every day is a good day
Where do chickens want to go? It’s easy to find out. Let them live free and watch where they go. A favorite place for chickens are grassy, weedy, brushy places. This Rhode Island mother, has a knack for jumping up and snatching flying insects out of midair. Her chick follows her everywhere. What a treat for a little chick, a loving mother, fresh air, and tall grass and flowers to run through.
This is a humorous time of the year when it comes to eggs. The hens that hatched this spring are starting to lay eggs. The first few eggs which they drop are often small, a half to a third the size of normal eggs. You can make cute sunny side up eggs with them.
Who goes there? Chickens may have little brains, but they still are curious and wary. They are well aware of their surroundings and if they see something new or possibly dangerous, they study it carefully before making a move.
This is one of my favorite hens born this year. She has a refined look, with the colors of her feathers going from pure black on her head to subtle grays toward her tail. Her gray feathers are fringed in black, making delicate patterns from head to tail. When she stands still, she looks so elegant.
Mothering is hard work. This is one serious, committed mother. Hens don’t have a choice of leaving their chicks at day care or hiring a sitter when they need a break. They are on the job twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. From the crack of dawn until evening, they are teaching their chicks where to find good food and how to stay away from danger. At night they become their chicks’ feather bed, keeping them warm and dry all night.
Few things are more fun for a growing chicken than taking a dirt bath with sisters and brothers. Over time, chickens will dig holes even bigger than themselves. This has been a great summer for dirt baths, day after day of sunshine has provided the chickens with plenty of dry dirt to dig into. These chicks grew up enjoying unseasonably warm and dry weather. They’ll be in for a shock when the fall rains come.
