Nix’s daughter is a dwarf chicken.

Last year, we went to a farmer’s market and got a few chicks for our broody hen to raise. It was so exciting, I forgot to even ask what breed of chicken they were.

Nix was mama as soon as we hid them under her while collecting eggs. She was in awe of her adopted flock.

One of them was smaller than the rest, but very loving. The kids named her Pee Wee.

Pee Wee thrived with Nix. She loved her mother and siblings. One of the chicks didn’t do well on the trip home and just didn’t thrive with Nix. She quietly just slipped away. After three days of motherhood, Nix knew loss. She buried Pee Wee’s sister and mourned for days, but she carried on for her other little ones, Pee Wee, and the biggest one that my eldest son named Gold Stripe.

Pee Wee and Gold Stripe were like night and day. They were happy little birdies who followed their mother everywhere once they were big enough, but Pee Wee was calm and nervous about being away from safety for too long. Gold Stripe was a loud, excited, explorer. She found every tiny hole in the chicken run and would slip out and then get lost.

Every time, I knew because she cried so loud, and Nix was frantic. I could see it from my back window each time, and each time I scooped Gold Stripe up in my hands, put her back with her mother and sister, and plugged up the hole. This went on for months before she was gobbled up by some predator, leaving behind a single talon.

Needless to say, if we give chicks to a broody hen again, they cannot have the full use of the run until they are full-grown, and although this is just part of backyard farming, Pee Wee’s cautious nature proved the most helpful.

She grew and remained happy in our chicken run. She has enjoyed the beauty of the entire backyard when we let the flock out and supervise, but she prefers the safety of the run because it is a perfect aviary, with deep netting set atop it to keep out danger.

And despite her cautious and quiet nature, she has been a companion to the family like no other. She loves being held. She loves being hand-fed, and is so gentle with her beak. She comes in the house and plays without making too much of a mess.

She spent many a cold night being warmed inside because of this, and because she was so small. We were starting to worry about her. She just stopped growing when she was about half the size of Nix and our other chickens, but she was healthy in every other way.

I thought maybe she was slow to develop, but then she laid a little egg. It was so small, I didn’t want to eat it. I’m still not used to her tiny eggs, and I only use them in my baking because they’re just so tiny.

But now it all makes sense. Pee Wee is a dwarf. She is smaller than the rest, but filled with much more love so she makes her own way.

Her mother, Nix, stopped being mom months ago, but every once in a while, I find them just sticking together, and I know they still share something special.