Scaredy Cat

We have one Rhode Island White chicken. She's a good chicken, the lone survivor (of her breed) of the chicken carnage we suffered in January of this year. This particular chicken is so friendly, that I've often joked she thinks she's a special pet, one that deserves to come inside and be with "her people." Well, the other day, she did just that. Paul left the door open when he went inside to fetch something and our friendly little hen followed him right into the house . We had to shoo her out and tell her she wasn't allowed that honor.

As our little hen is so friendly, she loves to be in very close proximity to whoever ventures outside. She's quick to find you when you step onto the back porch and then she follows you around as you walk about the yard. Joel, however, is not at all pleased when the chicken follows him--in fact he's down right petrified. He runs into the house yelling, "Mama, icken (chicken) ase (chase) me!" If the chicken is within spitting distance, Joel insists on begin held or otherwise protected from the chicken by one of the bigger people in the family. Jude, on the other hand, is not at all afraid of our friendly hen. He just doesn't want to share his food with her.
Jude and the hen. Jude is snacking on a tortilla (part of our al fresco dinner) and the chicken is eating our corn leftovers.