On my mind ... SAD UPDATE

This is a Friday photo feature that anyone with a blog can join. To take part, post a photo on your own blog, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to here from your blog by saying you're part of "On my mind". Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When you've done that, come back here and add a comment below, with a link to your blog.

Two photos today to show you the two main characters on my mind. Mary's eggs are hatching, the first was already out and dry when we let the chooks out yesterday morning. We got Mary out to eat then she went straight back to sitting on the eggs. I'm hoping that when I go out this morning, there will be many more little fluff balls. This first one is a Barred Plymouth Rock.  Nicky, who sent us the eggs, said you can tell if they're male or female by the markings on the Rocks' heads. I am thinking this is a boy but I'm far from expert on this and I'll have to compare this little chick with the others, hopefully today. We have three Rock eggs and three buff Orpington.

UPDATED: I went out at 5.20am to let the girls out and looked into the nest. I was upset to find Mary sitting beside the eggs, not on them. I didn't see the chick, I thought it was under her wing. Mary looked at me then looked away. I just went out with Hanno, Mary and the chick are both dead. The eggs are stone cold.  :- (  We don't know what happened or what has killed Mary. She seemed okay yesterday. We have had sudden deaths like this before, I guess most people with chooks do, but this is very upsetting because she was sitting on eggs and had one chick hatch. I think she must have squashed the chick when she died. I guess we'll have to look for some pullets now.