My First Year with Chickens - Part Two

   

Eggs laid out and labeled by son

"C" is for Comet, the hen my son selected as his, meaning he named it and adores every egg she lays. She is a Wellsummer and her eggs are large and have a rich yolk. As you can see from the picture above, her eggs can be solid or speckled.

Comet, the Wellsummer

Annie lays the largest egg of all and is the most constant layer. We can count on her to lay an egg a day! The other girls sometimes skip days, or like Blossom, go broody and stop laying. She also has an excellent temperament. She gets along well with all of the others, is independent and persistent when finding food in the yard, and is usually easy to pick up and hold. She is a California White.

Annie, the California White

Liberty, named by my daughter, is a Barred Rock. She is Blossom's best friend and makes us laugh with her antics. Her eggs are so similar in color to Blossom's that I am not 100% sure I can tell them apart. Liberty is the chicken who sits on the fence, hops for a tasty treat, and is usually the first to come when a rock is turned over.

Liberty, the Barred Rock

Liberty, the fence walker

Through this first year, I have learned what a joy chickens can be. They actually enjoy doing yard work with me. Whenever I dig, rake, pull weeds, or plow, they are there. Opportunists they may be, but their companionship is still valued, not to mention I always have eggs to bake with, boil, or scramble. Fencing is my friend as I protect some of my plantings from pecking. Chicken compost is SO good for the garden, too! 

My First Year with Chickens - Part One

                                    

It was 2016, July, after returning from a trip to Kentucky. Chickens were on my mind. The coop had been built, not just any kind of coop, but a custom built fortress designed by the man of the house, who has so many talents most of which will never be discovered.
Chickens were everywhere in Kentucky!

 Well, maybe not everywhere, but if there was one around, it was noticed. And I took a picture. All of these are roosters, by the way.
When you have a coop, you need to fill it with chickens, so we set out on July 10th to accomplish that goal. We drove all the way up to Gainesville to pick out some pullets. That's what young hens are called.
It was great fun. There were so many different types to choose from! Dog crates worked great for transporting. Covering them with an old sheet during the ride kept them fairly calm, too.

 They made themselves right at home in their new dwelling.

We waited and waited for them to lay their first egg, and it seemed like forever. But it was worth it! When that first egg was laid, there was celebrating to do. . . and some egg tasting. Phoenix was the first to lay. She won the coveted honor of being the first Rose hen to produce prepackaged, cook-able breakfast fare on October 2nd.

Phoenix, brown leghorn

 It was another month plus a day before the next hen stepped up to the nesting box. This time it was the hen named Blossom.