A couple of years ago we raised a brood of chicks from eggs we tended in an incubator. We had never done this before and were excited to try.
While the chicks were still growing in their shells, we did our best to mimic the warm and humid, natural conditions the eggs would have been in with a mother hen sitting on them.
In the beginning, we did well with this task. The first chicks to hatch easily broke through their shells. Soon they were hopping about and chirping.
Unfortunately, we made a critical mistake.
We didn’t know that we needed to add more water to the incubator as we removed hatched chicks. The air in the incubator became drier and drier. This caused the membranes within the remaining eggs to dry out and the shells became too tough for the remaining chicks to break through.
We had unwittingly created a difficult condition that even a strong chick could not survive without help.
Some of the chicks were able to peck out a small hole in the shell but exhausted themselves in the effort.
Ironically, we had been told that by letting them struggle we were helping them get strong.
Because of our ignorance, several chicks died.
A month later, one of our broody hens hatched her own clutch of healthy chicks. We looked on as she pecked at their shells, assisting some of her chicks to get free.
We then realized what we’d done wrong with our incubator chicks. It was a hard lesson.
We learned that while there’s a time to step back and let someone do it on their own, there’s also a time to help.
It’s a lesson we’ve applied in our lives beyond raising chickens.
We now understand more deeply that we each have great power to affect the conditions of our fellow beings.
The Ancient Ones remind us that “[w]e must endeavor to see everyone as a brother or sister in need of our loving attention. Remember, as physical Beings, we are the hands of God.”
Everyone needs a helping hand now and then.
Rich Blessings, Jack and Stacey
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