Kevin's Myth: "The 26 Chicks Of Highland County" [UPDATE]

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the view from Penny's front porch

I had the pleasure of visiting Penny's house in Highland county today. In addition to meeting two of Penny's grandsons, and visiting the site where Penny bagged the 20 pound, 4 ounce turkey (see May 4 entry), I was also able to share some quality time with "the kids" . . . "the 26 chicks of Highland County." As I have mentioned in other blog entries, I gave Penny 26 chicks for her birthday.

I hadn't seen the little peeps for a couple weeks and was amazed at their size. They are at least twice as big as when I last saw them. It's pretty remarkable how quickly they have grown.

To accommodate this growth, Penny, her son Heath, and his girlfriend Kamy, built a wonderful chicken coop (see below). It attaches to a shed, with a doorway cut out for the chicks. Food and warmth are inside the shed, and then it's out the door and down the ramp for fun and games in "the yard" (not to mention some pretty serious (and literal) "pecking order" activity).

Needless to say, the chicks are great fun to watch. And as if that weren't enough, everybody is going to be up to their eyeballs in scrambled eggs (and various other egg-related foodstuffs) in the not too distant future. Thankfully the chicks have grown large enough to have survived the much-feared "Chicken McNugget" stage of their development.

It's still too early to tell how many roosters are in the group, but a few of the chicks are noticeably larger and more aggressive. Some are also starting to sport male facial features. As stated in an earlier entry, once the roosters can be identified, the studliest member of that group will be proudly christened "Smitty."

Thanks again to Penny, Heath, and Kamy for the great job on the chicks new "digs." It has been affectionately named "Coop's Coop" in honor of - you guessed it - Penny "Coop" Cooper, the chicks loving and devoted Mama.

And speaking of "twice the size" (my size this time) . . . the day ended with Penny sending me home with about 2 to 3 pounds of pot roast and vegetables.

Good lord that woman can cook.

You might want to keep that in mind, my 26 little chick-a-dees.