Cute Chicks!

The feathered kind of course!!  What did you think I was going to talk about?

While waiting patiently for Lucky Nickel's barn to be fixed up, I determined that there would be plenty of room in that barn for a few chickens.  As most of you will know, unless you are new to the blog, I used to have a lot of chickens when I lived in Iowa, but I had to find new homes for them when I left.  Many of them went to live with Isobelle Golightly the Beautiful Goat and her friends in New York, after being driven there in the back of my Jetta on the way to Canada.  Well traveled chickens!  Some stayed in Iowa with other friends who graciously offered them homes, for which I was very thankful.  Unfortunately, none of them came over the border because poultry crossing is quite complicated.

I determined it was time for some new feathered friends, since the barn repairs were underway and they would soon have a place to live and nest.  Thus, I bought 7 chicks from a local breeder who offered a number of different breeds.  The chicks were various ages, so I think some are definitely hens, but there may be a rooster or two also.  It's hard to tell at this point!

In any event, meet the new starter flock!

The oldest bird by far is the light Brahma in the centre left.  She has been named "Queen Anne" in view of her lovely white plumage, which reminded me of the plant "Queen Anne's Lace."  She also seems to be a bit of a caretaker of the others, which reminded me of a dear friend in Iowa who took on some of my flock, and her name is Anne also, so the name is doubly apt.

Here again is Queen Anne in the centre, surrounded by two silver-laced Wyandottes.  I believe they are both hens but am not entirely sure!  Richard named the one on the left side of the picture "Kiwi," which seemed like a good name that could be retained in the case of a rooster also.  The one in the rear is darker overall and yet very similar.  In a nod to my botanical side, and my somewhat nerdy side, I named her "Actinidia."  She started out as Ozzy (Kiwi being a nod to New Zealand, and Ozzy being a nod to Australia) but I decided people might have the ghastly idea that the chicken was named after Ozzy Osbourne, which couldn't be further from the truth.  Thus, Actinidia, which is the Latin genus name for the kiwi plant.  So both chicks are named kiwi - one in common name terms, and one in Latin terms.

Moving on, to the right side of the above picture you see two brown hens - and I am quite sure those two are indeed hens, not roosters.  They are both the Rhode Island Red breed of chicken.  The further one who is trying to hide under Queen Anne is slightly lighter and is named Buttercup, while the one close to the feeder in the front of the picture is named Butternut.  Again, a botanical theme, one named after the pretty flower and the other named after the yummy winter squash.

Above are Butternut (L) and Buttercup (R) again, sharing their space with two very indignant looking gold-laced Polish chicks.  I have no clue what their gender is, and so far, those two are yet to be named.  They are the youngest of the bunch and have not immediately told me their chosen names, so I am giving them time to develop.

As you can see, they certainly have personality to spare!

So there you have it - the new flock, 5 named, 3 certain hens, 2 suspected hens, and 2 unknowns!  What fun and frolic.  They are in the range of 3 to 5 weeks old, so they have a lot of growing to do before any eggs can be expected, but at least I'm on the way!  Hopefully it won't be long before Lucky Nickel will be joining them and everybody will have their space in the barn.  Stay tuned for continued progress on their growth and for the names of the last two chicks!  Feel free to make suggestions if an interesting (and preferably botanically themed) name strikes you!