pictures today

I found this praying mantis a couple nights ago stuck inside a plastic bin out back, it couldn't crawl up the sides and wasn't looking too good. I took it out and put it in a plant under the kitchen window. The following evening I sat down on lawn chair out back and I guess it must have been on the chair because guess what crawled across my leg (gack!). I moved it to the herb planter and it's been there ever since, looking fat and sassy. Here it is in the chives.


And now for some updated chicken photos (I got rid of 62 birds on Sunday, yay!)

I noticed another short-legged pullet. She's not as severe as the one I already photographed. I went ahead and held onto both just to see what happens. There actually seems to be a lot of variation in leg length, particularly of the shanks. Of cousre it's hard to tell for certain because the age range in that pen is 5 weeks, and in a young bird that makes a huge difference.

This is the less-severe short bird.

The original short bird. Oh, guess what, they're full sisters! (crappy pic, she's turning away from the camera)

Original shorty next to a normal pullet. The normal pullet may be a couple weeks older but the difference shouldn't be that much!

Brothers, really, honest to goodness.

Future champion? Black Breasted Red Rosecomb..

One of two Duckwing cockerels. Both are white-legged. Neither has a spike on the comb (these little buggers peck each others spikes off when they are young, I hate that!). This one looks just like his daddy, more of a "dirty silver" color.

Whereas this one is more golden. I suspect this will be the one I keep. One or the other, it's down to just too (I culled the other two cockerels, one was blue-legged but had a TERRIBLE comb. There is a blue-legged Birchen but my pic did not turn out.

Lousy pic, but the one remaining Duckwing pullet.

One of two single comb BBRed pullets. At least one and maybe both (I'd have to check) are sisters to the Duckwings, so not purebred Rosecomb, so the earlobes might not be white enough. But gosh darn they both have good color!

Single comb BBRed pair.

Is there a silver version of Brassy Back??