All Work and No Play Makes Me Dull, Indeed

So, what do you do on a perfectly warm Spring day and you have the baby down for a nap, dirty dishes piled in the sink, floors that need to be swept, laundry that needs to be put away and more?

I grab a book and some iced tea, then shoo the kids outdoors, of course!

The dirty dishes aren't going anywhere and the floor is just going to get dirty again anyway, right? Right? And all that other stuff is just going to have to wait.

The kids have so much fun with the chickens, almost to the point where I have to ban them from going into the makeshift pen we made for them. The pen is the chicks' safe zone, they come and go as they please, but when the dog starts getting rambunctious, they run into the pen where Maisie can't get them.

We had a few hairy moments with the cats-- they all have taken a turn and stalked, then took a swipe at a chicken, but one of us always manages to be around when that happens and the cat gets a scolding and a swat. Mostly, though, they just hang around on the back stoop and watch until they're bored and fall asleep.

The girls are constantly picking up the chicks, which I don't mind, but sometimes they get a little rough and I've caught them tossing the chicks into the feeder or pulling tail feathers. When that happens, they are not allowed to play with the chicks for a while.

I can hardly call them chicks anymore, look how big they are now! I can't fit them all into the same carry box we use to bring them in and out of the house. I have to get 7, drop them off, then go back and get the other 7.

Middle favors the Buff Orpingtons and is always holding one of them. She kisses their backs and holds them like babies. It really surprises me that they allow to be held like that. I need to get a picture of that the next time I see the girls pretending they're babies. At least they'll be used to being picked up and they don't run off when we come near.

Work on the chicken coop is coming along.. pictures soon.