When you have a large family, and to me our chickens have always been family, there is room for a great deal of love. But there are also many painful goodbyes.
We have had Aron ever since he was a tiny chick peeping beneath the protective wings of his mother, Selma. He grew up here in Käxsundet, going from a fluffy ball of down to a magnificent rooster with the most beautiful iridescent plumage.
For several years, Aron, together with his little brother Jack, was perfectly content to let his father, Rufus, be the head rooster of the flock. But when Rufus grew old, it was Aron who took over the role. To be perfectly honest, he was not always entirely suited to the job. It did happen, from time to time, that he would call the hens over after discovering a particularly tasty treat, only to promptly eat it himself while they looked on in apparent disbelief. But in the grand scheme of things, that was a very small flaw indeed.
He grew into his role and spent many happy years strutting proudly around with his flock. He was especially fond of Ellen and Ester, both of whom have passed away relatively recently. And I do believe that age finally caught up with Aron after he lost Ester just a few weeks ago. Even so, he continued bravely watching over the chicken run. During his final weeks, he grew particularly close to Hedda and Klara, two of the newer members of our family. It warmed our hearts to see, although he never courted another hen after Ester was gone.
A few days ago, he stopped crowing. It was clear that he was approaching his final farewell. Yet until the very end, he continued to patrol the chicken run and keep himself impeccably groomed, as befits a proper rooster. He thoroughly enjoyed standing in the sunshine, having grown a little stiff and chilly with age. And he loved eating sweetcorn and blueberries directly from our hands.
Last night, when I went out to close up the henhouse, he was standing there waiting for me just inside the hatch. He received a few kernels of sweetcorn, and then I lifted him onto his perch because it had grown dark inside the coop.
During the night, he fell asleep for the last time, leaving behind an enormous emptiness.
Now he is reunited with Ester and Ellen, resting beside them after a very long and very beautiful life.
