At the end of April 2012, I went to the local feed store and picked up four chicks: a Barred Rock, a Black Sexlink, and two Black Australorps. They spent their first six weeks of life in a playpen up in our spare bedroom. Four weeks of my life were spent in that room because whenever they were left alone, they'd scream their little heads off. They were too cute and sweet to be left alone. They've become beautiful girls and I love them dearly.
This is Muffet. As a chick, she would flutter up to my shoulder and jump on my head. She'd settle up there and wouldn't come down unless I picked her up. My head was her tuffet. She likes to be picked up and cuddled so I take advantage of that fact often. She likes to follow me around the yard when I'm trying to be productive so that she can undo any gardening I might be doing.
This is George. When we looked in the BSL brooder at the feed store, I noticed a dead chick and told an employee. He reached in and picked it up, which prompted one of the chicks to rocket over to see what was going on. I snatched her up. We were calling her Curious George but shortened it. She's a very nosey girl who loves to follow me whenever I go into their house to clean up poopy areas or collect eggs. She'll fuss at me the entire time I'm in there. When I rake leaves, she feels that it is her job to redistribute them.
This is Pengin. She looked like a penguin chick when she was still a tiny thing. She always lagged way behind her friends developmentally and caused me a certain amount of worry. She laid her first egg when she was eight months old. She's the highest-ranked of the four. She's quite independent, but she still lets me pick her up and hug her. When we had a rooster for a while, she stood up to him. They'd have stare-downs and she'd win. She likes hopping up into the cherry tree and pretending that she's a wild bird.
This is Pudge. As a chick, she had the cutest pudgy face. She's my favorite of the four. She's quite cuddly and will sit on my lap for half an hour if I let her. She likes to try to eat my hair. She'll focus on one curl and keep on trying. I tell her that she's my best stylist and I'll always be in fashion with her on the job. One time when I was putting out a new suet cake for the wild birds, I knocked a very large leftover chunk out of the feeder for the girls. Most of the 16 girls were there at the time and they started picking at the crumbs first. Pudge zeroed in on the large chunk and struck like a viper. She sprinted around to the backyard. George tried to get it but returned empty-beaked. When I went around the house, I found her finishing off the last few crumbs.
These four girls of mine make my life happier and I can't imagine my flock without them.
This is Muffet. As a chick, she would flutter up to my shoulder and jump on my head. She'd settle up there and wouldn't come down unless I picked her up. My head was her tuffet. She likes to be picked up and cuddled so I take advantage of that fact often. She likes to follow me around the yard when I'm trying to be productive so that she can undo any gardening I might be doing.
This is George. When we looked in the BSL brooder at the feed store, I noticed a dead chick and told an employee. He reached in and picked it up, which prompted one of the chicks to rocket over to see what was going on. I snatched her up. We were calling her Curious George but shortened it. She's a very nosey girl who loves to follow me whenever I go into their house to clean up poopy areas or collect eggs. She'll fuss at me the entire time I'm in there. When I rake leaves, she feels that it is her job to redistribute them.
This is Pengin. She looked like a penguin chick when she was still a tiny thing. She always lagged way behind her friends developmentally and caused me a certain amount of worry. She laid her first egg when she was eight months old. She's the highest-ranked of the four. She's quite independent, but she still lets me pick her up and hug her. When we had a rooster for a while, she stood up to him. They'd have stare-downs and she'd win. She likes hopping up into the cherry tree and pretending that she's a wild bird.
This is Pudge. As a chick, she had the cutest pudgy face. She's my favorite of the four. She's quite cuddly and will sit on my lap for half an hour if I let her. She likes to try to eat my hair. She'll focus on one curl and keep on trying. I tell her that she's my best stylist and I'll always be in fashion with her on the job. One time when I was putting out a new suet cake for the wild birds, I knocked a very large leftover chunk out of the feeder for the girls. Most of the 16 girls were there at the time and they started picking at the crumbs first. Pudge zeroed in on the large chunk and struck like a viper. She sprinted around to the backyard. George tried to get it but returned empty-beaked. When I went around the house, I found her finishing off the last few crumbs.
These four girls of mine make my life happier and I can't imagine my flock without them.