The cruel desert sun has been beating down on us most unmercifully. Human allows Diane and I into the veg garden, a sanctuary of cool green delight. We start at the zucchini end of the garden and exit by the native tepary beans. Doris buries herself deeply into the mint plants. Zena and Emma hug the outer wall of the patio beneath the plumbago.

Human turned on the misters today. So rather than us baking, does she intend to boil us instead?! She added an umbrella so that there is more shade in the misty plumbago area but still the temperature makes us pant. Even the nighttime does not cool down enough for us to be comfortable.

Kate though, has lived these past few days in the luxury of Human's coop. Fed only chick starter food and electrolyte water, poor Kate is still trying to digest the too much grass she ate last week. Several times a day, Human washes little Kate's reddened vent in warm soapy water then applies a soothing aloe salve. Human and Kate cheep-cheep at each other, while Dog watches silently hoping for a chance at the chick food.

Tepary Beans:
azteparybeans.com/basic-information/the-history-of-tepary-beans/

Who has time to write while raising 2 curious chicks?! Diane is quite able to fend for herself hunting bugs and seeds along with the rest of the flock here at Villa Petra. She can fly too. Human tried to clip her wings but did not get them short enough to curtail Diane's ability to fly up 6' in the air!

Kate is still experiencing pasty bottom. Human tried to get her cleaned up several times but not cured. So yesterday Human took Kate into her coop for a good scrubbing. Kate screamed so loud I could here her out in the yard. Both Diane and I squawked back for a good long while but Kate was not let back out with us. Human is keeping her caged inside so she can keep an eye on what Kate eats and maybe get her innards more regular. Lucky Kate as the outdoor temperatures have gone up to chicken boiling stage!

Human has set up the misters again which does make the ground nice and cool but none of us really like to stand under them. The coop is hot at night and now that Diane can fly, Human put up another perch so we all can be out of the little house and not on top of it!

Color Genetics of Guinea Fowl:
http://www.guineafowlinternational.org/articles/genetics.php

My two charges are growing fast, I can barely keep up. Diane is fearless, chasing after Zena to share with a gecko or piece of bread. Kate is not so bold. Both of them now know the sound of Human coming out of her coop and fly-hop to the back of the patio. Human, in her role as the 'pink vending machine' obliges with snacks. She sits on a chair and picks up Kate who squawks until she sees the food in Human's hand, then she dives right in. Diane flies onto Human's lap and also eats vigorously. Of course I have to join them to make sure all is well and grab a bit of food for myself.

I take them for walks across the yard several times a day. There are very few bugs for us to eat so Human comes out and offers chick food.


Kate is developing a comb and her barred patterning


Diane is still rather brown


Dog watches but does not chase, Human scolds her if she does!

Little Kate, at almost 4 weeks old ate her first gecko! I captured it near our secluded outdoor pen and was about to share with my two charges when Kate grabbed it out of my mouth and ran to the shade garden. This tasty morsel was about 2 inches long, that is, after Kate ate off the tail! She then did as any adult chicken would do and that was to peck, shake and nibble until feet and legs were removed and eaten. Diane and I tried to get at her but were thwarted by one of Human's fences. Before we could get through or over the fence, Kate had swallowed the rest of the tiny lizard whole, head and front legs going down last. Human stood watching astonished that such a tiny chick could devour a whole critter so quickly. Me too as gecko is a very tasty meal and I got no part of it!

These two are growing up fast. Diane can fly straight up 3' and often can be seen fly-hopping after me across the lawn. Kate still requires my warmth and the comfort of my nearness throughout the day. She too can fly a bit but not like Diane.

Pecking order issues are kept at bay because the older hens seek the shade of the red bird of paradise and don't bother us too much. Human stirs things up in the afternoon with bread snacks and then the beaks are poised to insure that the little ones must eat last.

A new pecking order is emerging. I, of course, may peck on all of the fowl, Dog too if she needs to be reminded her place. Emma is next in the hierarchy of pecking and exercises her right often. Doris, currently at the bottom of the order has taken to pecking on Kate which in turn causes me to peck on her! Zena is not interested in the order of pecking and would rather spend her energy on food hunting or outsmarting Humans attempts to keep us out of her gardens.

All of this gets very complicated so here is a diagram explaining how this works:


Current re-aligned pecking order, subject to change.

Kate, being the smallest, appears to have garnered the lowest rung on our ladder of importance. Diane is a bit bigger in stature and much faster at getting away from the angry beaks of her elders. I do not need to peck on the little ones to show them who is boss. I am their mother and what I bawk goes!

Human let my brood and I dig in the 'forbidden shade garden'. We found pill bugs, worms and crickets. When Human moved a cement toad, a small gecko scooted out which I caught and then Kate grabbed it and while Diane tried to get it away from her, Kate ran to a corner and ate the whole thing! Human was not fast enough to catch the gecko being eaten but she did make a short movie of my digging and the little ones eating. You can hear them cheep-cheeping and the pond gurgling in the background.

Watch our debut on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGd3INu5dnQ

This morning when Human opened the big coop door she could not see Kate. Well, Kate and I had gotten out of the little cage Human prefers we sleep in at night and Kate was hiding under me. Diane was running back and forth trying to figure out how to get out with us. Human lifted her out and the 3 of us went for a walk to the forbidden shade garden! The little ones kept close to me as Dog and Human watched. When Human moved some of her plant pots, we had a feast of crickets, centipedes and worms! Diane knew right away that if it moved and she could catch it then it was food. I had to show Kate that bugs are food. Three geckos got away.

Human let me scratch up the dirt around her iris plants and that caused more little crickets to surface. Once my strong foot caught Diane in the head and she went sprawling and squawking across the pavers but was unhurt. At that point in our morning, Human picked us all up and put us into the outdoor caged area for the day.

Human came back later with a bowl of hard boiled egg yolks, corn meal and molasses. Kate is still having troubles with pasty bottom and this is one of the remedies Human is trying to get Kate's system regulated. The excrement dribbles have caused Kate to lose all the tiny feathers from her vent to her belly. Her bottom is quite bald and blistered.


Tired Diane sleeping on Lucy's back


resting little family

The girls are growing fast. Wing feathers are coming in with lovely pattering though not the colors of their grownup selves. Both can hop-fly Diane having a longer wingspan is able to fly further than Kate.

Human has fixed up yet another area out in the yard for us to spend the afternoon. It's larger and in the shade all day. Plenty of scratching room for all of us. Human put in a small perch which Kate is quite adept at using, Diane not so much. Neither one of them wants to be out of my sight so we three are constantly touching. Kate insists on hiding under my wing while Diane is content to scratch alone but close by.

Neither one likes it when Human reaches to grab them. Diane screams and wriggles to get away. Kate will eventually sit in Human's lap but only after much stroking and cooing on Human's part.

Aunty Em, aka Emma, has now gone broody. She is occupying one of the nests and is fiercely protective of two wooden eggs. No doubt Human will try to find her some eggs to hatch. Hopefully Human can now recognize Guinea Fowl eggs and won't bring them home!

My brood is growing nicely. This morning Human brought us some cooked eggs. It is good protein for the little ones and I enjoy it too. Zena and Doris are curious about the chicks but so far have stayed on their side of the fenced brood area. Dog is also interested in the little peepers but knows better than to tangle with me. Human talks to Dog telling her that these little fuzz balls are not doggy squeaky toys.

Yesterday's adventure in the larger cage in the main yard was nice but it got quite hot so Human picked us all out of there and put us back in the coop.

Word for the Day: precocial
In Biology, the term precocial refers to species in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precocial

Boredom is not a good trait for a broody hen. But sitting all day with the babes and their continual chirping has driven me out of the little caged area Human built for us. I scratched near the wire and Diane went nuts trying to squeeze through the small openings. Kate cries for the warmth and nearness of my now featherless breast. Yikes! What is a mother to do?

Human knows well how I get when caged too long so she built a larger area, fenced with wire and covered with a shade screen. It is out in the yard so we three can enjoy the fresh air and sunlight. Plenty of area for scratching but not much in the way of bugs or seed.

Diane, as a bird more closely related to something more wild than poultry, is much more independent than Kate. Diane is happy to search out tidbits on her own an only occasionally needs to hide under my wing. Kate, on the other claw, is quite needy. She must be near me at all times and when she is not eating, she dozes. Where Diane will stretch her neck to look far away, Kate stays in a hunched chick posture. Both girls can hop-fly short distances.