Right after I took this photo of our chickens having a bit of fun in the yard yesterday, Charlie, our Black Copper Marans - the black chicken in the middle of the group – saw the door which I had left open and before I could stop her she ran, like, well a bat out of hell, into the house.
Quite frankly, she walked in like she (still) owned the place. Her first stop was the dog’s food and water dishes. A long time ago, Charlie abandoned her chicken feeder when she realized she could eat the same food and drink the same water as the dog. Clearly, she still prefers dog food over chicken feed.
Everyone that walked by greeted her as if she still belonged in the house.
“Oh, hey, Charlie. Good bird. How’re ya doin’? “
Charlie took a quick sip, had a few bites to eat and then she proceeded to see what all the cheeping in the next room over was about.
At first neither Violet nor Charlie knew what to think of each other. Violet ventured out of her cage and scrambled around Charlie’s legs, while Charlie did her best to avoid her. Youngsters, you know what I mean? Violet peeped, Charlie watched. A future sister, much too young to be a threat.
Enough was enough, thought Charlie after Violet pecked once too often at her misshapen toes. Charlie abandoned the family meeting and instead marched over to the kitchen to find a missed fallen grape which she then ate for her lunch.
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at Wendy@SimpleThrift.com
Also, join me on Facebook to find out more about the flock (children and chickens) and see some pretty funny chicken jokes, photos of tiny houses, and even a recipe or two.