Little+girls

On Saturday, April 7th, 5 little girls came to live at our house.

5 chicks || Miss A || Miss B || Miss C || Miss D || Miss E ||
 * Date || weight of
 * Apr 7 || 238 g ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 8 || 235 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 9 || 247 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 10 || 288 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 11 || 332 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 12 || 388 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 13 || 428 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 14 || 464 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 15 || 498 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 16 || 560 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 17 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 18 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||   ||
 * Apr 19 || 714 ||  ||   ||   ||   ||   ||




 * [[image:levybunnies/DSCF1406.jpg width="377" height="353"]] || [[image:levybunnies/DSCF1422.jpg width="800" height="600"]] ||

Daisy has been afraid of the chicks up until today, April 14th. She decided they are fun to play with. Mommy 'told' her otherwise! Maybe she can give them another try when they are big enough to put her in her place, like Goldenrod did. Goldenrod gets nothing but respect from Daisy, even when they're playing 'fetch' together. Goldenrod always wins.

The chicks all seem to have a sleeping instinct. When you put them in your hand and cover them with your other hand, they fall asleep in seconds. So cute! I think it's a mimic of mother hen.

First worm today, April 14th. At first they didn't know what to do with it, though they knew they wanted to do something. Then once one of them decided it was good to eat, it turned right away into a battle. If only she hadn't run away with it, maybe the others wouldn't have caught on that it was something to covet. Poor worm: it was a slow death. The last little piece of it went flying across the coop and landed on someone's back. "Where'd it go? Where'd it go?" I remember a baby mouse meeting a similar fate in the backyard last summer with The Ladies. Daisy had tried to get it to play, but that didn't work out so well. Quickest way out of its misery that didn't involve me having to weild a shovel was to feed it to the chickens. -But then they started fighting over it, so I just shooed 3 of them away and let one eat in private. There was a bit of grumbling, but at least no cries from the mouse...

They don't have names yet, but James has refered to one of them several times as 'Chick Bok'. Chickens don't actually say 'cluck' - they say 'bok'. I don't think he knows which one is Chick Bok because they pretty much all look the same. -Well, except for the Leader of the Flock. She's a bit darker. (She proclaimed herself Queen right from day 1. She gave everyone else a bit of a bloody nose. I guess she got voted in by day 3 because there have been no more bloody noses since then.)

April 19 Well, now they're pretty much needing new bedding every other day. Soon enough they'll need it every day. Their feathers are coming in though (look pretty rough!) so they'll be able to go outside and poop there instead of IN OUR HOUSE. One had some "dirt" on her tummy and 2 others were trying to help her clean it off. That wouldn't have ended well. I washed her under the sink then had Clara snuggle her on a diaper until she was dry. I think I got there just in time because she already had a small bloody spot started on her front.

They're quite tame and still love to fall asleep in my hand, though only 1 fits now. Their small, warm, soooft tummy feels so good on the palm of your hand and their feet dangling down even look cute. Goldenrod's do not. -But, she always comes over to greet me (and see if I've any treats) when I come outside, so I'm able to overlook her scaly, crotchety, old legs. 