every day is a good day
Nijihime’s chicks hatched on Thursday. I’ve had many hens hatch chicks over the years, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when I first see a chick peeping out from under its mother’s feathers. I was expecting her chicks to appear on Friday, so seeing their curious faces Thursday afternoon caught me off guard.
Jacqueline’s modiste went for flair when she designed Jacqueline’s comb. A little bit more, and she wouldn’t be able to see out of her left eye. One of the reasons chickens have a comb is to help cool their bodies in hot weather. Blood circulates through the comb and cools. With her big, flowing comb, Jacqueline is prepared to voyage up the Nile and cross the Sahara.
Here’s Skunky and its four siblings taking a break on a log. Their mother is right by them off to the right. Watching Skunky grow is a so much fun. It’s impossible not to smile when Skunky greets my eye. A special treat today was seeing Skunky hop on its mother’s back (scroll down to the last picture). Little chicks do that a lot. They are excellent hoppers. Hopping higher than their height is no big deal. What if human babies could hop higher than their height? Baby proofing a house would be next to impossible.
This is Kuma-Hime 熊姫 or Bear Princess. I call her that because she reminds me of a bear. A hen with the face of a bear and she lays a green egg. Reality is more whimsical than fairy tales.
“Once upon a time, there lived a hen with the face of a bear. One spring, just as the apple blossoms were opening, and purple-green spikes of hostas were shooting out of the ground, the bear-faced hen laid an egg as green as fine turquoise.” Sounds like the start of fantastical fairy tale. And yet, it’s what happened here today. It’s like I’m living in a fairy tale. We all are, if we look close enough at what is happening around us.
Skunky’s mother is taking a rest in the grass. I see some of her chicks, but where is Skunky? As you can see, chicks like being next to their mother. They are relaxed and take the time to preen their tiny new wing feathers.
When the mother gets up from her nap, out pops Skunky and more chicks. They were napping under her. She’s wandered off with some of the chicks in tow, but these three are just comfortable enjoying the afternoon sun.
Now Skunky is up and on the move. At two weeks old, Skunky’s wing feathers are nearly complete. Skunky still has the stripe down its back, but its wing feathers are a dusting of white and gray, more owl than skunk.