The Lost Chick

There was another little drama in the barn last week.

A white hen had a clutch of new chicks. The morning after they hatched, one of the chicks, who we named Marco Polo, fell out of the nest. He couldn't climb back in, so he got separated from the others and squeaked shrilly. I found Marco cowering alone in the corner of the barn, looking like he was going to collapse. 

I picked him up and put him back in the nest. The hen accepted him immediately. When I visited the barn the next morning, the hen and all her chicks were out of the nest, including Marco Polo exploring out front. I sketched them in watercolor as they rested.