Late in the afternoon, the hens gather before heading into the chicken yard and their roost for the night. Chickens don’t wear watches or bother to check what time it is on cel phones either. Sun worshippers, they head in when the sun dips low in the sky. In the winter they are indoors by four in the afternoon. In mid summer, they are out until eight or later. They make up for the short summer nights by taking long afternoon naps as they soak in the warm sunshine.

Skunky and its siblings are just over a month old now … and see, no mother. They’ve found a soft spot on a garden path and are enjoying the afternoon sun, not worried that their mother is off foraging on her own. They are old enough now to be on their own. A month is on the short side of chick rearing. More of the hens raise their chicks closer to two months than just one, but a month is not unusual. I’ll see if their mother is still spending the night with them. Chicks are completely independent when they no longer spend the nights with their mother.

Skunky’s family is taking a break on a roost, but where is Skunky? Skunky is in the brush, not too far away, roosting on a fallen branch.

Here comes Skunky, wings flapping to make it up to the top of the roost. There, that’s much better than sitting all alone. Where is Skunky in the last picture? Can you find Skunky? Skunky is looking right at the camera.

I was going to go into the workshop to get something, but Hazel had other ideas. A hot metal door is like a sauna for a chicken. The door to the workshop is a favorite spot to sun. Whatever I needed, I can get another time. When the sun is out, they enjoy pressing their bodies against the hot metal and spreading their wings. They can contort their bodies to soak up as much sunshine as possible.

So I have to wait a while, or use another entrance. It’s no big deal. Perhaps they are telling me it’s time to stop being so busy and soak up some sunshine too.

Everyone is happy, happy, happy, at the end of the day, especially Skunky. Skunky’s mother has all her little ones rolling around in the dirt. Skunky kicks and digs in the dirt, rolling onto its back and having a great time. This is what Earth Day looks like, a mother hen and her happy, happy chicks.

Little chicks’ need for love is infinite. It takes a mother hen’s heart to satisfy their needs.