April 25^th

This morning I awoke to a fun sight.  Violet was sitting proudly on the perch Jim made!  The other gals were staring at her wondering how she did that!  Then she started showing off, jumping off and on and off and on while her sisters looked on admiringly. My old cat Missy (16 years) finally saw the chickens.  She walked up to the cage and stared like she was seeing something from an alien planet.  I think she made a disgusted face but I can’t be sure because that’s how she looks most of the time. 

Later today…

OK this isn’t working out.  I need to fold laundry, make dinner and unload the dishwasher but I can’t stop watching these darn birds!  I sat on the screened porch and opened the cage to see what would happen.  Violet flew straight out like the bird woman of Alcatraz!  She hopped all around the porch and found her way up to my shoulder.  She sat there peeping while her two less adventurous sisters stayed in their cage.  Rosie was taking a dust bath and furiously wallowing in the shavings.  Daisy amused herself by trying to pick the shavings off Rosie’s back.  Neither showed any initiative in making an escape.  Clearly Violet is the sharpest beak in the bunch.  Later, after she tired of perching on her mommy she jumped down, waddled over to the cage and flew right in the door.  Amazing. Violet is the Miss MENSA of the chicken world.  How did I get so lucky?

PS–If anyone is interested in this type of adventure you can get lots of information from a great site called My Pet Chicken http://www.mypetchicken.com/default.aspx This site and the great book I’m reading Chick Days, Jenna Woginrich, are invaluable to this novice chicken farmer. (oops, egg farmer).