From the G1(generation 1) -
Little Red (Red Sex-Link) - she's the leader of the generation 1 flock, and therefore, seems to be the leader of the entire flock. She was also our first egg-layer. Our rooster can't seem to dominate her yet, and does all kinds of funny dances to show her how attractive he is. She doesn't seem to be falling for it, yet. Stay strong, m'dear! :)
Big Mama (?) -don't know her breed, but she was our second layer, and a very good one - she gets VERY chatty when she's laying.
Mrs. Potts (Columbian Cochin) - she is very large and waddles everywhere with a pompous air about her - she reminded me of the teapot in Beauty and the Beast...Mrs. Potts. :)
Ms. Cochin (Columbian Cochin) - she walks side by side with Mrs. Potts, very pompously as well. The snobby twins turning up their nose when we offer them treats from our hands. THEY don't need handouts, they can get their OWN food, thank you very much!
Blackie (Austrolorp) - she follows skittishly behind the twins everywhere they go. She reminds me of the needy teenager seeking approval from the popular kids. She'll eat from our hands until she notices they've walked away, and then squawks loudly and runs, half-flying over to her group. "(out of breath) Oh, hey guys, what's up?"
On to our G2 group-
The Rooster:
Big Boy (Silver-Laced Red Wyandotte) - it's a rather unoriginal name, but it seems that it's always what we call him, so there you go. He's large, but very unsure of himself. He covers it up by crowing all morning long, and gathering his ladies from time to time. Josh and I have pretend conversations from him to his ladies all the time. Yesterday, it rained all night, and he insisted on sleeping in his tree as always. The ladies all slept in the greenhouse. This morning, he woke up, flew out of the tree, and stormed across our yard into that greenhouse, crowing over and over again. You could see the determination in his strut. He was GOING to get HIS ladies.
Darkie(Red Sex-Link) - we call her darkie because she was the darkest of the sex-links. It was the only way we could differentiate between them. Don't have much else to say about her. She stays out of our way...
The Buff (Buff Orpington) - We got her because Buff Orpingtons are known to be one of the friendliest chickens you can have. Whatever! She is NOT friendly, and borderline ornery if you ask us. She tails Big Boy all day trying to be his favorite lady, to which he responds by giving her the cold shoulder. Just like the typical male, he wants nothing to do with anyone throwing themselves at him. No, he wants the one that ignores him, and abuses him. So, she gets even by bullying all the chicks. After all, she's better than ANY of them...
Game Bird(?) - I've grown to like Game Bird quite a bit. When we first got her, I thought she was so ugly, but Josh loved her coloring. We thought she was an Ameraucana, but when we brought her home, she started to display characteristics that were unlike the rest of the group. Her instincts seemed fresher, and she was much more aware of her surroundings. She taught the flock to sleep in the trees, she herds the chicks under shelter when birds fly overhead, and she fights the other chickens instead of just challenging them. She might not turn out to be the best layer, but her behavior is fascinating to say the least.
G3 flock- the chicks -
Rooster (Ameraucana) - we call her this because she started carrying her tail straight up in the air, which made her look like a rooster. Hopefully, she's not one, but only time will tell...
The Twin(Ameraucana) - poor girl, we have the same name for her and another one. We just refer to them as the twins. Beautiful, though. They seem to be warming up to us faster than the other Ameraucanas...but we can't tell which one is the friendly one...
Miss Shanty (Chantecler) - she looks like a Miss Shanty, doesn't she? She's girly, but not snobby. She comes off as sweet, but timid. I think she'll warm up to us...
The other Twin(Ameraucana) - this is a better picture of the Twins. So, you see this, that's what the last one looked like. Pretty, huh?
Wheaten (Ameraucana) - named for the color of her feathers. She's a rare coloring. Very skittish at first, but getting better...
Silver (Ameraucana) - named for her coloring to distinguish her from the rest of her family. Very pretty...
Hawk (Ameraucana) - named appropriately because she looks like a hawk to us - not so much in this pic, because her tail is up. But, there have been a number of times that we run out thinking a hawk is running in our flock, only to find it's her. You can't see it in this pic, but she has the heaviest feathering around her face too.
Mrs. Butterworth (Chantecler) - we WERE calling her Miss Shanty, and the other Chantecler Little Shanty, but we changed it once when Josh mentioned she looked like a Mrs. Butterworth. I thought it was funny because I had thought the same exact thing a few days beforehand! So, it stuck. She's the largest of the G3 flock, and she seems to know it. She mothers the rest of the flock, defending them from other hens, and today, we noticed that, now that they are all getting bigger, they seem protective of her, too. The dynamics between her and the group is interesting - she is definitely a leader, but not an aggressive one - more like a sweet stack of pancakes... ;)
Itty-Bitty Red (Red Sex-Link) - she was named Itty-Bitty, because we had so many Red Sex-Links (3 have died - apparently Sophie's favorite flavor), and she was the only one in the G3 flock. She looks much more gang-ly and awkward than the other Links. Long legs. We'll see if Big Boy thinks those legs are pretty...
Delaware (Delaware) - pretty original, huh? We just started calling her that, don't know why, but the name fit her. She was difficult to get a pic because her head is always deep in the food bowl. She's Julia's and Daddy's favorite. She nearly jumps into your hand sometimes! She is spirited and holds her own quite well with the large birds. She's spunky!!
Blink (Black Sex-Link) - we had the hardest time naming her, because she doesn't socialize like the others. She hardly ever leaves the coop, and when she does, she's off on her own somewhere. But she's not fearful or weird, just very independent. Although, she has wandered into the other groups of chickens a few times, forages the ground a bit, and then realizes where she is and scurries back to her own group. Maybe she's got bad vision...
So, that's our chicken group - we have a great time watching them, learning from them, and playing with them. They are an extended part of the family. Hope you'll get to know them too. And get some eggs....because next summer, we'll be overrun with 'em...
Now, you think our chickens are entertaining...wait 'till you get to meet our turkeys! THEY are a sight to behold...and NOT a pretty one... :)
No comments:
Post a Comment