A Momma Hen and Her Chicks

Hatching chicks and raising chickens is such a great learning opportunity for kids of all ages. (Well, having animals in general.) In our homeschooling journey, we have always had the mindset that every life experience is a learning opportunity. You are never too old to learn more, and you don’t need a textbook to learn new things.

It has been so fun to watch Little Z learn about where chicks come from and how they grow. She has enjoyed playing with them and getting to name one of them, Chocolate. As she gets older she will learn more. I have learned more about chicken behavior and development with every experience and I know that I have not learned everything yet.

       Barnevelder                 Legbar            Wheaten Americauna
If Ethel turns out to be a roo we will call him Ricky.
Thankfully, Chocolate's name works either way.

We set 6 eggs under Amelia and 3 hatched out on day 21. Each chick emerged about 12 hours after the first little pip in their shell. 3 eggs did not hatch out. I have read in several places that the momma hen will push out the dead eggs from her nest if she decides that they are not viable, but after 2 weeks, she is still holding out hope, even though there is no way they will hatch this far out. I like that quality in her. She is not giving up on those 3 eggs that will not hatch for whatever reason. It’s the sign of a true momma. At the same time, we are watching her let her littles play while she clucks instruction to them, and as she shows them how to take the food out of the feeder and then walk in the waterer, stamp on the food and make it wet. Because, that is Amelia’s favorite way to eat her feed, as it was also the preferred method of our other hens. She is showing them how to scratch for bugs, dust bathe and all the other activities that chickens do. They come when she clucks at them. She pecks them on the head when they do not listen and then they obey. She fiercely protects them from any perceived danger. And they mimic all the behavior she models.

A Momma Hen and Her Chicks

As mommas, we hold out all hope for our kids, whatever the conflict they are walking through, that they will overcome and succeed. If they are walking through the valley we pray and hope that they will be able to climb the mountain and reach the top. We also show them what we have discovered is the best way to do all the daily tasks and the best way to eat our favorite foods. It is what mommas do. We model what we have found to be beneficial. They trust her and if we are doing our job, our littles trust us. Just a few observations as I watch Amelia walk out her life as a momma hen.