Chickens

Welsummers, our first breed of egg laying chickens. We specifically chose this breed because they are great foragers and we knew we wanted our birds to be able to roam the pastures and hunt for bugs from sunup to sundown. Not unlike all the other animals so far, they taught us a lesson: Even the best hatcheries don’t always get the gender of a bird correct. Kellogg’s (below) is one of two roosters we received in our order of all hens. So, if you are thinking about adding chickens to your space, particularly if you live in an area that doesn’t allow roosters, beware. Hatcheries have a percentage based leeway they give themselves for correctly identifying the gender of birds. This percentage does vary somewhat from hatchery to hatchery, so check that out before you order!

This beauty is one of our Barred Rocks. A friend of ours picked these up for $1 at a local farm supply shop. We adopted them and they hold a special place in our hearts, as they were the first to provide us with farm fresh eggs. They are gorgeous birds and relatively friendly, with the exception of another surprise rooster, Merlin, who made it his personal mission to attack anyone crossing his path. Another farm lesson: mean animals are not beneficial for the farm; you’ve got to be ready to make the tough call.

The sweet Olive Egger breed has become our favorite. They were really more of an impulsive purchase. We made it to a point where Superman could not send me to the store alone, or else I’d come back with more animals. But, they all ended up being great farm additions, so no regrets here. :) Anyway, these girls lay the most beautiful green eggs that really do add depth and warmth to the egg basket. They’re almost too pretty to eat, really. In addition, they have the BEST temperament of any other breed we currently own. They are decent foragers and are incredibly smart. Pippi and Tiny Tot love carrying them around, and the Olive Eggers don’t seem to mind at all.

The last animals we added to the farm for our first summer are the Easter Eggers. Speedy wanted his own chickens for his birthday and was in love with the idea of getting multiple egg colors from one breed. The helmet was also a birthday gift from some family friends. Just when you think you’ve seen everything, right?! But seriously, how cute is that chicken? Each of them is unique in coloring and pattern and they are very friendly, but they are smaller than the other chickens so they have been the easiest prey for feral cats and hawks.

Phew, that was a lot of birds! But we aren’t done adding to the farm population just yet! Stay tuned for our next addition!