Tricks, Chickens, Rats, and Deer

So in my Ornithology class this fall we taught chickens to do tricks. My little chick Clarice:

 She learned to peck the red dot (shown in picture), follow it around, climb steps, cross a balance beam, ring a bell, fly between tables, and we were working on flying down from the balance beam when we ended training at the end of the semester. She is an absolute sweetheart who was perfectly happy to chill on my shoulder and cuddle during training.

 I ended up bring her, another Silver Laced Wyandotte but a rooster named Bodie who is an asshole who likes to bit people, and Zazu a little Easter Egger hen who was Clarice's roommate while they where at the lab who was very attached to her.

They are doing pretty well with the big flock besides, Red beating up on Bodie when he is being an asshole. But Bodie tried to play with one of the twin fawns from last year the other day. The touched noses and then jerked away. And then the fawn tried to do that head bump, jump fawns do in play and then ran to her mom and sibling. But I only managed to get pictures right as she started to jump away. But the Ornithology 3 are the 3 closest to the fawn. And then Red and his daughter (3/4 EE, 1/4 BA) next to him, the red hen is the Rhode Island Red cross hen from my grandmother and the little Buff Orpington on the side is also from my grandmother. So far no eggs from the new girls.

In Animal Behavior this semester the same professor that had us train chickens last semester is having us train rats. This time around we have to work in groups to train them to play basketball. So this is little baby Lucus, who I'm calling Luke and who may be coming home with me at the end of the semster.

That's a classmate's hand containing him

But I'm working on the house cleaning, remodeling, having friends move in to help pay bills, and all sorts of stuff that I'll hopefully be updating you on soon.