Hen and her chicks

It's not uncommon for a laying hen to go broody , especially in the early spring and summer months. For those who need to refresh your flock, try allowing the hen to sit on a clutch of eggs usually 10 to 14 , and let them hatch out naturally into fluffy baby chicks. Acquire a rooster, so that the eggs are fertilized, or try purchasing or trading for some fertilized eggs. Buff Orpingtons are a breed known for their broodiness. The photo above is a Buff Orpington mama hen with several of her chicks. She will not only hatch all her chicks, but she will also care for them through cold nights, meaning there will be no need for her owner to fuss with a heat lamp.

A good broody hen will give her chicks the best start in life. She will teach them how to eat, drink and scratch for food, call them under her wings when danger approaches, and provide warmth at night. Theoretically she is capable of raising her brood without any human help, but little chicks are very vulnerable to both predators and disease. Even adult hens may attack them. Vaccinations are especially worth considering if the breed is susceptible to a particular disease i. Consult the vet before the chicks hatch to discuss vaccinations, as many have to be given at a very early age to be effective.

Although I grew up in a small town, four miles out we had our "farm," a seven-acre plot, with its menagerie of animals. The chickens didn't interest me. Horses did.

How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! The emphasis of most quotes that I found was on the self-sacrificial love of God as portrayed by the self-sacrificial love of a hen in protecting her chicks, even if it cost her life. In a way, it makes sense that many Christians believe that the mission of Jesus was to sacrifice his life for the sake of humanity or just for Christians. God desires to gather humans together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but apparently humans were not willing!