Monday, June 29, 2009

For the love of Hens

Come out, come out, wherever you are . . .
Careful now, down you go . . .

My boys are loving their pet hens. We've put up a temporary run for them while we construct a sturdier permanent one. It's been fun to see the hens pecking and scratching, zipping around, and generally acting like chickens.

Benjamin is the chief chicken caregiver. He feeds them, waters them, brings them scraps from the kitchen, picks them up, and lets them out. They are creating quite the bond. It's adorable.
Benjamin holding a New Hampshire Red

Even Ripley has gotten up the nerve to pick them up. When they were little balls of downy feathers, Ripley wanted to pick them up, but after a few neck holding events we had to put a stop to it. Now the hens are large enough to take a little boy handling.
Ripley with a Plymouth Barred Rock

Happy Boys . . .
Happy Hens.
Taking a rest and a dust bath.
They all snuggled up together and fluffed in the leaves, dirt and dust.
Apparently this helps them to prevent or combat any pests and bugs.
All lined up . . . a New Hampshire Red, Plymouth Barred Rock and Rhode Island Red.

1 comment:

Kristi said...

Your hens look like they are doing great, Especially with all the wonderful care they are getting from your boys. Soon there will be all those yummy home grown organic eggs to cook with and eat! One of our black chickens died yesterday. We're keeping a close watch on the others. I think it may have been the extreme heat we've been having. It was 104degrees last Wednesday,... Crazy.