News from Chicken-Ville

So what do the Chickens do on a cold Winter's Day? Yesterday, Freddie the Rooster and a collection of Hennies followed Melanie to the Garden. Melanie had a Camera in hand. Those Chickens scratched and scratched, finding all kinds of good stuff to eat and leaving Miracle Poop behind.

While in the Garden, Freddie watched out for the Hennies. His 1st priority seems to be those Hennies, wherever they are.

Freddie would want us to know that the Flock has experienced some decided improvements. We now have 2 Roosters rather than 4. The 2nd Rooster, who has no Name yet, is pretty shy. He is more People Shy than Chicken Shy. Since he is 1 of Lacey's Littles, he wasn't raised with much Human contact. Wherever People are, he will vacate the area, sometimes very quickly. Overall, the Chicken Yard is quieter. The 2 Roosters are not fighting, thankfully.

The following Photo is of Penny. If you have followed Penny's Story, you may notice that this Photo shows a decided change in her appearance. Glinda calls her our Pri-Mordial Chicken; she looked almost Dinosaur-like since she was missing back feathers.

Ms. Penny wore a specially designed Chicken Cape which Melanie made from Denim to keep her a little warmer. She probably wore this for a year. She molted this Fall and is now sporting the most beautiful Back Feathers you can imagine. We praise her profusely.

She still is short on Tail Feathers. Melanie thinks she is pulling them out. At any rate, she is probably a lot warmer this year and mighty pretty. She may have been short on Feathers, but she has not been short on Personality. She loves to talk. That's how she got her name.
Out in the Garden, the Chickens are scratching, scratching, and more scratching. And pooping. Melanie calls them Nature's Tillers.
That Golden Brown Chicken in the middle is a Buff Orpington. Her name is Tawny and she likes to get messy. Melanie thinks she probably got wet from being out in the Tall Grasses.
Melanie says the following photo is of Penny (the tail-less wonder), a Black Australorp, and Hazel (looking at the camera). Hazel does not like to have her picture taken. In fact, she left right after this photo. Some People are like that too.
The same Chickens are doing a very famous Garden Dance, known as the Chicken Scratch. Hazel is actually leaving about now.
Like some Humans, Sophia will pose for the Camera. She is a lovely Barred Rock. She has just finished her Molt so she has all new Feathers. Isn't she just ever so pretty?
Penny says "Hi!"
Some Chickens chose not to leave the Coop. Brownie, who is 1 of the Matriarchs, would tell us that it's warmer and less messy there. Our Fine Feathered Friends are not so exposed to the elements when they stay in the Coop. The Humans leave Food and Water there. Those Chickens would tell us that they have all they need.
Poulay wonders if Melanie brought Snacks.
Lacey, Sally, and Lula are scratching and looking for Food.
Lacey prepares to leave, while Andee joins her Sisters. Melanie says that Andee is short for Andromeda. Brownie stands at the Door.
Brownie does not like to have her picture taken. That's why she is leaving. Meanwhile Poulay greets us at the door to the Chicken House. These Ladies are from our oldest Flock of Chickens. That means they will be 3 years old in June.
Poulay pauses for a profile shot.
Sally is also a Buff Orpington, but she is very light in color. Melanie says Sally was talking acting like she very much needed to lay an Egg.
Kayte is in a nest box. She is either laying an Egg or she already has. Melanie says we are getting about 12-16 Eggs a Day. She and her Dad say that 16 is about average. The light is still on some nights, but we do try to keep it at a minimum.
Chloe Jean Chicken looks all perky here. Melanie and I think that if she has a favorite Human, it would be Richard. She is very People Friendly. In our reading of characteristics of Barred Rocks, we noted they were "kid friendly". We are big Kids and we would agree.
Penny walks in from her excursion in the Garden. She is watching Sally find a Nest Box.

Sally found a nest box. She is turning around to make sure that her Nest Box is all neat and tidy and ready for an Egg.
This is Lacey's Littlest. She has no name yet. At just 6 months, she has begun to lay Eggs. She is really Shy. She was not thrilled in the slightest to have her picture takent. She seems to get along with the rest of the flock. She is lower on the pecking order, but she seems to be integrating well. So, there you have it. This wraps up the Chicken News from Chicken-Ville. Our 40 Chickens are happy and healthy. They just seem to go with the flow of whatever the day brings. They are very willing and able partners on our Farm.