I wish the lighting had come from the front rather than the rear in this image, if only to enhance the shape of the chick. Works well for challenge - adds a bit of emotion to the image. 6
You have used focus perfectly to create a beautiful and sensitive photo from something so simple. There are a lot of excellent photos in this challenge. This is my favorite. Great job.
One could argue that your focus is exactly where it needs to be. I'll go with the fact that your choice of what to focus (ie not focusing on the obvious choice) is what makes this so effective.