Mothering is hard work. This is one serious, committed mother. Hens don’t have a choice of leaving their chicks at day care or hiring a sitter when they need a break. They are on the job twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. From the crack of dawn until evening, they are teaching their chicks where to find good food and how to stay away from danger. At night they become their chicks’ feather bed, keeping them warm and dry all night.