The things a mother puts up with

Is this the cutest, or what?

Watching the Araucana hen with her chicks, I've realized her body is totally shaped to take care of little ones. Her wings expand to cover them up in the nesting box in the evening, and now that they're bigger, and roosting at night, she's still protecting them.

You may not be able to see it here, but there's actually another chick tucked onto the roost between her legs. After I took this picture at dusk, I went back when it was nearly dark, and found her neck feathers had ruffled up over the remaining chick to keep her warm. (The other chick went under her wing to sleep. )