18 days and counting...

My little flock of seven went out today for a romp around the yard! Really, they go almost every day, but I always forget that I should take my camera out with me. They are getting so feathery and big! Edith, who we were concerned might be an Eddie, is a giant beast of a bird. She is still a little suspicious, but we hope Edith is shaping up to be a young lady. She is rambunctious, adventurous, a capable flyer, and the queen of the flock. Where Edith goes the flock will follow. If anything tasty or exciting shows up, Edith must have it.

Edith

Zella is the sweetheart of the flock - she doesn't run from our hands and likes to cuddle. She falls asleep in your hands and it is the cutest thing! Her quirky hairdo is coming in, and it really suits her personality. Zella is independent, adorable, and an avid flyer. Zella was the first to get serious about growing wing feathers, so she is a more capable flyer that some of the others. I love her dearly, and though I certainly don't play favorites, she is my favorite chickie of all!

Zella

Oh, June. June is a bit of a character these days, and personally, I think she is getting a little full of herself. She is one of the bigger chickens of the flock and she knows it. June loves spreading her nicely feathered wings out to attempt escape of everything; the brooder, our arms, and particularly restricting bushes. A friend describes June as "decidedly feminine although rather aggressive."She is a sister to June and second in command. She is delightfully curious though!

June

 Dorthy, known as Dot to her friends and flockmates, is growing pathetically slow. She has wing feathers, but no tail feathers like everybody else. Dot is a fuzzy fuzzball with a yearning to be as fabulous a flyer as Edith. She is a sweet little girl who isn't all that high up in the flock due to her size. Dot loathes to be alone. If ever she is separated she screams and screams for help. The flock is her family and her protection, and though she is fascinated by her surroundings she is lost without her feathered sisters. Poor Dot has crippled toes that curl out instead of sticking straight, but you wouldn't guess that if you were to see her run around all day like she does. Hopefully her curly feet won't pose problems in the future; I doubt they will now that it is clear that Dot can roost and scratch and run with them.

Dot

Shirley loves to find things. She likes to dig for bugs, peck at shiny rings, and scratch in attempts of uncovering a tasty morsel. Shirley is probably the best at it too. She is usually the one to find the goodies that Edith promptly attempts to steal. I am not sure why, but Shirley isn't particularly fond of little Betsy. Maybe Shirley is simply asserting herself with a peck on the head every so often. But maybe it is an exposing trait that shows her inner self, a cleverly vile self that hides behind a facade of cheerful chirps and cuddles. The world may never know.

Shirley

Nellie is really a strange bird. Needlessly nervous, Nellie never nears nice nails (hands, actually). She runs in circles in attempts to escape our loving arms. The weird thing is, if you don't chase her around the box and slowly approach her she is content to be carried off. She is one of the most daring of the flock; Nellie ventures out of the bushes to the edge of the lawn (an extra 3-4 inches), is not camera shy, frequents the roost, and chases fluttering butterflies (without any success). But this adventurous boldness is deeply contrasting with her irrational fear of hands. Edith doesn't enjoy being picked up and runs away from hands, but only Nellie puts on such a dramatic display of terror. I feel bad for her. I am not quite sure what traumatized her so, but hopefully gentle handling and bribing with tasty treats will end her phobia of humans.

Nellie

Itsy bitsy Betsy is a tiny darling with a serious attitude. Betsy rather viciously attacks my fingers when I wiggle them, and is brave enough to stand up to even Edith. But despite her warrior traits, she is adorable and does consent to snuggling if there is nothing better to do. Due to Betsy's late entry into the flock, everyone is still trying to figure out who this little munchkin really is, especially me. For now, Betsy is simply a small little bird with an awful lot of character waiting to be discovered.

Betsy

More photos from a beautiful summer day outside...