05/09/2026
If there is one thing having animals has taught me this year it is that with life comes death and with death comes new life.
Backstory: When we first got chickens we got unsexed chickens from Tractor supply. Out of all of the chickens we got we only ended up with one rooster. How strange is it that we bought 25-30 chickens and only ONE was a rooster. He was the tiniest chicken in there but boy he had the best personality. We had no idea what breed he was but he was the cutest baby in the box. He loved his girls and as more roosters hatched into our flock he taught them the same respect for the girls. Over the years we have had roosters three times his size but he was in charge. He would crow for his girls to go in at night and crow for them to go out in the morning. He protected the flock with his entire 8 inch body. This winter was brutal for us. No matter the precautions we took we kept losing chickens. Even through that he protected them staying as close as possible to keep them warm or sitting on much bigger chickens to keep them warm at night. We had protective panels, covered windows, safe heaters, hay, yet nothing worked. Near the end of the winter we had a nice warm day that was followed by a day of freezing temps. That day we lost our boy. Losing him hurt deeply, especially after trying so hard to keep everyone safe, but his impact did not end the day we lost him. I loved him with all of me and will continue to every day. He lives on through the roosters he raised, the hens he loved, and our family. I walked into the same Tractor Supply around March and found a stuffed animal that reminded me so much of him.
Present: Four of our girls are sitting on nests with the prettiest eggs ever! The eggs are due to hatch around May 18th and 19th. I will 100% have updates on them all the time. I am sad that these eggs will be raised without our boy. I trust that the roosters he raised will set a good example. I will forever miss seeing him but I am forever grateful that God gave me the opportunity to love him. I was scrolling TikTok the other day and say a rooster just like our boy. The rooster was a Bantam Blue Breasted Red Old English Game Chicken which is what Google says when I plug pictures of our boy in. I have thought about finding a hatchery that has them but no one will ever replace him.
Moral of the story: One of the hardest but most beautiful lessons animals can teach us is that life never truly stands still. Our little rooster may have only had an 8-inch body, but he left behind a legacy far bigger than himself. Most of the time it is the smallest souls that leave the biggest impact. Owning and adding animals to your family teaches you that there is light in loss, that loss will always be there, but most importantly that when you pour your love into things they never truly die. The love, lessons, and legacy they leave behind will continue in every new life that follows. We will forever love you baby and we will take such good care of your girls until they are yours again🩷
