Chicken Chat

I thought it would be fun to give a chicken update. They are doing great! Rosie, Andy, and I are the ones who take care of them and play with them. The other kids tolerate them, but don't like to hold them. So, this weekend, Rosie and Andy put on their farmer overalls and we took some pictures.

It was quite a trick to round up all 3 at once, since they love to run free!

This is Benedict, or "Bennie." We initially wanted to get 3 Bantams (mini chickens) but if I wanted all girls, I had to mail-order a minimum of 5 and they were expensive. Since it was our first time out, we decided to get 2 regular size hens, which we ordered at our local Agway. When we went to pick them up, Rosie fell in love with this little Bantam, the tiniest chick in the bunch. We figured we had a good chance of it being a girl, but no, Bennie is a rooster. He started crowing this morning at 5:45, so we'll see how that turns out. Bennie is extremely sweet and likes to be held. He is very gentle, so I hope he doesn't get too loud!

Here is Sheldon Cooper PHD (pretty hen deluxe) or "Shelly" for short. She is a beautiful girl. She is a Rhode Island Red and is a girl. So far, the chickens love: corn on the cob, sunflower seeds, garbanzo beans, and bread. They do not like: watermelon, grapes, yogurt, apples, or lettuce. I have read lots of info on "Backyard Chickens" and I think they will like more foods as they get older. They are only 10 weeks old so far.

Meet Blackie, our Barred Rock Hen. She is wonderful to hold. Her feathers are so soft- actually they all are! Blackie is our "wild one" according to Andy and she is the ring leader. She often leads the others around the yard. Their favorite place to go is in the woods. We have forest chickens! We have quite large front and back yards with woods in back and along the sides of the yard (between neighbors) and they love to scratch around in there. I let them free whenever we are outside, but I keep them in their coop when we are in, so that no predators get them. They have a grassy area on the downstairs of their coop and I move it to fresh grass every day. I think they are happy chickens!