I absolutely NEEDED to get out of the house this afternoon.  I've been sleeping on and off all day, even though the cold seems to be going away.  I didn't realize how badly it wore me out!

So, I decided to sit out back with the chickens and let the chicklets out of their pen to graze.  Tammy has decided that they aren't a good thing, and has taken to chasing them about, so they need a lot of anti-Tammy protection.  The older bird has quickly learned that I won't allow her too close to the babies, but she tries to exercise her superiority as much as possible.

My mother hen ways aren't lost on the chicklets either.  They don't wander far out of sight of me, but when Tammy comes too close they run to my feet.  Or, when I stand up from the lawn chair they huddle at my feet.  It is a hazard to walk around with the chicklets because they are constantly and quite literally under foot.

This afternoon the chicklets were particularly clingy, and didn't wander far from my feet.  The two Jersey Giant girls picked around in the grass for a few minutes then decided to perch on my lap for a bit.  The Rock, the only chick with her own name thus far (she's a bold Barred Rock; hubby named her) was picking at grass between my toes when she decided that a vein on the inside of my ankle looked particulary tasty.  She caught be quite by surprise, I didn't know she was nearby.  It's amazing how much hurt those little beaks can cause, and how precise their aim is!  Every time I moved my feet she would run over to pick at the grass, but I kept my ankles close together from that point on; no more sneak attacks!

It was so relaxing, watching them pick in the grass.  I poured some grain for Tammy at her usual feeding station in front of the kennel gate, and an adult towhee was ushering grain from the ground to its baby on one of the jujube sprouts.  By the time I decided to give the chicklets fresh water and pen them back up, I was pretty relaxed and rested.