Ahhhhh!” Lily screamed as she darted from the coop to the safe tree.

“Don’t be afraid Lil, the hawk’s not here,” Doug said.

“It’s not the hawk I’m worried about,” Lily panted, trying to catch her breath.

“What then?” Doug asked. He looked around the yard. Porridge was chasing a bug. Gert was resting on a branch and Checkers was sunbathing next to Gert. Everything seemed fine. Just then, Brownie emerged from the coop. Lily hid behind Doug. “Oh, her again,” Doug sighed.

“She’s a meanie,” Lily whimpered. Brownie was the oldest chicken in the hen house. And the biggest.

“Just try to stay out of her way,” Doug suggested.

Lily was new to the group and only a few months old. “She’s so pretty,” Porridge announced when Lily first arrived. “I like her pure white feathers and very red waddle and comb,” Checkers added. “I’m Gert,” Gertrude offered as she welcomed Lily to the flock. Brownie had been in the chicken coop at the time and had not gone over to meet her.

“Come with me,” Porridge called to Lily, “I’ll show you around.” Gert, Checkers and Doug, the little rooster, followed behind. “This is so exciting!” they all exclaimed. Porridge showed Lily the sand patch where they all took dust baths, the rock wall where all the yummy bugs lived, the old wheel barrel that provided shelter from the wind and rain and, most importantly, the safe tree. “When Doug gives the signal, run as fast as you can and hide under this tree,” Gert said firmly to Lily. “The hawk won’t be able to get you under all these branches.”

Lily looked up and shuttered. “I won’t forget”.

Porridge continued the tour. “Come on!” she hollered as she took off toward the coop. The three hens and the little rooster all ran after Porridge, following her to the coop. The area in front was closed in with wire walls and a roof. It had a chair and two branches to perch on. “This is where we hang out when it’s raining,” Porridge said as she hopped up on the black chair. The other three chimed in all at once: “Here’s the water! This feeder has my favorite food! I like laying in the sun right here!” There was much to see and everyone was thrilled to be able to help Lily get acquainted with her new surroundings. “This little door leads to our house,” Porridge extended her wing and escorted Lily into the red coop. The coop was tall with a big door in the front and a window on either side. “Wow!” Lily exclaimed.

“Look over here,” Checkers called. “Follow me.” Checkers led Lily up the ramp to the second floor. Big, wide eyes met them at the top. “Oh, hi Brownie,” Checkers said to the large hen who was nestled deep in a pile of shavings. Brownie, who had been watching the bustle from inside the chicken coop, grunted, stood up and abruptly stomped past Lily and the others and lumbered over to the wheel barrel to pout.

“What’s wrong with her?” Porridge asked. Everyone shrugged and went back to the tour.

Doug showed Lily where he liked to perch. “When I sit here, I can see everyone. I’ll protect you while you are sleeping,” he assured.

Lily got to explore every inch of her new home. “There is one thing you need to remember,” Gert instructed. “There are three nesting spots. We can use this one and this one.” Gertrude pointed to the one in the corner and the one on the third floor by the perches. “But this one is Brownie’s.”

“Oh! That’s a nice spot!” Lily admired. It was indeed, the perfect nest — private, as it was under the stairs; cozy, as it wasn’t too big so the shavings stayed nice and fluffy; but mostly it was perfect because it was next to the window.

“We can see the chipmunks and squirrels playing from here. They are so fun to watch,” Porridge said as she stood in Brownie’s nest box looking out the window.

“We’d better move along,” Doug suggested. “Brownie is already cranky. We don’t want to upset her any more than she is.” All agreed and promptly jumped down to the first floor and outside to play.

Later that day, Lily felt the urge that girl chickens feel. She searched the yard. She did not see Brownie. “I hope she’s not inside,” Lily worried as she quietly shuffled over to the coop. But as she stepped inside, Brownie angrily stood up and glared at Lily. “I’m sorry to disturb you. I can’t hold my egg in any longer. May I please come in? I promise to not bother you and I’ll be ever so quick.” Brownie settled back down, put her beak in the air and looked away. Lily walked timidly past Brownie and sat down in the nest box on the opposite side. After a short while, Lily let out a sigh of relief and stood up. She peeked around the corner to see if Brownie was still there. She was. Lily crouched back down onto her egg. She felt scared and discouraged and softly began to cry. Not knowing how to handle this, Brownie quietly left her nest and went out to the others.

“Where’s Lily?” Doug asked Brownie.

“Her? She’s inside.” Brownie sullenly replied.

“Why don’t you like her?” he asked. Though Doug was also young and fairly new to the group himself, he had no problem taking charge of the five ladies. In turn, the five ladies had no problem letting Doug lead the group as they found comfort in his authority. ‘Hmmph’ was all Brownie could manage to say. “Lily looks up to you Brownie, we all do.”

Brownie raised her head. “I’m old and I can’t run as fast as all of you and my feathers aren’t as vibrant and I can’t hear very well anymore,” she mumbled, feeling very sorry for herself. Gert overheard and ran to her sister. “You are older than us, but you aren’t old. I can’t run fast either, but hey, we can still run!” Gert was second oldest. Porridge and Checkers were only a few years younger than them. “Lily is new to the group and unsure of herself. We need to help her get adjusted, just like you helped me and just like you and I helped Porridge, Checkers and Doug.” Brownie thought about this for the next few days. She stopped glaring at Lily. She even occasionally let Lily have the coop to herself when she needed to lay her egg. As the weeks went by, emotions between Brownie and Lily calmed. Brownie was still jealous of Lily though, and chose to pay her no attention.

One day, Doug did let out his warning call. All five hens bolted to the tree and dove under the branches to safety. Brownie happened to catch a glimpse of Lily. She was trembling and had tears in her eyes. Brownie couldn’t stand it any longer. She ran over to her youngest sister and put her wing up and around Lily to comfort her. The others looked over, astonished! Much later that same day, Lily once again shyly entered the chicken coop, cautiously walked up the ramp, past Brownie and into the nest in the corner to lay her egg. She was careful to be very quiet so as not to disturb her older sister. Although Brownie had comforted her only a few hours earlier, Lily was still a little afraid of Brownie. But before Lily could get comfortable, Brownie stood up suddenly and moved off her coveted nest. She looked over at Lily. “Go ahead, you can use this spot.”

“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly,” Lily stuttered. The older hen insisted and gave Lily a gentle push. As soon as Lily stood, Brownie sat down in the corner nest box where Lily had been sitting. Very slowly and in total disbelief, Lily walked over to the prized nest box.

“Go on, sit,” Brownie encouraged. Lily gently sat. The shavings felt warm and lush. The privacy under the stairs was wonderful and you could, indeed, see everything from this spot by the window. Lily glanced over at Brownie. This time, Brownie did not stick her beak in the air and turn away. In fact, this time Lily thought she saw a tiny smile on her older sister’s face. Lily smiled back. She sank deeper into the plushy nest. She watched the chipmunks through the window and saw Doug and the rest of the gang playing in the yard. Lily felt safe. She felt happy and loved.

“Cluck, cluck, coooooo,” she whispered to Brownie. Brownie chuckled and cooed in return, “I love you, too”.

Cindy Bezanson