Hey Everyone,
As I hope you've all seen on Facebook, I got chickens this week! There are two black ones and two buff ones, and their names are Tanya, Dolly, Patsy, and Loretta. They are really funny, and we've been having a great time together so far. Tanya is the most curious and most assertive. She likes to try to jump/fly out of the pen, but she isn't strong enough yet. Dolly obviously has the biggest bossom, and she's also the most motherly. Patsy and Loretta are skittish and go on little sprints around the pen, which startles the others and they go on little sprints of their own.
Today was the girls' first trip outside, which was a very scary proposition for four naive, young hens. At first, the sight of so much grass, the feel of the wind at their breasts, and the prospect of the unknown was too much to handle. They huddled in a corner and took turns trying to squeeze themselves between the front steps and the house. Then a little spider caught Tanya's eye!
"What be this little morsel scurrying with such allure," she wondered? "Maybe, I'll peck it... yes... I will. YES! Spiders are the yummiest!"
After that the secret was out. The ants suffered serious casualties along with the spiders who called the top of the foundation home. Even one hapless worm met his demise. Man were they excited about that worm. I think Patsy found it, and she immediately tore off across the run with it swinging from her beak. The other girls understood that clearly Patsy had found a treasure and took off after her squabbling for her to slow down.
The next fun game was to dig nests. Dolly made the game up (she is the most motherly). She squatted down and splayed to one side. Then she began kicking dirt all around her, slowly making a nice little depression to relax in. Of course Loretta became jealous and tried to dig an adjoining nest. This annoyed Dolly, who began to dig again to show that her nest was the best. Unfortunately for her, this just made Loretta topple onto her because now she was on a slope. Meanwhile, the other two took turns standing on the nesters to show them how lame they were. In the end, Dolly was evicted from her nice deep nest. Loretta decided to share the new mega-nest with Patsy, and Dolly was left to chase more bugs. Tanya never quite got the hang of nesting. She would crouch down on her haunches, but keep her tail and butt high up in the air. She'd then make a few cursory scratches at the ground, but not enough to make even the slightest depression. It looked more like a "Do me!" pose than a nesting pose. Hopefully she'll get the hang of it by the time she starts pooping eggs.
Anywho, the trees have finally leafed out, and today it felt like summer might actually happen after all. I think the rain returns tomorrow. Boo! I hope you're enjoying wherever you are.
Love and Adventures,
Toast
P.S. The solo picture is Tanya.
