“Eat this, not that.” You can see it in Nina’s eyes. “Which one did Mom say we could eat?” the chicks seem to ask each other. “What about that one?” Chicks have as many questions as children. Just like a child will ask their parent a million times, “Why is the sky blue?” listening to chicks chirp throughout the day with their mother, it’s like they are asking her the same questions, over and over, all day long.

It’s no wonder Nina loves to take a break in the winter sun so she can rest while her chicks preen themselves. If a chick is preening its feathers, it can’t ask questions. There’s no daycare for mother hens. For them, raising chicks is a 24 hour a day job.