A Mother's Love

This hen is a first time mother this spring.  I don't know what kind she is because she got lumped in with a bunch of other chicks that looked like Rhode Island Reds.  She's a small hen, the smallest of our flock and when she got broody, I didn't want her hatching any eggs.  First of all because of her size, not that many eggs will fit under her.  Secondly, we already had a hen sitting on a nest.  

But, she just wouldn't give up, so I gave her some eggs and she faithfully sat until three hatched.  I moved her into the barn when they started to pip, and there she has remained.  She has so far refused to join the flock and sleep in the coop, whereas, the other experienced mother rejoins the flock ASAP.

She had her own stall for a while, then she shared the goat's stall for a while, huddling in a corner with her chicks.  She accidentally got shut out of the barn one night and lost two chicks.  I felt bad for her.  But, she soldiers on with her solitary little one.

Now, in the evenings she likes to perch up on top of the stall door.  I have no idea how that chick gets up there.  It's about nine feet off the floor.