Scarlett

Wonder of wonders.... Scarlett has eased up on her southern-belle style. Yesterday, our Rhode Island Red hen Scarlett plopped herself down near my feet as I was getting the hens into the coop. As with Dolly (our first red hen of last year who was taken by a hawk, damn it) Scarlett just sat there and waited till I picked her up. First time Scarlett has done that, and I was really surprised.

The three other hens watched as I scooped up Scarlett and held her yesterday, all the while talking to her and telling her what a pretty girl she was. These chickens tilt their heads to one side while they're listening to you, and I swear they get to know the sound of your voice if you talk to them enough.

When I put Scarlett down yesterday, after holding her for about three minutes or so, she flew up to the roosting bar where the other hens were-- and Prissy started to peck at her, squawking and clucking and carrying on. My husband was right outside the coop and saw all of that, and he thought maybe Prissy was jealous because she wasn't getting extra attention. Prissy hasn't ever let me pick her up, except for those broody days when I had to keep lifting both Scarlett and Prissy out of the nesting boxes for thirty days.

Tonight before dark, when I went out to lock the gate of the coop, Scarlett was still out in the courtyard and instead of walking towards the coop (which she had been doing just then) she turned around and walked right to me, and plopped herself down by my feet and just looked up at me. What a sweet chicken she's turning out to be. I picked Scarlett up, and carried her into the coop, all the while telling her what a good girl she was, what a pretty girl she is, what pretty feathers she has. And Scarlett just sat there in my arms, happy to be carried into the coop like the southern-belle princess she believes herself to be. Prissy didn't raise a fuss in the coop when Scarlett got up to the roosting bar this time.

Two of our neighbors had told me about their chickens..... how they all had different personalities. I have to admit that I didn't believe them last year, but I quickly changed my mind after we got chickens of our own.

Our across-the-road neighbor asked us yesterday if we would like one of his roosters. He had bought 20 baby chicks this past April, and he thought he had just one rooster in that group.... turns out he has 8. All of his Rhode Island Reds are roosters, and he didn't find out till just recently because they're full grown now and all rooster-feathered-out and starting to crow. I was willing to try a rooster in the coop, but my husband wasn't excited about that idea. He stands by the theory that the rooster will make too much noise, plus the rooster will be bothering the hens, who seem pretty content to be the boss of their own coop. Add a rooster into the mix, and there goes the dynamics of the coop.

So our neighbor will be giving the roosters away to any of the other neighbors who would like to have them. The roosters could end up in various coops, or they could end up in a roasting pan. Ouch. Not something I would like to think about.