What My Chickens Are Teaching Me Lately
June 10, 2026
The chickens do not overcomplicate life, and that may be one of the reasons I like watching them so much.
Our Rhode Island Reds have a simple rhythm: fresh water, feed, egg collection, a check of the coop, and a few minutes spent watching them move around the yard.
It is ordinary care, but ordinary care is not small. Every day, they need the same basic things. They do not need a dramatic reinvention or constant novelty. They need attention, consistency, clean water, food, shelter, and someone willing to notice when something seems off.
There is a lesson in that. So much of life is built the same way. A home, a garden, a business, and trust itself are all strengthened through steady care. Most living things do not thrive because of one grand gesture; they thrive because someone kept showing up.
The chickens are part of a larger rhythm here. They support the compost, the compost supports the garden, and the garden supports the kitchen. Vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, garden clippings, and leaves all become part of the system.
It is not glamorous, but it is deeply satisfying. It reminds me that stewardship is not just a feeling. It is a practice: walking outside when it is hot, checking the water again, collecting the brown eggs, and noticing what needs attention before it becomes a problem.
Texas heat makes almost everything more honest. Water management is always a work in progress, and the garden and chickens work beautifully together only when they are actually cared for. You cannot just admire the idea of a garden or the idea of chickens. You have to care for the real ones in front of you.
That is true for most of what matters. We care for the life we are building by returning to it, again and again.
With love and intention,
Jennifer
