Scarlett has finally figured out what to do with her little Tupperware dust bath.  Here’s a cute film of her enjoying some rare warm weather in the pansy bed.

Buster grudgingly performs his chicken sitting duties with dignity and forbearance.  She cries pitifully if he’s not outside with her.

Later in the evening I caught her sleeping with her little head beneath her wing.  I didn’t know chickens did that.

Cuteness times infinity

The kitties are getting used to having Scarlett in the house and we no longer fear that she’ll become a kitty treat.  We still keep an eye on them when they are together, but the danger level is minimal.

This just seems wrong!

Missy has seen a lot in her seventeen years, but this might just be the limit.

Please DO NOT come over here!

sigh

This little film is very dark, but very cute, so bear with it please.  Sammy is either trying to make friends or check for “done-ness”.

I captured my little chicken cavorting in her native habitat (my living room).  She has lost her “baby” look.

She looked like this only 72 hours ago.

I kid you not.

The day was sunny and mild so out to the Pansy bed they went, bunny & chicken to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Buster felt a little like hawk bait, so I put his mobile home in the flower bed.

Rowdy investigated and wondered why Buster & Scarlett get all the fun.  Scarlett thought the rooftop of Buster’s bachelor pad was a perfect place to enact a scene from Titanic.

I'M QUEEN OF THE WORLD!

She’s such a little drama queen.

I had a surprise visit today from a friend I’ve never met.  Some will remember Skeeter’s mom from the chickendiary who made me the loveliest handmade gift!

http://mychickendiary.com/2012/01/24/a-meaningful-gift/

She was in the neighborhood this weekend and dropped by for a spell.  Up to this point Brenda and I were simply e-mail pals and had never met in person.  She was as lovely and sweet as I thought she would be, not to mention smart and funny–my favorite combination.  She met Buster, Scarlett and all my kitties and we had a nice long visit.

Later, as I sat on the floor Scarlett decided to scale my skull and she perched herself atop my head for a better view.

This grass feels funny...and what's this gray stuff?

I won’t describe what happened next, but you can use your imagination.  Little chickens can’t be expected to know that some perfectly natural bodily functions are best performed in private!  No harm done.  If chicken poop killed a person I would have been six feet under a long time ago! 🙂

The poor bunny show such patience with his new charge. Yesterday, he “shared” his carrot tops with little Scarlett.

Thanks Uncle Buster! These are great!

And he continues to endure indignities no bunny should suffer.

Whoopsie Daisy!

How long is this chick staying?

Buster had a dream that we had a very special dinner…

Oh Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

It was just a dream Buster.  Thanks for your patience and kindness to the little orphan.  You are a bunny among bunnies!

Who knew chickens enjoy books and TV?  Every evening when Scarlett’s internal thermostat tells her it’s time to be quiet and enjoy a little TV before bed, I put her on an old pillow (meaning I don’t care too much if it gets chicken poop on it) and she sits for up to an hour and “watches” something useless with us.  Normally she shares the couch with a kitty or two.  The kitties prefer Animal Planet, but we usually subject them to The Big Bang Theory, reruns of The Office or the rare House I have not already seen.

I'm sick of Animal Planet! See what's on Food Network.

I will NOT watch Paula Deen fry another chicken!

Our old cat Missy is deaf and can’t hear Scarlett “peep peeping” even when she’s two feet away.

MISSY, I SAID PLEASE HAND ME THE REMOTE CONTROL!!!

Our morning routine is to read in bed while we drink coffee and snuggle with the kitties and bunny.

Scarlet will not be left out and lately she joins the menagerie, that is the Burlingame family bed.  She has some definite opinions regarding Jim’s book on recent events in military history…

Seems to me the neoconservatives in the Bush administration rode roughshod over the military senior leadership.

She’s young…her political views are just beginning to form.

Finally I ask the question, “Where does a young actress go when she finds out she just got one of the leads in her high school musical?”

To Miss Debbie’s house to get a chicken hug of course!  Congratulations Meggie!  We knew you could do it! 🙂

I’ll take a slight departure today to update you on the status of my former pets, Daisy, Rosie & Violet.  They have been enjoying life at Hampstead Farms but have not been able to run free like they did when they lived with me.  Only part of the fence was completed when they moved, and a proper chicken run had not been built for them to “free-range”.  This was remedied yesterday when Jim and I met Edwin at the farm to volunteer our services in fence building.  The three of us completed a serviceable (if somewhat amateur-looking) chicken run in a couple of hours, and now the ladies have much more room to strut their chicken stuff.  When we arrived, Edwin had already let the girls out to plunder in the clover beds.  The farm has several planted beds of clover and produce that the neighborhood residents and Farmer Anne cultivate year round.  My girls looked blissfully happy cavorting among the greens.

We're not in Kansas anymore Violet.

I called to them and they ran toward me.  I know it’s because they love me and remember me and NOT because I had a handful of grapes!

As you can imagine, I was not the brains, nor the brawn behind this project, so I just did as I was told and documented some of the construction with my camera.

I can think of worse ways to spend a Friday morning than by watching two handsome gentlemen use tools in manly ways!

Almost gave me the vapors!

When we were finished, we put the girls inside the enclosure and watched them make use of their new space.

While we were there, the Montessori students arrived to visit the chickens and harvest some food.

Farmer Anne instructed the kids on the proper method of pulling carrots out of the dirt.

I must say, these kids make some bold style choices!

Forget Toddlers in Tiaras!  These ladies have really got it goin’ on!

Heidi Klum-ette

Of course I couldn’t leave the farm without a hug from one of my girls.

Still my little "Alpha Chick".

Recently I put Scarlett in the yard to scratch and peck.  Buster had the unlucky job of keeping her company while she engaged in chicken behavior.  She cries when she’s alone outside, but she’s quite content when she has fuzzy Uncle Buster in close proximity.

How much are you payin' me for this?

I made her a tiny dust bath out of some Tupperware, but she seemed oblivious to it.  Rowdy, however, thought it looked like an excellent litter box!

Hey Rowdy, can you take a shift?

After the outdoor activity, Scarlett fell asleep immediately when I put her back in her brooder.  She sleeps face down in the wood shavings with her little neck stretched out.

Peep, peep, sleep, sleep.

All the kitties and bunny enjoy watching Scarlett do her thing.  I have the nursery set up in our office and you can always find an assortment of critters watching the “Chicken Channel”.

HDTV for Mammals

One of our aminals has shown a particular interest in Scarlett and will sit and watch this feathered houseguest with rapt attention.

I'm pretty sure I'm s'posed to eat that.

I just want a little taste.

An argument could be made that she is just an avid wildlife observer, but I swear I think she’s conjuring up some chicken recipes in her kitty brain.

There might be cream filling inside!

Again, I never leave these two alone.  In fact I’m always ready to pounce in case Rowdy’s natural instincts kick in.  Rowdy has much in common with her mom in that she does enjoy a good meal.  Soon Scarlett will be too big for Rowdy to harm, but for now I’m making sure she remains “friend” not “food”.

Hey, here’s a random photo of Tama the Chicken Charmer!  I can’t decide who’s cuter.

OK, it’s Scarlett.  Sorry Tama! 🙂