We have this hen. Every spring she thinks she wants to be a mom.
It’s called being “broody”. She will sit in a nest box all day long, and when I pick her up and toss her out to the run to get some food and water, she puffs herself up and clucks in a deep voice.
We don’t have a rooster, so it’s impossible for the eggs she sits on to hatch into chicks. But her body doesn’t realize that. Two years ago we brought home some feed store chicks and stuck them under her at night, and she totally raised them as her own (no need for a heat lamp, yay!).
Every time I see her like this, I think of Psalm 91:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’… He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge.”
A mother hen teaches her chicks where to find food and water. She leads them around the yard. She will allow them to explore, and but will also attack predators for them. The chicks feel safe and warm when she covers them with her feathers. They trust her completely.
It’s one of my favorite images of my Heavenly Father. And one I’m still learning (complete trust is hard).
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