This is Lucy, one of my two Isa Brown hens. She is a very sweet Gal, and one of my best egg layers. In this shot, she's a bit ruffled because she is in the middle of a dust bath. Chickens are so funny when they dust bathe.
They go into a bit of a trance when they are really into it, wallowing and kicking in the dirt. Sometimes when they finish, they'll walk around in almost a squatting position, trying to hold the dirt under their feathers as long as possible. When they finally decide to let it go, they'll fluff up their feathers and shake it out in a cloud of dust. This manuver always reminds me of the Charlie Brown character, Pigpen.
Lucy is an intrepid explorer and a brave little hen. She likes to sneak over to the neighbors yard. Supposedly, the bugs are better over there. Usually she comes home when I call her name, but she will not answer to "Lucy", the name of her sister who looks very much like her. I often mistake them, but Alice knows her name.
I always liked chickens. I remember having a crippled chick on my Aunt & Uncle's farm when I was a kid. He had gotten his leg caught in some chicken wire and must have broke it trying to get loose. Crip (as I so aptly named him) would follow me around like a puppy. I was so proud of him when he reached adolescence and started making those hilarious screechy crows that "teenage" male chickens do. Unfortunately he drowned in one of the livestock tanks after my summer vacation was over and I had to return home. But I will always fondly remember Crip and chickens in general!
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