Chickies, Chickies, Chickies!! Meet the new additions! (Pic heavy!)

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Good morning! We have experienced two milestones this morning--the babies are 6 months old and they're seeing snow for the first time! So first, the babies at 6 months old:

Huka, who was clearly not amused by the snow and cold:

Ihi, again, not amused:

Marama looking fluffy:

Rangi, caught between bites of snow covered leaves:

Roha, who I had to boot out from a hiding place:

And Whiri, who spent some time in the snow and then decided she liked the coop better:

ETA: Oh, and I almost forgot Margie, who is actually closer to 7 months old now:

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Whiri experiencing snow for the first time:

Ihi didn't seem to mind as much as others:

She still thought it was cold, though:

This is what happens when I try to take a picture of Rangi while crouching:

...She ends up on my shoulder.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Margie thinks the snow looks edible:

This picture of Ihi was too pretty not to share.

Roha says I can take a picture of her next spring:

Whiri runs to find shelter:

Meanwhile, Marge runs for a different reason. "You called my name?"

"...I'm coming!"

 

[fishnet1971]

It's so nice to see them grown up ! Been awhile since I checked in here, wow how they have all grown. Look at Po!!!'nn luv him

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Yeah, my babies are growing up... Today, Marge decided to go broody. She's 7 months old and she's already broody!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Speaking of my babies growing up, look who I found in the nest this afternoon!!

Rangi's making her first nest!

"Hey, good lookin'."

Settling in.

Sigh... They grow up too fast...

 

[redrooster99]

got any fertilized eggs for margie to hatch

 

[fishnet1971]

well, we both made it through the chick stage, the cute fluffy stage, terrible tweens, first eggs, first crows, and so on. I guess it is time to let them go as 'hens' almost now.
BUT ON TO NEXT YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so, what are your plans pipd? huh huh???? I am trying to decide if I am getting more chicks this Feb. again. you?

 

[fishnet1971]

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Nope, Margie's not going to be a mom, at least not this year! I don't want chicks right now, especially as close to finals week as I am! The good news is I blocked the box off that Marge was brooding in and she gave up. Apparently she wanted that box, only that box, and the invisible eggs contained within it.


Rangi laid her first egg on the 16th, a beautiful, perfect little white egg. Unfortunately, it got used before I could get a picture of it. I've decided that over the winter, I might try my hand at making egg ornaments with blown out eggs, signed, of course, with the hen who laid it's name. I'm hoping for one each out of my girls, just as a little memoir in case something happens, although I think one of my oldest girls is no longer laying (she will be 9 years old in April--understandable, if you ask me) and most of my hens are not laying because they are in molt. Worth a shot, though, right?




Fishnet, I am not empty-nesting just yet--I still have one pullet not laying at the moment as far as I know. (Yes, clinging to their babyhood. ) I had a couple hens pass away over the past few months and one that looks now like she might be an internal layer, so I will definitely be getting chicks in the spring. It will have to be later in May, though, as May 12 is the soonest I could go get them and that will be these babies' first birthday--I can't miss that! So I'm aiming for May 19 or 26.

Anyway, I had already planned out my order for next year, and then I got my Meyer catalog. They have Cream Legbars! Cream! Legbars! This is a breed I have been wanting for years!! So depending on what they decide to charge for them (no price in the catalog and no page for them as of yet on Meyers website), I will probably be getting one of them (I will not, however, pay $35 per sexed pullet like they have their lavender Orps priced at!). I also really, REALLY want a silver gray Dorking, which I had ordered for this year but they had a bad hatch, I guess. So that's two of the breeds I want on my list as soon as they open up next year's orders. The others, I am aiming for dark brown egg layers, so I'm thinking black copper Marans and a Welsummer. Again, it all depends on the price.

No matter what I choose, though, I already have a list of potential names. I haven't decided who will get what name, but I have mostly old-timey names like Mabel and Audrey and Gloria. I think my SGD will be named Chickory or Chicklet (misspelled on purpose in memory of one of the hens I lost a few weeks ago, Chickie). That's all I got, though. Yes, I am insane.

Your girls are beautiful, by the way! Looks like Victoria's a bit of an explorer (at least, I'm guessing that's who that is ! Rangi's the same way. She's ready to follow me in the house any chance she can get. Unfortunately for her, we have dogs that I don't trust with the hens, so she can't come in unless I'm carrying her! She follows me around, though, when I'm outside, she and Roha. They both will come when I call them. Margie pretty much lets me walk up to her and pick her up whenever. She is so fluffy! She doesn't seem to mind being held, but she hates being put down! I have to put her down just so or she will flap and kick and carry on! Huka seems interested in me as well, though she will not let me touch her. Better than Whiri, though, who won't let me get within 5 feet of her. Marama and Ihi are both squatting now, so they get attention whenever they squat whether they like it or not.