9.01.2009

Chickens on Film Episode 2



Check out the video! The girls had been cooped up for a few days after coming home, and this is the first time they got to come out and explore their run. Stanley's getting quite good at putting these videos together. There will be lots more to come I'm sure. It'll add a whole new dimension to this blog - yay!

As you can see, I've got big chickens! These are pullets that came from some really nice chicken enthusiasts in Highland, WI. We brought them home safe and sound in a dog kennel in the back of my brother Ben's truck. No eggs yet, but some of them are close. The couple we bought them from explained that when their combs and wattles get big and red that's a good sign that they'll be laying soon.

I'll introduce you......

This is the Welsummer. She's the smallest, the most enthusiastic free ranger, and the most aggressive of all the chickens. I like her! She seems to be in the middle of the pecking order - the Wheaten and the two Sussex keep her in her place, and she badgers the Black Coppers without mercy.

This elegant chicken is a Wheaten Maran. Her feathered feet make her seem seem especially exotic, as does her beautiful big tail. She has a queenly personality - she doesn't really bother any of the others, but somehow they all know that she is superior. Her mother lays eggs that are almost lavender/purple in color - I'm really hoping she'll do the same!

This is one of the Black Copper Marans (there are two that look exactly the same). They're beautiful birds - their black feathers shine green in the sunlight. They're the youngest of all of the chickens, and they get picked on the most - especially by the Welsummer. You can see how her tail is messed up from all the pecking. The first week they pretty much kept to the coop, only venturing out occasionally. They've gotten a bit more comfortable now - this evening they were both out free ranging with the rest of the flock.

The two in the front in this picture are both Sussex - a buff and a red. The buff (in the foreground) is probably the top chicken in the pecking order, or at least second to the Wheaten.... She's really fluffy and probably the most beautiful of all of them.....

What ever happened to "The Littles" - Puff and Three Spot? Here they are:

They're humongous! They're going through their awkward adolescent stage - too small to go in with the other chickens (I'm afraid the older ones would hurt them) but too big for their old baby pool brooder. They've been spending their days in this dog crate outside, and I made a little run for them inside the big chicken's run. I've been bringing them in at night. It's been a really cool August with temperatures down to the high 30s at night, and I want to wait until they have all their feathers before they stay outside in the cold. They are really really cute, and are growing like crazy.
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