The Sumatras I love these birds. They grow more beautiful each day. Bill thinks they look like vultures, but I love their sleek combless heads and glossy beetle-green and purplish black feathering. I love their mix of boldness and timidity, and there's simply very few things quite as amusing as a seeing a hen swallow a blade of grass.

They had just better get going on the egg-laying business soon. It should be any day now, I figure. I've started letting them out of the pens so they can forage more freely. That's jsut been the last two days, and so far they don't stray far from the security of the pen (they're just coming out of the gate in these pictures). I haven't seen any sign of starter eggs yet, but I need to get a real nestbox going. I have pile of straw in a protected area, but they should have something more formal.    ¶ 9:04 PM