Livestock Guardian Dog Checks on 'His' Hen After She Has Chicks Like the Kindest Gentleman

Livestock guardian dogs are protectors. Their sole purpose is to protect the animals on the farm, and to do that, they need to bond with them. They love the animals they're defending; if they didn't, they would not be willing to lay down their lives for them.

Some livestock guardian dogs take this a little further than others, like this Anatolian Shepherd on Thursday, September 12th. After his favorite hen had her chicks, he needed to check up on her, and she had some pretty mixed feelings about it:

Oh, look, another hit from Raventree Ranch. They never fail, ever. With animals like this, how could they?

Related: Border Collie Puppy Passes ‘Herding Instinct’ Test with Flying Colors

The dog in this video is Judge, one of three livestock guardian Anatolian Shepherds on this ranch. Coincidentally, Judge is the favorite one, mostly because of his relationship with the new Border Collie puppy, Ru. He's really kind and caring, especially when it comes to his besties.

This hen is one of the members of the exclusive Judge's Besties Club, too. She recently hatched a whole bunch of chicks, and this was the first time she'd every brought them out of the barn. It was also the first time he's ever seen chicks, and he took it like a champ. Not only is he checking up on her, but he keeps his distance just to avoid making her uncomfortable. She's so grateful!

How to Treat a Hen Who Just Hatched Chicks

Laying eggs is nothing new to a hen. Unless something is wrong, they can lay eggs every day and hardly even bat an eye. However, most of the time, the eggs don't get to hatch into chicks.

Hatching eggs is a whole different story. If you want to let your hen brood a clutch of eggs, you should make sure there's plenty of food, water, and fresh air in her coop. Other than that, you should leave her alone and let nature take its course until the eggs start to hatch. Once the hatching begins:

1. Start to keep a closer eye on the chicks to make sure they stay safe.
2. If the hen starts to display signs of aggression toward the chicks, remove them from her care.
3. Make sure the chicks are developing as they should be; you might need to provide supplements if they aren't.
4. Keep other chickens and animals away from them to prevent aggression or accidental injury.

Most of the time, brooding and caring for her chicks won't be too hard on her, but it's important that you make sure the hen is eating and drinking enough. Luckily, she has Judge to watch over her!