Another perfect (chicken) day

Three eggs again yesterday. The chickens are more companionable than the guineas,  coming over and making pleasant twerp sounds. I wish the two black hens would lay in the chicken house, but noooooo, they have to hike all the way around the building to the barn so we have to hike all the way over there to collect eggs. Roz, the red hen, is happy to lay her big brown egg in the dog crate in the chicken house. Bless her heart, she's a bit of a dim bulb.

Yesterday I heard the guineas buckWHEATing and chucking from the neighbor's place, all the way down the hill. Earl and I went down and attempted to drive them home. (No, not in the car, though that might have been easier.) Basically, I stand, arms outstretched so I look really big and scary, and flap directions with my fingers. Earl helps with the border collie eye. We got them up the hill, but lost half at the barn. J 'n' E led his half around the barn to safety, but a group of Chucks split off and started back down the hill. They follow well enough, but if the leaders get out of sight the others have no idea where to go. Fortunately the smart half flew up to the top of the school and squapped and chucked, giving the lost fellows some bearings. Earl and I left it to them.

I've been studying them, trying to learn one from another. We have 11, one white and one purple and the rest in matching polka dot outfits. C. noticed one has an upward curving wattle and a downward one, so I'm trying to learn to spot her and see if she's a hen (only the girls buckWHEAT.) I can't think of a non-intrusive way to mark them, so will have to learn the wattles. Trouble is they hunch down and skuttle around, and wattles from the front look entirely different from other angles. They're all related, too, so are similar, at least to my ignorant eyes. I could paint colored spots on their party hats maybe, unless that would make them peck at each other.

And stay out!
I left the door open, and the guineas sauntered in to investigate that
delicious grainy odor wafting from the feed sacks just inside the door.
They'd be inside watching TV and swilling beer if they could. With the goats.

C. is posting some of her lampwork beads in her Etsy shop The Hokey Pokey. She found some cool live moss to use as a photo background.