RELEASE the CHICKENS!!!

Sorry I've been bombarding you with pictures recently!  Today's post will be no different, I'm afraid.  Consider yourself warned.

But.  Remember those adorable baby chicks we got a couple months ago?  Well, it turns out that so far (knocking on wood!) we have managed to keep them alive!  And they just kept getting bigger and bigger...

Emma, taking a little rest

All three, happily roosting on Craig's arm

Kendra absolutely loves her little chickens

Feeding clover to Sophronia

Bentley actually managed to catch Emma, who has been aptly nicknamed Zippy

Our next-door neighbor and friend, Jose, enjoys holding Lucy Mack

Kendra was actually singing lullabies to Lucy Mack here...

 Clearly, our little chickies were growing up.  They were getting big enough (and smelly enough) to go outside!  Craig finished up the chicken coop, and we put them in it.  In order for them to understand that it was "home," we needed them to stay inside for three or four days.  Once enough time had passed, I finally got to open the door and let them back out again into their little caged area.  I was so excited for them!

Here is Zippy Emma, finally emerging from their very hot coop.  It just happened to be about 90 degrees that day, so I'm sure they were excited for some fresh air.  They were also very nervous about walking down their little gangway there...

Doesn't she look like she a descendent of the dinosaurs here or something?  I really wanted her to howl in rage or victory or something, but she was so busy panting from the heat, she didn't really make any noise at all...

From the inside, as they contemplate going outside

Exploring, but still unsure

Sophronia (the brown one in the front) totally looks like she's dead right here.  Rest assured, she really is fine.  Her ability to blink for the camera just proves she's part of the family!

And here they are, our little flock!

I finally had to lure them out with clover.  That did the trick.  Then they experimented with going up and down the ladder a few times.  And now they're all settled!  On days when we're in the yard working, we let them out so they can roam freely (and so Kendra can hold them).  And every night, as it gets dark, they head back into their home for the night, and then we just close the door to keep them safe!

Chickens: who knew they could be so easy?  And I love the colors of our little flock of hens.  Emma is getting a lot more white in her feathers every day-- I'm excited to see what she'll look like once she's fully grown.

Obviously, this is still pretty early in the game, but so far I'm really enjoying our little pets.  I've been pleasantly surprised by how happy they make me.  And double bonus, I heard the fox barking up a storm last night (creepiest sound ever, if you know what to listen for!), but the chickens were just fine.  Hopefully their coop will be plenty strong enough to keep them safe!