Easter Surprise

We spent Easter day at the house, doing "Easter-ie" things.  Like hiding candy-filled plastic eggs in the front yard (the adults) and subsequently finding same and plopping them into a basket or immediately opening them and cramming the contents into our mouths (Rhiannon, not me!).

The afternoon was filled with outdoor activities like shoveling compost, moving rocks, weeding the garden and the normal barnyard routines.  Sounds like a perfect Easter celebration, hugh?  Well, there was some excitement that afternoon.  While passing the barn where the broody hen decided to take up residence, I hear it.  Peeping!!

I ran towards the house and shoo'ed the cats inside (so they wouldn't be tempted to have any "Peeps" for an Easter snack) and grabbed my camera:

Momma hen butt, dud egg (been there, neglected, since I first found the hen)
and peeping, fluffy, cute as can be (and hopefully still alive) newly hatched chick!

The hen actually got up and exited the underside of the barn to get a drink from a nearby pan of water, but hurriedly made her way back to the chick and proceeded to fluff back up and re-establish herself on the rest of the eggs (I'm assuming there were more eggs although I couldn't see any).  The little chick was wandering around under the barn and back to the hen, but the hen would peck at it when it got too close.  Which, of course, got me worried so I sat there on my hands and knees, face resting on the gravel and oak nut covered ground (this was definitely not a comfortable position and I think I still have divot marks on my knees) waiting to see if the hen would allow the chick back under her fluffy mass of feathers.

I finally tired of waiting (and could no longer feel my hands or knees) so I left them.  When I went back a while later, there was no sign of the chick nor any peeping so I'm hoping that it made it underneath the hen again (and didn't get pecked to death by it's mother.....I always suspect the worst).  

I'm not sure if I'm just going to let Nature "take it's course" and leave the hen and chick(s) to their own devices or what.  But probably not.  When I'm certain the hen is done hatching, I'm going to try to gather up her and her chicks and put them in one of the smaller pens in the goat /chicken barn where they will be safe and contained.

Hopefully come daylight (why am I up at ten minutes to three in the morning writing a blog post???) I'll go outside to the sound of more peeping chicks.