They DO grow fast. This week almost all their head feathers came in, though Una's still got a some down on the back of her head.

This week was also big in that they moved outside, as in, completely outside. They are too big for even the biggest box inside unless I did FREQUENT cleanings (like, every hour) and between work and school, I'm not home often enough to do that or to let them out for exercise enough.

So I spent Friday on the back porch, making a new pen out of PVC pipe and cage wire. Friday was cold and rainy and lemme tell ya...that was a labor of love! But it's finished now, and tonight will be their first night in the PVC pen (covered with a waterproof tarp, just in case). They are LOVING the space.

Una has turned into a CUDDLE MONSTER. It's a good thing they can now forage outside without me because whenever I go out there, she immediately wants to sit on my lap and do nothing else.  Mo has been an explorer this week, he has a scabbed-over scratch on his beak to prove he's been getting into things!

Here's Una taking a nap in my hand while Mo pokes around. Una still likes to rest her body in my hand while standing up. She looks all cozy here, you'd never guess my hand was freezing! Feathers must be nice.

I am a little bit concerned about her standing, mostly because of her toes. She doesn't seem to be in pain or anything, it's just the position that makes me nervous. She turns her foot inward and it makes her toes pretty wonky, especially the middle one:

I can't think of any way to correct it (chickens are very fussy about footwear) and again, it doesn't seem to hurt. So I'm just keeping an eye on her. 

Also of interest: it occurred to me that Geronimo might be leucistic. Leucism is a recessive trait a little like albinism, but pigment still forms, it just doesn't go into the feathers and sometimes the skin. Eyes are normal. It can affect all or part of the plumage, and we have traces of it in his cousins -a rooster with some white tail feathers, for instance. It's the only explanation for the white plumage I can think of. Mo doesn't seem to care much. (See his scratch?)

Oh my gosh, that's so cool! Thanks for sharing Holly, I didn't even realize there was such a thing as Tripawd (or Unapawd) Tuesday!

Also, the bootie idea is so cute. They don't make them baby chick size, but it's definitely something to keep in mind for when she's bigger and has more weight to put stress on that foot. (And bumblefoot, which we've dealt with, is a problem I don't even want to think about her having with her only foot -after all, she doesn't have a spare!)

Her wonky toe probably IS for better balance, it's as though she's using it to grip the ground better. I'm just concerned because I don't want her to start having joint problems. The good thing is, all the reports I've been able to find of one-legged chickens (which is mostly birds that lost their legs as adults, but still) seem to say that bantams do better. Makes sense -littler body, less weight on the joints. Una is a bantam mix. If she was a big fluffy breed I'd be much more worried.

Kerren, the news story about the rooster is so awesome!! If you go on the rescue's website, I saw that they have more cute pictures and a video of him. Chickens really do have therapeutic power and I've actually thought about making visits to schools or something with Una one day. The way she loves snuggles, she probably would enjoy it.

Oh my goodness, the diaper idea is hilarious! And very practical, especially for volunteering. I've heard of chickens being potty-trained, but it's very difficult and I'm not sure they could generalize it from home to apply to all buildings.

We had some fun happenings this week! Most exciting (in their opinion), today I introduced them to the golden treat itself: mealworms. (If chickens ever invented religions, you can bet there would be several cults that worshiped mealworms.) Okay, they've had mealworms before, but today I went Oprah-crazy with giving them out and we also started training with them versus just a free candy type thing.

I'm really excited about the potential here because, once they reliably come on cue, I can use this for helping Una with mobility, like learning to do straighter lines and right turns, which she has a hard time with. 

They quickly figured out that they have to come to me for the treats. Chickens have amazing powers of concentration when it suits them.

I didn't get pictures, but it turns out chickens will even lie on their backs for mealworms. Mo will just as happily eat them hanging upside down from his ankles. (I hold them like that for wing-trimming and feet inspecting.) I didn't do that with Una though, so as not to put too much stress on her leg.

Here is Una looking like a setting hen after I told her to "look grown-up."

And Mo, enjoying a relaxing neck massage. He's maybe a little too trusting with a human's hand around his neck! But he's safe here, so no worries.

I showed this picture of Una to someone. They didn't believe she was missing a leg. "But she's standing like normal!"  If you look close, you can see her wonky toe. It's a little knobby at the joint, but no discoloration or pain, so I think it's just growing that way. 

They look less like chicks and more like mini-chickens. And (this'll sound weird) they don't smell like babies anymore. Feathers smell good IMO -as long as they're clean -but baby fuzz is the best. (I'm not a crazy chicken lady...)