Small beetle for the hen? (8)

I believe the answer is:

ladybird

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'small beetle' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'for the hen?' is the wordplay.
'for' becomes 'lady' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'the hen?' becomes 'bird' (hen is a kind of bird).
'lady'+'bird'='LADYBIRD'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ladybird that I've seen before include "Spotted creature" , "Garden beetle" , "spotted crawler" , "Red spotted beetle" , "spotted one that flies" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish News.

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