The Ducks, the Donkey … and the Miracle of the Chooks

Living here on the land, the animals are always teaching me something, just through the quiet honesty of the way they live.

The other day I was walking around the yard again with my scrap bucket, which, as you now know, causes a great deal of excitement in certain parts of the animal kingdom.

The ducks, of course, came running.

Quack quack quack.

Full of enthusiasm, noise, and hope.

The ducks are delightful creatures.

They do everything together.

When one duck starts cleaning its feathers, suddenly all the ducks are cleaning their feathers.

When one duck walks somewhere, the others follow behind.

Sometimes they march across the yard in a perfect little line, which is why we have the saying: “Get your ducks in a row.”

They are hilarious and adorable.

But they are also very good at asking.

No matter how well fed they are, the possibility of more food will always make them quack.

And then there is Cedric the donkey and Clover the cow.

They have a different approach.

They run up to the fence, gobble whatever scraps I throw over, and then they stand there staring.

Not noisy or dramatic, just the steady, quiet expectation that there might be more.

And if you are not careful, that look can make you feel as though you have somehow failed them.

Even though they have already eaten.

Humans can behave like ducks and donkeys too.

Some people ask loudly.

Some people simply radiate expectation.

But then there are the chooks.

I love my chooks.

They are not nearly as demanding as the ducks.

They are more independent creatures.

They scratch around the garden, find their own bugs, and quietly get on with their lives.

Apparently chickens understand around two thousand words, which is quite remarkable when you think about it.

And lately our chooks have been teaching me something extraordinary.

A few months ago our white chook had a stroke.

Pete grew up on a farm where if a chicken got sick, the practical thing to do was wring its neck.

When food is scarce and people are hungry, that is simply the way things were done.

For a moment he considered it.

Then he stopped and laughed.

He realised he wasn’t that hungry farm boy anymore.

So instead he cared for her.

And slowly she recovered.

Another one of our chooks recently looked like she was about to die.

Her comb had turned almost black and she looked terribly unwell.

Pete took her aside and nursed her as well.

Now both of them are back in the yard, scratching around happily with the others.

They nearly died.

And now they are thriving old chooks.

But here is the part that really amazes me.

The chooks gives us eggs.

Almost every day.

And inside that egg is a perfect shell made of calcium.

What fascinates me is that a chicken does not actually store large amounts of calcium inside its body like a little gravel pit.

Yet somehow, day after day, it produces a calcium shell.

Scientists have a name for this phenomenon.

They call it nuclear transformation,  which is the ability of living systems to transform one mineral into another inside the body.

In other words, life itself has the capacity to create what it needs.

And when I think about that, I realise there is a beautiful lesson in it for us as human beings.

Many people walk through life believing that they cannot give love unless they have first been given enormous amounts of love.

They believe they must be filled from the outside before they can offer anything to the world.

But the chook shows us something different.

Life itself has creative power.

Just as the chook can transform minerals and produce an egg shell, we too can generate love from the simple miracle of being alive.

Love does not always have to arrive from outside.

It can arise from the deep intelligence of life moving through us.

The chooks also teach something else.

At night they roost.

When the evening comes, they quietly take themselves off to their perch.

They settle in, rest and stay in their lane. 

They are social creatures and like being together, but they also understand when the day is done.

• No quacking.
• No staring.
• No endless demands.
• Just rest.

And perhaps that is the greatest wisdom of the chooks.

They contribute to the garden.

They give us eggs.

They survive incredible things.

And when it is time to rest, they return to their perch and allow life to renew them.

The ducks will still quack.

The donkey may still stare.

But the chooks remind us that life does not have to be lived in endless reaction to those things.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply scratch around in our own garden, create something beautiful from the life moving through us … and then, when the sun goes down, go quietly back to our own perch.

Upcoming Workshops

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Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026

Time: 09:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Cost: 139.00 per person

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Date: Sunday, 12 April 2026

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Much love,

Grada

Grada Robertson, MNM
Master of Natural Medicine
Doctoral Candidate in Natural Medicine (Psychosomatic University / Holographic Manipulation Therapy with Drs. Gabe & Tiffany Roberts)

Grada is a three-time Amazon Bestselling Author of the trilogy: You Are the Miracle, The Underbelly, and Alchemy of Love.

Disclaimer:
Our content is for educational purposes only, based on our personal journey and research. It is not medical advice. We are not medical professionals. Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider for any medical diagnoses or treatment. The information we share is intended for learning and discussion and should not replace professional medical guidance. Any actions you take based on this content are solely your responsibility.