These happy chicks are three days old today. Ever since they hatched, they have been showered with love and attention 24 hours a day. They are now well bonded with their mother and stay close to her, watching her every move, and mimicking what she does.
Taking Her Chicks Home
The dogwood is getting closer and closer to blooming. On this beautiful evening, a mother hen with eight chicks is leading her chicks home for a good night’s sleep. She’s had her chicks on the move much of the day, taking them into the woods, through the garden, around the pond, and a long evening walk by the dogwood. Maybe she enjoys looking at the dogwood as much as I do.
It’s a Jungle Out There
Everything is wet after steady rains through the night and morning. Behind the chicken yard, it’s a jungle of comfrey, burdock and tall grass.
It’s a perfect place for a mother hen to scratch for food with her chicks. They huddle around her beak, eager to snatch up any bugs or worms she finds. This is where chicks belong, outdoors with a mother, exploring a jungle full of exciting things to see and do.
An interesting fact about mother hens is that they don’t care at all whose chicks they are raising. They are communal birds and will sit on anyone’s eggs. The chicks they hatch may be those of other hens, but they love them all.
Born Today
These are what one day old chicks look like. They started hatching yesterday and finished today. Their mother has them out of the nest to feed and drink.
