until they are big enough to hold their own with the rest of the flock here at Hen Corner, this could mean them living inside our home for weeks, even months… Have I really thought this through? If we want to be sure to get some new hens at the end of the project, we probably need to hatch twelve eggs as eight of the chicks could be boys. Twelve little chicks can happily spend their first couple of weeks in a plastic box the size of a small fish tank, but fast forward a couple of months and they’ll be needing much more space. Enough deliberating, I’ve decided that if as many people as possible can enjoy the delight of these symbols of new life, as we reflect with thankfulness on new opportunities in our own lives, then I’m happy to make this happen. So, we plan to hatch the chicks in St Paul’s Church, Brentford, in the school holidays, with opportunities to meet them at special story times and church services. The chicks will then ‘star’ at Easter at Hen Corner, a regular event inviting families to celebrate with activities such as hugging hens, making hot cross buns and hunting for eggs, both real and chocolate. Looking forward to early June, as the Queen is celebrating her Jubilee, we will be celebrating our own queens on our bee keeping courses. We have protective suits for everyone, so see if you can spot her in the crowd and give her a cheer…