I often work on several projects at the same time. I find it helps my hands to use yarns that vary in size and texture, different sizes of hooks, and patterns that vary in the types of stitches and styles they use. I also find by switching around I finish more items when I have deadlines to meet. This summer I've also been able to sneak in a few items for myself which has been nice.
The hen is part of a birthday gift that will accompany three traditional tales Chicken Little,
Henny Penny, 
and The Little Red Hen. 
I was originally going to make the hen in worsted weight 4 yarn using variegated yarn to avoid making the color changes for the body. I did make the body that way but even with a D hook she was large. I moved on to sport weight yarn and a D hook and she was a much more workable size. Just a note the pattern calls for light worsted and a C hook. I decided my hands and I could live with the D hook making the hen just a little larger. The pattern does come with a nest and eggs but not quite what I wanted for my purposes so I chose not to include them.
The hen pattern can be found in Zoomigurumi 7
