A blurry picture, but when I went to make sure the chickens were OK for the night, I saw that two little chicks, five weeks old, were on the roost. Their mother is still spending the night with two of the chicks. You can see her head peeking out to make sure the two chicks roosting above her are safe.

So what’s the big deal? As a rule, it’s the mothers who leave their chicks and go back to roosting with the rest of the flock. When she does this, sometimes the chicks follow her up to the roost. More often, the chicks huddle together where they used to sleep with their mother.

This is the first time that I’ve seen chicks take to roosting before their mother is done caring for her chicks. I’ve observed over the years that cach chicken family is unique. They tend to follow a general pattern, but within that pattern there is great variability. Each mother hen has her unique way of raising chicks. Some are strict. Some are lenient. Some spend a month. Others take two months or more to raise their chicks. Each chick has its own personality. Some are shy. Some are curious. Some are outgoing. As a result, there is an infinite variety of chicken families.

Each year, each month, each week, each day there are surprises in store. You just have to be open to experiencing them.