Reunited and It Feels So Good.....

There's a new kid in town.....

This little hen is so sweet, it makes your teeth hurt. If ever there was a chicken that I wanted to live in the house with me, it would be this one. Introducing......Sugar Pie.

My neighbor Danielle and I went to the Poultry Auction on Monday morning. It's a fascinating story actually. Danielle lives about a quarter of a mile up the road, and I didn't really meet her until my newspaper article. She doesn't subscribe to the paper, but it was in her driveway. We've been talking since! She's definitely a kindred spirit. It's wonderful to have a neighbor as crazy as you are! She has chickens, bakes bread all the time, gardens...it's too good to be true!

The Poultry Auction. The adjectives that come to mind are: stinky, noisy, confusing, fun, and sad. So many chickens that need a good home. So many people there looking like they are looking for supper. I think I need to open a Chicken Rescue and Rehab. A lot of those birds seemed awfully stressed out.

Danielle placed a bid on and won a cage with about seven or eight hens. She asked if I'd like some...and I just took one. I thought...shoot, I really don't have the room for more...and then I saw that face. That chicken pin head face. Darn it!

I picked this one.

Can you just imagine how Sugar Pie felt in this situation? Oh my. I know that chickens have to do their pecking order, but I hate it. I want to give them all a good spanking and a time out. I really thought Mrs. Puffington had more finesse, but she was one of the worst offenders. I think she was jealous of the lovely black and red speckled feathers that Sugar Pie has. Just like humans, we always want what we don't have.

Glen was out working on the house, and he came in to report how Sugar Pie was following him around the yard like a dog....and then Sugar Pie followed him right in the house!

I put Sugar Pie in the roost box last night, and I just had to walk away. I warned the other birds to mind their manners, but you know how chickens are....

This morning, when they wouldn't even let her near the food or water, I got an idea. Maybe if I got ANOTHER one of those hens from Danielle, at least Sugar Pie would have an ally. A buddy, a familiar beak.

You know, most neighbors borrow things like cups of sugar.....

"Aaaarrronnnn......um, can you get the scooter out of the garage and run up to Danielle's and get a chicken?"

There he goes...to get Sugar Pie someone to lean on.

Here he comes, carrying precious cargo.....

And here she is....we named her 'Scooter'. :-)

And here they are.....reunited.

They hung out all day together. Everyone needs a pal.

Putting them in the coop tonight was very hard. I'll be out there at the crack of dawn tomorrow to make sure they aren't mistreated!

Can chickens be potty trained? I really think these two need to be house birds. They could roost in the kitchen. This winter, they could sit next to the stove while I bake. I could teach them to knit. All the other girls would be SO jealous, they've never mastered the 'two needle thing'.