It is cool today. The chicks are 48-h old. Momma is up out of the nest box teaching her chicks how to make their living. Lesson one: Scratch and Peck.

Unfortunately, the spot she has chosen is exceedingly muddy and crud quickly gets caked onto her beak. I open the door of the broody box to see if she wants to take the babies out for a stroll, but the other hens just crowd into the box.

Always a skittish loner, Little Sister is overwhelmed by the hens crowding into ‘her’ space (for the past 23 days), so I scoot the hens out, And LS leads the chicks back to the nest for a warm nap.

We’ll try again later…