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Pete and Penny are red Bantam chickens and look remarkably similar to the pair pictured above. So far we haven’t received any eggs from Penny, although she is a proven layer. I figure it is just a matter of time and her getting used to her new surroundings. We have only had them about a month. They came together as a bred pair and what a pair they are!

Like a doting and protective husband, Pete follows Penny pretty much wherever she goes. A few times Penny has flapped just a little harder than usual and made it over the top of the fence. When we see Pete walking the perimeter of the fenced in area, we know immediately that Penny must be on the other side. Sure enough, she’s always there.

When we first brought Pete and Penny home I was a bit concerned how our 2 big old tomcats were going to do. Past experience with cats and chickens hadn’t been particularly successful. The last time we tried pet chickens, we never saw them again once the cage was opened and they were released! Cats, dogs and feathers went flying everywhere. We told the children that the chickens must have flown away or made it up to the top of a tree. In actuality, we really don’t know what happened. No leftovers were found.

Our 2 cats were definitely curious, Peanut, more so than Smokey. Peanut is white with a tiger striped tail and ears. He chose to check out Pete first. That was definitely mistake number 1. Pete puffed up his feathers and strutted himself right up to look Peanut straight in the face. Peanut then backed up, all the while Pete was walking him backwards. What a sight. When Peanut decided to have a closer look at Penny, Pete repeated his previous performance. This time Peanut hightailed it out of the barnyard. Now it’s common to see him lying on top of the chicken coop, watching the goings on in the barnyard at a distance. Smokey learned from first hand observation.

Just the other day I spotted Pete sitting on the back of our Billy goat. While Billy was munching on the grass, Pete was picking bugs off of Billy. Both seemed oblivious to the other.

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Today during a torrential downpour, our goats retreated to their shelters which are actually dog houses. I was hoping Pete and Penny had made it inside their coop before the storm hit. I looked and the door was open to the coop, but it didn’t look like they were inside. I looked out the window at the goats in their houses and there inside Sundae’s house stood the 2 red bantams side by side of  the white and caramel goat.

Pet chickens can make great entertainment for family and friends. When the grandchildren come down, the chickens make their way to them and seem to enjoy the attention they get. They allow themselves to be handled and carried around the barnyard. They eat from our hands. They respond to their names. Pete wakes us each morning.

Who says chickens can’t be pets? Pete and Penny certainly are!