The Chicks Are Six Weeks Old

But before you peek at the chicks, check out the new fall outfit Lookout Mountain's putting on.  We can see Lookout Mountain from our back porch; there's a huge white house on the brow 'way across the valley from us, and we can see their lights at night.  I often wonder if they can see ours?  I took this picture on the way in to Chattanooga today just as I got to the main highway.  I wish I could say it's the cool weather that's making the leaves change, but I'm afraid it's mostly drought!  We are SO dry here!  We had clouds and lovely thunder in the late afternoon, but after about 3 drops, the rain headed on down the road.

I'm afraid the chicks are feeling the effects of the heat and drought as there's hardly any grass for them.  It kind of makes it hard to do pastured poultry!  But they're still growing.  It's hard to believe they've gotten so big in just six weeks.  No doubt about which ones are cockerels or pullets!  And if you're not sure, all you have to do is wait 5 seconds and see which ones are paired off fighting! 

I think the white pullet in the middle looks a little bit dinosaurish, don't you?  Her neck reminds me of a bird I learned about many years ago in school, called an anhinga, I belive.  Anhingas are black, and our black pullet really looks like one except for the fluff on her neck.

Wren, my little brown and gray Ameraucana, has changed so much she ought to be called Dove!  But she's small enough to still be Wren, and I like that name.  She's always the first one to the gate when we come in.  Don't let Pepi-two hear, but I think Wren's my favorite!