Day 15

Welcome to the third week with the chicks.
So yeah they're starting to fly.
I'm changing the lighting setup a bit, due to non chick factors, so things look a little different.



Noodle Soup



Salad Sandwich



Sallie in flight, out of the studio.



Pot Pie



This is as close to flight shot of her as I got.




www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 13

OK, back to our normal broadcasting--Easter's over and the girls are going through a lot of changes. They're quickly and surely leaving their fluffy days, but we respect their bodies and their selves.


Noodle Soup is the largest and most mature of the group; she's coming into her feathers nicely.



Salad Sandwich is honestly starting to look a little rough. This photo is kinder than an up close inspection of her, but she's still a good girl. She and Noodie both take hand holding with poise and dignity. And I mean being held in a person hand, not a person grabbing their foot.


Then there's Pot Pie. The runt of the litter, she's got some nice feathers and still a lot of fluff--keeping the cute intact.
But a little pain in the vent* when it comes to holding her. As my roommate says, "Stop your freaky-outy!"
I expected more from a Rhode Island Red, I honestly did.
The other chickens like her, so she can't be that bad.

[*The outside opening of the cloaca, through which a chicken emits eggs and droppings from separate channels.]



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 12

Happy Easter!

Though here at our house these photos are the extent of holiday observance.
The girls are over two weeks old now, and I'm just gonna warn you that they're quickly moving from cute to awkward (before becoming beautiful).
So we've had to up the ante in our cute efforts.


I'm not even going to tell you what we're making.




Noodie



Sallie



Pottie



Settle down girls, I'm going to tell you the story of a wet poodle and the boy who loved her . . .




Now before anyone gets their feathers all ruffled, the chicks actually had a good time in the kitchen. Pot Pie nodded off in the mixing bowl and the frying pan, so it couldn't have been that rough on 'em.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 11

Everybody poop now . . . !
If the idea of where this is headed bothers you, this might not be the post for you.




Noodle Soup: oh, there's the poop I made in your nice white studio




Yeah Poop!



Salad Sandwich: excuse me a moment . . .



. . . now what were we doing in this lovely, clean place?




Pot Pie:


[so rude, she doesn't even say anything about it . . . small poop is still poop]




www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 10

Today's lesson is that chickens are birds . . . wait for it . . .


You've got to admit that Noodle Soup is a good looking bird. And big--I'm expecting some sizable blue/green eggs from her.




Salad Sandwich doing her normal thing . . .



. . . followed by her reminding me that chickens are in fact birds and those wings aren't just for show. About a half second later she's three feet lower, down on the ground below the 'studio'.



Pot Pie being little and cute--I was really thinking she'd be the big one--still plenty of time to grow.



They moved into a new chicken habitat yesterday, which they seem to be enjoying, and which is more flight proof--just in time.

www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 9

Oh, they grow up so fast, it seems like only last week they were all fluff and no feathers. Cause it was last week.
Holy crap, these girls are getting so big. Well, some of them--Noodle soup is about twice as big as Pot Pie, which is surprising from a breed stand point. But what do I know, I've had chickens for a little over a week now.



Noodle Soup: I love it when you can see a chick's tail feathers from the front.



Salad Sandwich: look, a tail feather! No, really, it's there.



Pot Pie: if you're thinking about getting chickens, get used to this signal . . . maybe more of an action than a signal--it happens pretty fast.




Yep, poop happens. Usually happens on a larger scale--she's just a little shy in the studio.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 8

Today's session is about movement.
Check out the feathers coming out of Noodie's shoulder blades (or the chicken equivalent of shouldler blades . . . wing blades?). I really think she's got to be a day older than the other chicks--she's probably 50% bigger than Pot Pie.



Sally giving a little strut. Not necessarily a happy strut. She's got the littlest tail feather coming in, but not much to show yet. Her wings are pretty full, though.


And our little Pottie, doing a duck impression.



Plenty of butt feathers on this one, eh?



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 7

A whole week of chicks . . . I'd really better get that coop going, huh?

Noodle Soup is rather fearless regarding the front edge of the 'studio', which is a 3 foot drop off. Back up, girl!



Salad Sandwich does the most running when it come time to get picked up (we're gonna have to have a little talk with one of our roommates about that, actually . . .), but she dislikes the 'studio' even more--I couldn't get her off my hand for the first half of our shoot today.


OK, none of 'em like modeling much, but Pot Pie still gives it a good effort. That's all I ask for . . .



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 6

Just another sunny day in the chick habitat.
Noodie, curious as ever.



Sally, a little high strung (typical).



Pottie, not napping (unusual).



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 5

Shake a tail feather! And by that I mean we've got some tail feather today.


Look at Noodle Soup's butt--it's a feather.




Salad Sandwich has no tail feather but her wings are coming in nicely.




Look at that, a little butt feather for Pot Pie.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 4

Noodle Soup looking pretty as always



Salad Sandwich havin' a look around



Pot Pie making a break for it



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 3

Here's a group shot of the girls.
They are still not enjoying their time in the studio--maybe I need a special 'studio treat' for them.




Here's Noodie doing a little strut.



Sally made a present to the studio today, again.



Potty's wing feather's have really started to come in, dang.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com

Day 2

Please allow myself to introduce . . . myself. Um, I mean my chicks.
Here we have Noodle Soup.



This is Salad Sandwich.



And finally, Pot Pie.

They get all smooshy and small when I bring them into 'the studio' but they walk around taller in their box. (Sally's keepin' it real here).
Man, they poop a lot.



www.JoshuaJayElliott.com