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| A rare shot of all 7 together and following me to the chook pen hoping that I had some food! |
We currently have 7 chickens. 2 we inherited. 2 we adopted and 3 we bought.
Crele Leghorn Rooster
also knows as Silves, Silvsie
Adopted from a farm in Wardell with his hen Obama on New Years Eve 2012.
Light Sussex hen - Head chook
also goes by the name of Fatty, Mrs Wishy Washy and Wash Wash
Inherited when we bought the property in December 2012
Isa Brown hen
also called Bree Bree, Breedles and Miss Bree-Love
Inherited when we bought the property in December 2012
Australorp x Lohman Brown hen
also known as Scruff, Scruffy, Obi, and Obi- Wan
She came with Silver from a farm in Wardell on New Years Eve 2012
Barnevelder hen
Fourth in the hen pecking order, still but hangs around with the youngest 2 pullets Roosevelt and Freckles.
We bought her with another pullet that turned out to be a rooster so we had to return him.
Ancona hen (although we throught she wasa rooster for about 3 months - she started laying pure white eggs in mid May 2013)
Bought from Farmer MacGrath Feb 2013
Light Sussex X Lohman Brown hen
also known as Roosey, Little Roosey
Not yet laying but definitely a character.
Bought from Farmer MacGrath Feb 2013
The Hen House
The chicken coop was already built on the property and seems to a very sturdy brick inner (perhaps a converted kid's cubby house) with an L shaped outdoor run, two nesting boxes and room to eat and drink. See how I improved it here.
The Chicken Run
After a dog attack on our chickens we had a large 10m x 20m run constructed around the Hen House. You can see it here.
Free Ranging
They have free range access to our 5 acres from 7 am - sunset most days if I am home. Since the dog attack in March I go out to check on them every hour. During the day they often come to my sewing room window and keep me company. They seem to respond to their names when we call them.
They are such a delight and have really added a wonderful dimension to our family. My kids love nothing better than to race in the front door and straight out the back door to play with them after school each day. Needless to say, plans for a miniature schnauzer puppy or two are now on hold.
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| For some reason Breanna always looks tired but she is very patient and the most compliant of our seven chooks |
Lots of issues have affected our flock such as sudden death, a dog attack, moulting, accidents and Bumble Foot. It has been a very steep learning curve. Just call me the Google chicken farmer.
What beautiful chickens and children! I think I have a crush on Freckles Kennedy. I love her spots and yellow legs. -- Jen
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty out-of-proper-context comment, but thanks for finding the breed of Obama! I found a picture of her via Google Images; we have a hen that looks just like her called Barbara, who was dumped one day in our garden where we keep all sorts of hens to potter to their hearts' content. She's been around for a few years now but almost always walks up to me when I enter the paddock, and stands by me, making her monotone "bawwwk" noise. My family all love her, but had no idea of the friendly breed she comes from and I now know—an Australorp! Cheers for inadvertently showing us the way. We may be looking at taking on some more Australorps!
ReplyDelete