Born just a few hours ago, this chick looks up at me, trying to make sense out of what she is seeing. Snuggled next to her mother, safe in a soft, straw bed, she has it made. Only a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the 25 million chicks born in the USA today were born under the warmth of their mother’s body. A world of fun and adventure is awaiting her and her siblings. With a mother to look out over her, she should have a great childhood.

Hens on their nests can have piercing eyes. Kuma-hime 熊姫 (Bear Princess) glares at me with eagle eyes. Hens usually stay perfectly still until you get too close. Then they erupt, squawking and batting their wings, making a fuss and sometimes running away.

Curious Becky wonders who approaches. I find it amusing that chickens will cock their heads just like people when they are trying to figure out something. It points to a behavior we inherited from a very distant common ancestor. If so, it means that animals have been cocking their heads for hundreds of millions of years.