in the past 48 hours...

day 2

Redder enjoys the sunshine and the warmth of Eric's hand

The girls are growing and changing so quickly!  Within a day they started to sprout tiny feathers on their wings.  They now flap their wings as they scurry around and leap off the floor of their box.  They act just like their bigger sisters: they spend lots of time grooming themselves, stretch their legs and wings after a nice nap, and peck at everything in sight.

Yesterday morning I put wood shavings in their box and they just wandered around, not quite sure what to think.  They played keep-away with some of the bigger pieces and chased each other around until they got tired.  By the afternoon they were using their legs to kick up the shavings and pecked around looking for food. We are amazed at how quickly those instincts have kicked in. 

Chirpy is now an accomplished drinker.  When we first got her, she would just dip her beak in the water then lift her head up.  She wasn't actually drinking.  After watching Redder a few times, she figured out how to open her beak, get some water, then lift her head to swallow.   Watching them drink is one of my new favorite hobbies.

It isn't hard to tell who's in charge.  Redder is definitely the leader and Chirpy happily bumbles along after her.  I told Chirpy that it's okay to have her own ideas, but she has yet to assert her independence.

If you can't tell, I spend waaaaay too much time watching these little buggers.  I guess I should get some work done now.