The Honest Courtesan

The three new pullets have almost fully joined the flock; they go in and come out with the other chickens, and are starting to scratch with them too.  They mostly keep to themselves on the edge of the flock, timidly scratching for the corn I throw out, but at least they’re mostly hanging around in the same area as the others instead of hiding in the alley behind the henhouse.  In about another month, they’ll start laying these little pullet eggs, and by the end of the summer they’ll be just like the others (though it’s not unusual to see even the adult hens keeping close to the others from their brood).  And then by the end of winter, they’ll be old ladies I need to protect next year’s pullets from.  And in case you’re wondering what Cicero and Louie are up to there, they learned long ago that if they come to the fence while I’m in the coop and beg for corn, I’ll throw some over the fence for their lunch.