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Meet My Flock!
UPDATED INFO AND PICS COMING SOON AS OUR FLOCK MEMBERS HAVE CHANGED WITH NEW ADDITIONS AND SOME LOSSES.
Here's the fun part--where I get to introduce my flock! This way you know who I'm talking about. :) Let's start with the past Head Roo and Head Hen, the original Patriarch and Matriarch of the flock. Although they are gone, they not forgotten.
JACK
Jack joined us as a young roo of about 12 months of age in October 1998. He grew to be quite large--he weighed 16 pounds and sported long, curved spurs that were over 5 inches long! Our Head Rooster for nearly 7 years until his death in 2004, Jack was a Barred Rock. Jack was a great roo, loving and very gentle with his hens as well as his human family. He was very tame and never even thought of pecking or flogging any of us. He was everything a good roo should be. Jack DID suffer a slight thrashing his first day at our house at the beak and wings of Wild Child, who was already the established Head Hen and wanted to prove it to him. Jack simply ducked, burbled and took it in stride. I once saw Jack rescue one of The Chicken Sisters (one of our identical twin buff cohin banty hens) literally from the talons of a Red Tailed Hawk, who had swooped in not 10 yards from ME and grabbed her. Jack was on that hawk before I could even move and successfully wrestled her from his grasp. She limped for a few days afterwards but that was all. Jack passed away suddenly in August 2004 at the age of 8, less than 48 hours after his beloved Head Hen, Wild Child had died. I truly believe he died of a broken heart, as there was nothing wrong with him.
WILD CHILD
Our first chicken, we got Wild Child as a two day old chick in 1995. Wild Child was a Silver Laced Wyandotte and grew up with two sisters of the same breed, who died several years later (one from ovarian cancer, the other from a black widow spider bite). Wild Child got her name as a chick when she would run around the brooder box wildly leaping on her sisters--a 'wild child'. Unfortunately for her, the name stuck. Wild Child was a natural leader, always the first to explore something new (and usually get into trouble). She was very calm and you could walk over to her anytime and pet her or pick her up. When she was young, if guests came over and sat out on the patio we would have to warn them that they were to soon have a chicken leaping into their lap. Wild Child loved to come in during hot or rainy weather and watch TV, and soon taught the other flock members what a great place the house was. She'd line everyone up on the back porch and holler to be let in. A very wise girl, Wild Child quickly learned that if she came to the back door and called in a particular way, it alerted us that something was wrong. She was diligent and intelligent, and was never wrong when she came to tell us--she knew when one of the others was ill, hurt or there was any kind of danger. When she left us it created a large gap in the flock dynamic, and I've never known of another hen who was smart enough to come and get the humans when something was wrong. Wild Child passed away of old age in August 2004 at the age of 9 years, just a few months shy of her 10th year.
I live in northern Nevada near Lake Tahoe. I am happy to share fertile hatching eggs to anyone who is interested. Since my entire flock runs together though, hatching the eggs is like opening a box of chocolates--you never know what you are going to get! :) To me that is very exciting and a large part of the fun anyway. Some of the eggs are distinctively colored so I know which egg came from which hen, but others, like the banty eggs, are not. Also, fertile hatching eggs that have been shipped (no matter who you buy them from) have a notoriously iffy hatch rate, and must be allowed to sit after you receive them for a time to settle before being placed in the incubator or under a broody hen. I make no guarantees on the percentage of hatch since once the eggs leave my hands, there are too many opportunites for damage or other issues.
If you would like to get some eggs with this understanding, please contact me. I don't believe in charging huge amounts for my eggs, I just charge postage plus a little extra to cover packing materials. We have three young roos who are currently deciding who will be the next Head Roo--a light Brahma named Dinner, a splash Giant Cochin named Weedcat and a buff Brahma named Rafael. We also have an older banty roo named Scott, who is official Head Roo but may retire soon and let one of the younger fellas handle the hen covering duties while he continues to live in quiet dignity with a few of his older bantam hens. The three young roosters would most likely be the fathers of all the chicks, and generally the big boys stick with the large hens while Scott runs with the banties--but there certainly is some crossover and I can't guarantee anything! :) The hens that are currently in lay I have marked as such, in bold letters, at the end of their bios.
Next comes our old Head Roo, now sadly deceased, Phoenix. Phoenix was the son of Jack and Louise.
PHOENIX
Phoenix was a Barred Rock/Americaunas mix, the son of Jack and Louise, and hatched in 2003. He died at the exact same age as his father, Jack--right down to the number of years and months--in December 2011. He was so named not only because he was hatched after his father died, but also because of his colors--Phoenix had fiery red-gold hackle and cape feathers married with smoke grey body feathers. He was literally the color of ash and fire, a red blue wheaten. Phoenix had proved a wonderful roo and followed in Jack's footsteps well. He was a big roo like his daddy, and carried the same over 5 inch long curved spurs, except that Phoenix's spurs were black. Phoenix also had the facial tufts typical of Americaunas, and had a large, flopped-over-on-it's-side comb. He had a sister, Helen and was father to Beast and Skitters. Phoenix was always a gentleman to his hens but a fierce protector when needed, and unfailingly sweet and friendly to humans, especially children. He was my special guy and I miss him very much.
The current beta roo, Scott.
SCOTT
Scott is the son of Millie and was hatched in 2003. He is a buff and red-gold bantam with iridescent green tailfeathers, sports large facial tufts and boots and is a wonderful roo to the girls, although he is the beta roo behind Phoenix. Scott is very sweet and involved with his girls and often joins them in cackling for their eggs, although he is currently having a passionate romance with his one true love, Beast. He is a bit of an alarmist though, and tends to wail excitedly at loose helium balloons and seagulls. He is heroic in his defense of the hens and makes sure they are all in the coop before he goes in. Scott is the father of Harp, Guinness and Picky.
Now for the current girls! I've listed the girls in top to bottom order on the pecking order ladder.
After Wild Child passed, there was no clear single Head Hen. Instead, three of the girls (Bear, Louise & Elizabeth) share the job--which illustrated to us how hard it is to fill Wild Child's shoes. :) All of these girls seem to be at an equal level within the pecking order.
BEAR
Bear is a VERY interesting chicken, and another mystery breed, although we suspect she is a Rhode Island Red/Americaunas mix. We hatched her in 2002 from a dozen fertile eggs obtained from a local farm, and while her egg was the first to pip, it was the last to hatch and we had to assist the hatch. When she was out we could see why--though the egg was big, Bear was bigger. She was such a hulking, bulldozing clod of a chick, forever trampling her hatchmates, that she became Bear. Bear is aggressively friendly and NEEDS to be deeply and intimately involved in whatever it is you are doing. She also thinks that she is a petite, delicate little flower and born to be a lap chicken, with little or no notice given when she rockets into your lap, Heaven help you. Bears' 15 minutes of fame came at my daughters' 3 year old birthday party, when she
suddenly knocked a plateful of birthday cake out of my sister's hands and ended up covered in pink icing. It was like some surreal episode of The Brady Bunch, we were all chasing around a pink chicken. Bear, amusingly enough, lays army green eggs. She has one daughter by Phoenix, named...and it's another 'earned' name...Beast. IN LAY
LOUISE
Louise is a lovely salmon pink Americaunas hen that we purchased as an adult in August of 2002. Louise has the beautiful willow-green legs that are typical of her breed, and wonderful facial tufts and beard. She also has two bent toes on her left foot, but you'd never know it the way she runs for food! Louise lays lots of pale blue eggs and is gentle, but prefers people at a distance unless she is the one doing the approaching. Louise is the mother of Helen and her brother Phoenix, our current Head Roo. IN LAY
ELIZABETH
We were forced to buy Elizabeth, a Jersey Giant hen, BY Elizabeth one day in 2003 when we went to the feed store. Liz chased after us up and down the fence, staring at us and crying until we gave in. We couldn't resist those great, dark, melting eyes though. Liz is extremely sweet and friendly, calm and never mean. She is polite and has excellent manners. Liz sports beautiful greenish-black feathers and black legs. Liz lays many truly huge dark brown eggs and has a daughter, Rita, a granddaughter, Skitters, and a great granddaughter, Squeakers. IN LAY
THE CHICKEN SISTERS
Another addition to the flock as adult hens in 2001, The Chicken Sisters are identical twin buff cochin bantams. Although they are equal to or above the three girls who currently perform Head Hen duties, they have no interest in being Head Hens. The Chicken Sisters do everything together and are never more than a few inches apart--they even brooded a clutch of eggs and raised chicks side by side, seamlessly and with no fighting. As a matter of fact, I have never seen them fight or peck at each other. Try as we might, we can find no difference in these two hens at all--even their combs are identical. One of the sisters was once rescued from the talons of a Red Tailed hawk by Jack. In 2005 one of them finally became different--she molted out to a very slighter lighter shade than her sister. It's so slight we STILL can't tell which is which unless they are standing next to each other though! Believe it or not, one of these little old ladies is in lay and has gone broody! ONE IN LAY
MOET
Moet is the daughter of Yang, a white cochin bantam and a bantam Frizzle roo that we had for a very short time. Moet was hatched in 2002 and was so very round and fluffy that she reminded us of a champagne bubble, and so she was named. Moet is very friendly and curious, the curiosity may have been her downfall and led to her injury in which she somehow managed to rip out her tongue. Luckily we discovered her plight and with the aid of a liberal amount of Kwik-Stop, got the bleeding stopped. After she learned how to eat minus a tongue, Moet gets along just fine. Moet is a dedicated mom and has raised 5 chicks from other hens' eggs, one of whom is Rita. Moet has a daughter, Fran. IN LAY
BOOTS
Boots joined us, along with Millie, in 2003 as a week-old chick. Boots is a bantam Partidge cochin, and as is usually in cochins, loves nothing better than to go broody. Boots is very sweet and friendly and on Easter 2006 became a proud first-time mom of seven mixed parentage chicks, including 'Beauty', the daughter of Bear and sister to Beast and 'Squeakers', daughter of Skitters. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
MILLIE
Millie was a week-old chick when we got her and Boots in 2003. Millie is a MilleFleur banty hen and like others of the breed, is VERY tiny. Typically of banties, she has the attitude of a 10 foot tall chicken! Millie is never mean or aggressive though. Millie loves people and everything about them, and sees no reason why she should not be a House Chicken and be snuggled in your lap. If the back door is left open for a moment you can bet the farm that Millie has snuck in. Millie is another super egg layer and has several offspring and is even a grandmother! Her son is Scott, her daughters are Ping, Pong, Zevon, Ginger, Nutmeg (Meg). Her granddaughters are Harp, Guinness and Picky. IN LAY
RITA
Rita was hatched in 2003 by Moet, though her biological mother is Elizabeth. Rita is a black Jersey Giant/Cochin mix hen, and if you sit in a chair for longer than one second, Rita will be in your lap for an extended period of petting and snuggling. This is unfortunate (for us) since Rita tends to suffer from gas and passes it frequently. Rita is so pathologically fiendly, that if you don't sit down soon enough for her she will follow you around and complain loudly until you do. Rita is very motherly which is typical of cochins but isn't broody too often. Rita always wants to be the center of attention and will growl at anyone else who is foolish enough to think they can be in your lap instead of or along with her, and gets openly jealous if we pay attention to the other birds. If we try and take a picture of the other chickens, Rita has to stick her head in the picture at the last moment so that the end result looks like bad vacation snapshots. Rita has one daughter by Phoenix named Skitters and a granddaughter named Squeakers. Skitters shares her mothers' love of humans and their laps. IN LAY
HOUDINI
Houdini is a mystery breed bantam who really, REALLY earned her name. We got Houdini as an adult hen in August of 2002. Even though we take precautions and trimmed her wings, one of the first things Houdini did (before we had even named her) was to fly across the yard--she flew like a freakin' eagle, too--and over the fence. What followed was several DAYS of chasing her through neighbors' yards, 'lost chicken' posters, wresting her from the jaws of a cocker spaniel, sighting her on a neighbors' ROOF and finally recapture in a Bouginvilla plant. Houdini finally came to her senses and stayed with us and has a daughter, Splash. IN LAY
FRAN
Fran was hatched in 2003 and is the daughter of Moet. She is a buff bantam Frizzle like her mom but has a more upright, black tail. Fran is a tad standoffish but is never mean. Currently broody. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
SPLASH
Splash, daughter of Houdini, was hatched in 2003. She has amazingly beautiful black and gold eyes. Splash is so named not only because of her daring personality, but because she has distinctive, splash-like markings. The front half of her body has brown feathers dotted with black ends, the back half of her body is covered in black feathers striped with brown! She reminds me of an Easter egg that has been dipped in different colors at each end. Currently broody. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
CUTIE
Cutie we hatched in 2003, she is the daughter of Yin and like her mom, has tiny spurs and a big attitude. She is a buff colored banty hen with just one tiny feather on each leg, as if to say, "OK, there--I'm officially booted!" Cutie was named because of her way of looking at you with a cute little sideways tilt of her head. Cutie has her mom's fearlessness tempered with a sweet nature. Currently broody. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
BEAST
Beast, daughter of Bear and Phoenix, hatched in 2004. She is the granddaughter of Jack and Louise. Beast is a beautiful golden-pink girl with her mom's body style, no Americaunas facial tufts at all (surprising, since that is such a strong trait!) gray legs and golden, hawklike eyes. She is all attitude and brass like her mom, and very smart, friendly and curious. She's quite the character. Beast is having a torrid romance with Scott and they are never far apart. Beast tends to use the smaller hens as traction when it's time to eat, hence her name. IN LAY
GUINNESS
Although Guinness is the sister of Harp and the daughter of Scott and Gwen, she looks more like a MilleFleur than a Cornish. Hatched in 2004, Guinness was so named because she is the color of dark beer with a bronze sheen, with a frothy cape of lighter tan around her neck. Only her voice betrays her Cornish heritage--it has that gravely quality. Her sisters are Harp and Picky. Guinness is fairly sweet, but can occasionally scuffle with other hens when her pride is injured. IN LAY
HELEN
Helen was hatched in 2003 along with her brother, Phoenix. They are both the offspring of Louise and Jack. Helen is a lovely smoky grey color and does not have the facial tufting that her mom does. Helen is docile but not overtly friendly, but she is VERY loud at mealtime when she feels the deep inner need to YELL. IN LAY
PING
Ping and her sister, Pong, were named because as chicks in 2003 and even growing up, they looked just like tiny little ping pong balls. Ping was especially tiny at hatch and we spent a lot of time cuddling her. They are both the daughters of Millie, and are white MilleFleur/Frizzles with tall black tails and a dash of black speckles on their cape feathers. They also have the distinctive MilleFleur facial tufts, which since they are Frizzles, only makes them cuter. Ping is a tad smaller than her sister Pong and has white legs instead of Pong's dark grey ones--other than that they are the same chicken. Both have very sweet natures and get along well with the flock. Ping just suffered a very nasty egg binding episode which necessitated my popping and extracting the egg from her, a scary thing to go through for her AND me both. IN LAY
PONG
Hatched along with her sister, Ping in 2003, they are so similar that the only way we can tell them apart is to sneak a peek at their legs--Pong's are dark grey while Pings are white. Both of these girls have very sweet natures. IN LAY
ZEVON
Zevon was also hatched in 2003 is also the daughter of Millie, and is a Frizzle like her daddy. Zevon was named in memory of singer Warren Zevon, who passed away just before she hatched. We are fans of his and would like to think he'd be amused at the homage. :) Zevon has a thick suit of very fluffy feathers, so that when she runs they bounce in a very comical way. She is a beautiful black and buff girl who again has the trademark MilleFleur facial tufting. IN LAY
GINGER
Ginger is the daughter of Millie and a Frizzle roo (the sister of Ping, Pong, Zevon, Scott and Nutmeg hatched 2003), but is straight-feathered and looks more like a MillieFleur. She has beautiful ginger-colored feathers with black accents, and has the same sweet nature and facial tufts as her mother. Currently broody. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
MEG
Sister of Ginger and built very much like her, Meg is basically Zevon with straight feathers. Hatched in 2003 along with her siblings Scott, Ginger, Ping, Pong and Zevon, Meg has lovely dark tortoiseshell-colored eyes and also displays the facial tufting. IN LAY
POOF
When we bought Poof, a White Crested Black Polish hen in July 2004, she was sold to us not only as a rooster, but also 'mean'. When asked why she was mean, we were told that it was because she would walk up and tug on peoples' pantlegs. Anyone who knows chickens knows what this means in the language of Chicken--"Pick me up!" My husband and I rolled our eyes at each other and took her home, where Poof immediately bonded to our 4 year old daughter, whom she would play 'Chase Me' with (they would take turns). It was so un-chicken like that I videotaped it, otherwise who would believe it? Poof is still very attached to my daughter and is always right at her elbow when she is playing outdoors, and when Poof comes in the first thing she looks for is the kid. Poof has no idea she is a chicken and barges past us into the house daily. She likes to lay eggs in the unfolded laundry pile and loves to be in laps--if you are out in the yard, you'd darned well be carrying Poof around tucked under your arm. Poof has elevated herself in the pecking order this year when she came into lay (long, skinny white eggs), a fact which is broadcast, at ear-splitting volume, for long periods when it is egg laying time. She is typical of her breed--comical, friendly, curious, sweet and nutty. IN LAY, FERTILITY UNKNOWN
GWEN
Gwen we got as an adult in 2004, along with another hen just like her (unfortunately killed by a predator three months later). Gwen is a Dark Indian Cornish Rock bantam hen--you usually see those on your dinner plate. Gwen has stunning bronze and black feathers and burbles rather than cackles--when she DOES cackle for eggs it sounds like a shovel being drug blade-down across rough concrete. She has a wide stance, short stocky legs and a sailor's rolling gait. She is sweet, friendly and loveable. Gwen has three daughters by Scott--Harp, Guinness and Picky. IN LAY
SILVER
Silver is a patterned gray banty hen who came to us as an adult in July 2004. She was thin and skittish at first, but has since filled out and mellowed to be a very nice hen indeed. IN LAY
HARP
Harp hatched in 2004 and is the daughter of Scott and Gwen. Harp is a tightly feathered, buff colored lady with the complete Dark Indian Cornish Rock body style with MilleFleur facial tufts stuck on for good measure. Harp looks, acts and sounds just like her mom. She is very friendly and sweet, with a gentle curiosity. Her sisters are Guinness and Picky. IN LAY
PICKY
Hatched alongside Harp and Guinness, and also the daughter of Scott and Gwen, Picky is a bronzy-green black with a build the same as her sister Guinness and a voice like her mama. Picky was born with a curve to her beak, but that didn't interfere with her lifestyle at all. We named her after my husband's grandfather, an MGM studios electrician who worked for many years in the film industry. His nickname was 'Picky' and he had a large nose that curved a bit due to being broken at some point. We also like to think he'd find it amusing to have one of the girls named after him. :) The really strange thing is, our hen Picky has a job within the flock that no one else performs. She preens the faces of all the other birds, who will go and stand in front of her and fall into a trance as she gently picks at their feathers. Heck, I've seen them standing in line for this treatment! Picky, for all the her beak is curved, works amazingly fast and never misses or injures her flockmates. It's just very weird that she grew into her name! IN LAY
SKITTERS
Skitters is just plain...strange. She was hatched in 2005, the only egg in a batch of 42 in the incubator to hatch. Her mom is Rita, dad is Phoenix so Skitters is a lovely charcoal gray kinda-cochin with facial tufts. She's pretty darned cute. We named her Skitters because as a chick she would skitter around in the brooder box. Not too much later her nickname became Skitz, because she acted pretty crazy most of the time... OK, she's a psycho. Skitters is ALL about personality plus. She loves people and they darned well beter love her too, if they know what's good for them. Skitters will run up to you and do that pantleg-grab-thing chickens do when they want to be picked up, only Skitters is a LOT more insistent about it and accompanies the grab with growls and dog-like shakes of her head. Lord help you if you don't pet her or pick her up quick enough, you'll be in for a peck or two to your hand! Skitters talks the entire time you are holding her and warns any other hens off with growls who are foolish enough to think THEY are going to be petted or held instead of her. The one time she was ill I knew it because she didn't peck me or want to be picked up. Currently Skitters is being adamant about laying eggs in a half constructed rabbit hutch out back and campaigning to forceably oust her mother Rita from her #1 lap occupying spot. Skitters lays unusual army green-grayish eggs and has one daughter, Squeakers. IN LAY
BLUE
Blue is a lovely but businesslike blue bantam Silkie hen. She arrived along with Rocksy, Orangey and Coal in September 2004 and lost no time in getting down to laying eggs. She is very close to Coal and they snuggle together at night. She is friendly and curious, but likes to keep her distance. Currently broody. IN LAY UNLESS BROODY
COAL
Our last little Michigan transplant, Coal, is a tiny bantam black Silkie hen. We got Coal along with Rocksy, Orangey and Blue in September 2004. Coal is energetic, comical, curious and loves people. Coal also loves to go broody and does so too frequently, really. Coal loves to be picked up and talks in a little growl all the time you are holding her. I don't know what she's saying but it must be important. One of Coals' apparant duties is to closely inspect any toy that my daughter brings out into the yard to play with. She performs this same duty when she comes indoors. IN LAY
SPIKE
Spike is a Rhode Island Red hen that was a Kindergarten class project along with Violet in 2004. We gave both girls a good home when they got too big to be in school anymore. Spike is a pretty tough little girl, a nice enough chicken but not terribly bright. She gets along better with the other chickens than Violet does, simply because she doesn't go picking fights. Maybe she's actually smarter than I think she is! IN LAY
VIOLET
Violet is a chick raised by my daughter's Kindergarten schoolmates in 2004, along with Spike. We agreed to give both of the girls a good home after the kids got through watching them grow up. Violet is a Silver Laced Wyandotte who unfortunately doesn't really work and play well with others, so we call her Violent Violet a lot of the time. Because she picks so many fights and is at the lower end of the pecking order, she ends up getting thumped on a lot to remind her of her place. Violet is a nice enough chicken but not cuddley. IN LAY
AUNT MABEL
Aunt Mabel we got in 2005 along with Cocoa as brooder box company for Skitters--we were afraid Skitters would be too lonely on her own. Mabel is a lovely snow white Americaunas hen with willow green legs, and a beautiful disposition to match. Mabel has two curled toes on one foot but it doesn't bother her...this morning my husband caught her on top of the neighbor's tool shed. Tonight Mabel is minus the primary flight feathers on both wings and got a scolding about staying in her own yard. IN LAY
COCOA
Cocoa we got as a chick in 2005 along with Aunt Mabel as company for Skitters. Cocoa is a beautiful gold and black Americaunas hen with big dark eyes and heavy cape and facial tuft feathers. She is elegance itself and carries herself accordingly, but with the gentle kindness of royalty. She is very sweet and the roos are severely in love with her. IN LAY
JULIETTE
Juliette, a very tiny black bantam hen, we got as an adult in July 2004. Juliette was a bit skittish at first but calmed down when she learned to trust us. She is a good producer of very tiny eggs and has a love of nesting in weird places like trash cans. IN LAY
SUGAR
We got Sugar in July 2005 as an adult along with Seven, another Buff Laced Polish hen. They were so perfectly matched that we had some difficulty telling them apart. They were sold to us as 'roosters' from the same feed store that made the same error with Poof, our other Polish hen. Sugar was so named because she was just so sweet. Sugar lays long, skinny white eggs. After the loss of her friend Seven, Sugar bonded to Poof and they are fast friends. IN LAY, FERTILITY UNKNOWN
MAGGIE
Maggie is a Rhode Island Red hen, and was a freebie from the feed store in October 2005 due to the fact that all the toes on one of her feet are curled. She also had a nasty head cold and sneezed constantly, which took quite some time to recover from. She runs around just fine, bad toes be hanged. Maggie is very inquisitive and fun, with a sweet attitude. IN LAY
BABS
Babs is another Americaunas hen that came to us from my brother in April 2005, she had been an Easter gift to his niece from an admirer. As Babs grew up it became problematic to keep her since they had several cats and weren't set up to keep chickens. Babs is a beautiful coffee-colored lady with golden accents, with a serious love of humans. She tolerates other chickens but sees no reason why she shouldn't be in the house with the other humans--after all, she IS one! When we first got Babs she liked to sleep on my husbands' chest right under his chin, one little chickeny foot tucked into his shirt pocket. Nowadays if you sit out on the patio she rockets into your lap, ramming her head under your arm. You practically need a crowbar to remove her, and she doesn't care if Rita or Skitters are already there! Babs is a very friendly, sweet bird with beautiful eyes, and a touch of sadness to her at having to be outdoors. Babs lays lovely pale pink eggs. IN LAY
Gone But Never Forgotten--Angels With TWO Sets Of Wings
Our other chickens that have passed on, some are still with us in the form of their children.
CAFE
I'm not sure what breed Cafe was, I think she was an Americaunas mix since she laid lovely blue-green eggs. We got Cafe and Latte together as adult hens in June of 1997. They were named because one was a lovely mocha coffee color--Cafe--and the other was a more creamy golden color--Latte. Cafe was a good, friendly girl but not too keen on being picked up and cuddled. Cafe and Latte were very bonded to Jack and Wild Child and proved great flockmates for being introduced as adults, and never fought with anyone. When Cafe had been living with us for 5 years, she suddenly underwent a dramatic color change--I've put three pictures of her here, one in her original coat of feathers and the other two in the colors she suddenly molted into about 2 years before she passed away in 9-04. The dark feathers you see scattered around in her body were the same dark iridescent green you see in rooster tails! Cafe suffered from chronic Bumblefoot in her left foot throughout her life, but it never seemed to slow her down. She was such an outstanding bug finder that we dubbed her 'The Bug Huntress', and could open her head larger than I have ever seen another chicken do in order to eat things.
LILY
Lily was my Valentine's Day present in 2006. To heck with flowers, say it with chickens! She was a stunning adult white Sultan hen who was suffering from a bad respiratory infection when we got her, doubly dangerous for a crested breed. She had to stay in the house for several weeks on antibiotics until it cleared. She had no concept of getting the heck out of the way and tended to look a little too much like a pair of sweatsocks when she plonked herself down in the middle of the floor. Lily was very sweet and loving towards humans, but jealous of other chickens. Lily had her own ideas of where she ranked in the pecking order and it's near the TOP, thank you. She 'talked' and chewed her words just like a Siamese cat. And Lily talked CONSTANTLY. Lily picked fights with most of the other chickens, the roos included. Nothing serious, just enough to get the point across not to EVER mess with her. Because of this Lily ended up spending most of her time alone, and had having a bit of trouble coming to the horrible realization that she must now sleep in the coop with those other chicken-things. She still wanted to be in the house and at dusk when it was time to close up the coop we'd find, her waiting politely but a tad impatiently on the back porch for one of those idiot humans to open the door and let her in. Lily never really realized she was a chicken, and just decided to refuse to believe that particular nasty rumor. Lily passed away on April 21, 2006 after a long, hard battle. We will miss her, she was only with us for two months but we just loved how special and unique she was.
LATTE
Latte came from the feed store as an adult along with Cafe in June of 1997. Latte was a Buff Orpington mix, large, lovely and fluffy with a spangled set of cape feathers like jewels around her neck. She was a grand dame with loads of dignity, but very docile and gentle. As Latte grew very old she developed a pendulous crop, which was always full of food (not shy about food, our Latte!) and would swing back and forth when she ran. It never caused her any problems or illness though, and she lived with us for 6 years until her death in 2002.
YIN
In 1998 we got two chicks that were a week old, one deep black, the other snow white. While both were banties, one was a tiny black chick and the other a white cochin. They had a habit of lying next to each other, side by side, head against tail. They looked so much like the famed Chinese symbol, it was inevitable that they be named Yin and Yang. The even grew up to personify the traits of Yin and Yang, so different were they. Sadly, her sister Yang died from an attack by a turkey in 2000, but not before she had a daughter, Moet (so named because she is the color and shape of a champagne bubble). Yin never got very big in size, but she was a typical uppity, totally fearless bantam. Her most startling features were the two tiny black spurs that she sported, just like a rooster. Yin was a terrific producer of tiny, beige eggs for many years, and had two offspring, a Frizzle roo named Yeek and a buff/black bantam hen named Cutie. Yin's daughter, Cutie, has spurs just like her mom, and has her attitude as well. Yin lived a rambunctious and adventurous life until her death at age 6 of a large abdominal growth in October 2004.
SEVEN
Two Buff Laced Polish hens, Seven and Sugar we got as adults in July 2005, again sold to us as 'roosters' (same feed store). Seven looked so like Sugar that we had to mostly rely on her one obvious difference and the reason for her name--she was missing the end of one toe, leaving her with seven intact ones. Seven was sweet, curious, comical and energetic, and would let us pick her up anytime. We lost Seven to a truly horrible and very sudden tumor she developed at the base of her tail, right above and blocking her preen gland. She spent her last two weeks in the house being spoiled and petted Because she kept picking the lump till blood flowed, trying to get at her preen gland, she had to wear a cloth apron to keep her away from it. This made her look like Super Chicken in a cape since it was pink corduroy, the only fabric scrap I had handy. Seven died quickly and quietly two weeks after the lump first appeared, happy, energetic and perky to the last minute.
ORANGEY
Although he was white, not orange, my daughter hung this name on him and it stuck. Orangey came to us as a young adult bantam roo in September 2004 along with three other Silkies; Rocksy, Blue and Coal. Orangey was only a little smaller than Rocksy and very sweet--he was my special guy and hung out near the house, waiting to be picked up, carried around and petted, talking to me the entire time. He was another chicken that had to be involved in whatever you were doing and talked to you about it the entire time. At dusk he would fret and refuse to go into the coop until I came out and carried him in. Orangey got ill very suddenly and despite our best efforts, passed away January 2006.
ROCKSY
Rocksy was a white Silkie bantam roo that traveled all the way from Michigan in September 2004 to come and live with us here in sunny southern California, along with another Silkie roo named Orangey (my daughter named him) and two tiny Silkie hens, Blue, a blue hen and Coal, a black hen. Rocksy unfortunately suffered some kind of head trauma in shipping, which resulted in a case of Crookneck. We had to treat him with a mixture of Vitamin E and Selenium, which did the trick and cured him. Rocksy, typical of Silkies was a fun, sweet and entertaining little man and very proud of his hens. He never fought with Orangey and was a little gentleman with beautiful feathering. We lost Rocksy in February 2005 when he very suddenly went 'light' (lost weight) and died within three days.
MRS. BLACK
A beautiful black and gold adult Americaunas hen when we got her in August of 2002, Mrs. Black was a rescue from one of those Chicken Hell-type feed stores. She had health problems from the start, along with having almost no feathers on her skinny little body. One eye was swollen shut and weeping fluid and she wheezed something awful. Seeing her in that horrible place I hadn't expected her to last long, but couldn't stand to walk away and leave her there. We bought her and brought her home after a trip to the vet for medication. She spent two months inside the house getting well, fattening up and growing feathers, including an impressive cape and huge facial tufts. Her eye, which I had doubted was even still there, healed up and turned out fine. As a matter of fact she looked crosseyed, but seemed to see just fine. She got her name from my then 2 year old daughter, who walked by her one day and said, "Oh...hello Mrs. Black!" Mrs. Black had a habit of standing one her own toes and had a sweet, quiet dignity. She could stand next to you for several minutes before you realized she was there.
Mrs. Black died March 2004, peacefully.
YANG
Yang we got along with Yin at the feed store as a week old chick in 1998. Yang was a beautiful little white cochin hen, very sweet and friendly with amazingly soft feathers. She took a special liking to me and would come running whenever she saw me. Yang was killed suddenly by our bronze turkey hen in 1999 when she was one year old.
copyright 2003-2013 by Velvet Sparrow