Today I’ve let Iroha into the chicken playground.
Iroha meets the flock
Iroha is our dog, given to us by a rather mysterious homeless man. He’s just over half a year old, I think. He has been settling down little by little, so I’m giving this a try. First I taught him outside that chickens are not to be touched, and only then brought him in, and he seems to remember. He never touches them; if anything, he seems scared of them.
When Iroha was very small, I once put him in the playground, but he ran all over and the chickens panicked, so I never tried again until now.
Sit, Iroha. Sit! Wait… OK! (That “OK” doesn’t mean jump on me!) He’s a little scatterbrained, and very hyper. Now that he’s bigger, I’m sure there’s some Jack Russell in him. When I looked up Chihuahua and Jack Russell mixes, the description said “chaos.” Why? Because you are chaos! Ouch, no biting! Go play. The chickens are all watching you. They’ll peck your tail, especially since just the tip is black.
Iroha is a dog, so he can’t be friends with everyone the way the cats are. But by running around the outside of the chicken playground, he lets us know when pests like mongooses, or people, come by. He’s doing his job.
The hen we missed
In our 200th video, I called the names of the chickens with one camera, but this one never got called. Watching her afterwards, I figured out why: she follows people around, staying right behind them. So let’s call her now. Sugar!
Meet Sugar
Sugar, what are you scared of? She’s a member of our first Chick Open Team. She’s supposed to be showing everyone she’s become a proper hen, but she has gone all floppy, since she hasn’t been held in a long time. Come on, stand up! Long legs and a short body: fighting-bird style.
She started as a little black chick, like a round bun. She didn’t get very big, which is surprising, because the birds in her home area that were probably her parents were quite big. Broad shoulders, though. She lays small, cream-colored eggs with a slightly pink tint, every once in a while, since there doesn’t seem to be much egg-laying breed in her blood.
She’s scared of roosters; one walked past and woke her up from a nap. She isn’t high in the pecking order, but she follows the rules and does things properly. Good girl. Please keep staying out of trouble. You’re a strong fighter, after all!
And Hanabi, Natsu’s little sister, is part of the family now too. Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise!