House chicks II

These chicks need to go outside.They're getting loud, louder every day, and quite active.  Less time sleeping under mom.Mom has been giving them vigorous demonstrations of scratching, and has dug right through to the bottom of the box, shredding her newspaper layers.  Not satisfied with the clod of dirt I gave her for grit and entertainment, she's been trying to dig down to the ground.  Made a real mess of her box.  She'll be ready to be back among her own kind. She's in her box within a box. They should be out of the woods and the coldest days are over for now; there's been no more pasted butt, but I do have to build her a new chickery.Mom gets frustrated with one chick, who wants to always peck food only off of mama's beak.  She pecks more furiously in the dish No peck here!, but the chick doesn't get it.  It's funny, her worrying she's got a slow learner on her hands.  It's the youngest chick, two days behind. Mama has been refurbishing her hairdo, and the new feathers, sticking out tufts, are funny.It's certainly been fun having them in the house, though, listening to the conversations and their development.