About time for another check in, I suppose! It's fall break today and tomorrow, so I have a little extra time to just veg. Obviously, I won't just be sitting around and doing nothing because I have tests and assignments still due later in the week, and more competencies coming up. Plus this is probably going to be my last real chance to do a major coop clean out before winter hits, so I've got to do that! Man, I miss being able to check in here every day and chat around the forums!
I passed my first competency on identifying the anterior teeth! Our professor who handled the competency said that my cohort overall scored better on our first competency than the juniors and seniors did when it was their turn--but said not to mention that to them, of course
This Thursday, I have a competency in identifying the posterior teeth, and next Wednesday is a competency in taking blood pressures manually. Things are starting to ramp up, I guess!
Not much has happened with regards to the chickens! As I mentioned before, today will be our big coop clean out before winter, but other than that it's been same old, same old. After the little white pumpkin mentioned in my previous post had been demolished by the flock, we got them a Blue Doll pumpkin to work on, not realizing that that's a much harder and thicker-fleshed variety of pumpkin. The girls have been drilling away at it, but they still probably have a week or more's work worth of it left out there!!
But at least it's keeping them busy on my long days at class when they can't free-range until the evening.
Anyway, on to the important part of the post--the pictures! Since I had a little bit more time this past weekend, I went out of my way to get update pictures of the corn crib pullets to show how much they've grown since it's been a while since their last full photo shoot. They are 18 weeks old exactly today! So, here's Chicha the Sumatra, our adventurous and energetic explorer:
Succotash 'Tash' the Easter-egger, standing awkwardly because that's just how she is
Flint the Easter-egger, who I have taken to referring to as the gremlin of the flock because she lurches around like a weirdo instead of just walking like a normal chicken
Miss Chowder the Easter-egger, whose colors have been done no justice by the lighting in this picture. She's such a pretty creamy color in person, with her delicately pale blue undertones and blue laced neck feathers
She hates me, though, so all pictures are taken at a distance
Big ole Pudding the Delaware, chow hound of the group! She was away from the others so you can't really see it here, but she's a big-boned gal compared to the rest of them
(
Don't mind the background, that's where most of the Cochins sleep and poop 
)
'Pretty Poly' Polenta the Green Queen (AKA designer Easter-egger), the short one of the group.
She's probably the quietest and most mild-mannered one as well, but she's a sweetie at least
And lastly, Johnnycakes the rebel, I mean other Green Queen. She's becoming a bit of a chunk, too, like Pudding!
Some other pictures from over the last two weeks. Here's Chicha looking innocent as I struggled to get the above picture of her because all she wanted to do was come over and talk
Freia gently asking for a bite to eat one morning. This end of those perches is right near where I hang the feed up so that mice don't get into it overnight, so I guess she thought she could get a head start on breakfast if she was cute. (Spoiler alert, she did!
)
A gremlin in the rafters of the big coop the other night
A little over a week ago, when I went out to close up coops for the night, Chicha was posing weird like this with her neck stretched out. I wasn't sure what she was doing, so I grabbed this picture...
...And then all of the sudden she FLEW right up onto the door of the deck!!
If anyone wondered, no, apparently fences will
not slow down a Sumatra! Thankfully, I was able to get her down from there and she hasn't shown any signs of thinking about perching on top of the coop since
Cazzie, one olllld Blue Cochin
Goodness, she's about 9 and a half years old now! I had to double check before I posted!
A closer look at Tash's pretty feathers one evening at roost time
And Georgia thought it was too chilly this morning after the nice, summer-like weather we'd been having!
She might be on round 5, but I've lost count. I don't know how silkie owners deal with this (and she's only part silkie). 
You can see on the left where Johnnycakes is standing that the door was wide open!
I have been going over my tooth flashcards today anyway because I fear not doing any studying for a whole day, but it's been a nice, lazy day otherwise... Now I have an essay, a test, about 4 quizzes, and a competency to worry about in next week, so I guess that's all the break I get. 
Rest in peace, little lady.
