Do you play favorites? Admit it....it's OK....I won't tell the others....

[iheartnh]

We only have a small flock (8 ladies, about 3.5 months), 6 Buffs and 2 EEs. My EEs are uppity little things, but the Buffs are very sweet and friendly. I haven't named the buffs because it's hard to tell them apart right now - except for Runt (the EEs I refer to as Spit and Vinegar). Runt is my petite little girl - the sweetest little thing, and definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. I usually try to sneak off a bit of whatever the day's snack special happens to be, because by the time she can get to the bowl/feeder, there's nothing left - or if she does muscle her way in there, one of the others will pull stuff right out of her beak - especially grapes.

Anyway - I was just curious if you have a favorite guy or gal, and their name, and if you do them special favors? Today I found myself following Runt around the yard, throwing decoy grapes to the others, to keep them from snatching hers away.

 

[Kernel Cluck]

I have a favorite. I have to type quickly so the other girls don"t see this. Her name is Rosemary... she is a chatter box. She clucks away all day long. We have in-depth conversations whenever she and I are together. The others look at us like they have no idea what we are doing.

 

[PhipN FarmGirl]

Kitty is definitely my favourite of my two hens. If/when we add more chickens to the flock, Miss Kitty would most likely be numero uno. She has quite a dose of chickttitude, and she lets you know who is in charge. However, she is always happy to let you pick her up and cuddle her. As a chick she would fall asleep in my hand, and even now, every so often she'll sleep on my lap. She is always talkative when you're holding her, and sometimes she'll crawl up on my shoulder and hitch a ride. Once she even rode on my shoulder all the way up my street to our neighbor's house for a visit. Yes, I admit it, I love my kitty, and she just might receive some special attention.



After a bath...













Of course I had to add one fluff butt picture for good measure!!!!

 

[PrairieChickens]

I definitely have a favourite - Charity, my Red Star hen. I hand-raised her from when she was a day old. Within a week she responded to her name and jumped into my lap on command. She was so cute! She still loves getting held or sitting in your lap. She's at the bottom of the pecking order now and sometimes gets bullied. Looking back, I guess if I hadn't doted on her so much she wouldn't be so dependent on me to make sure she gets her fair share of food and water. But I couldn't help it!

I wouldn't feel too bad about spoiling her. In my experience, pampering a chicken hasn't had any effect on their position in the pecking order--in fact, most of the chickens I spoiled most as chicks are on the top rung now as adults, so if your sweet girl struggles to achieve status in the flock, that's probably just the way she is and would have been even without your loving. She's probably very fortunate she has you to turn to, actually. Otherwise, she'd be at the bottom of the pecking order and have no support to help her compensate.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I rescued a little banty chick named Star from a close call with hypothermia and later paralysis. He barely survived, and required constant care for over a week while he recuperated. He remains one of my friendliest and most docile chickens... with me, anyway. Despite being half the size of his competition, he is determined to be the head honcho in his generation's batch of roosters. He will challenge the other roos and WIN, and his submissiveness towards the older chickens is fading faster than he's growing. Coddling him certainly did nothing to diminish his personality, and the same holds true for my other "favorites". They are what they are, and I'm sure the same is true for your dear Charity.

 

[countrychicken00]

When I had chickens(which I dont anymore

)
My fave girl was a silkie named Belle.(Now passed) She was blind in one eye, and she enjoyed being held. Belle always weighed less than the other chickens so what I did was made two plates filled with applesauce and oatmeal, put one plate outside, took Belle inside the coop and closed it, then fed the the other plate full to her. And she was clucking happily while she was eating her treats. She was happy she had it all to herself!

(p.s. the image on the left thats my avatar picture, thats Belle.)

 

[Sweet T]

I just got a couple of new hens that are pretty skinny, so I started slipping them extra treats when my fat girls weren't watching. Well now, they come running everytime they see me, which makes me love em oh soo much! haha
Now when my fat girls take a peck at them, I cringe! I'm definately favoring the new girls right now!

 

[iheartnh]

Thank you! Do you have any pictures of Runt? She does sound adorable!

I don't have one that shows her off, but I'll sure try to take one!

 

[gryeyes]

No, of course not. I would never play favorites. All chickens are equal. Molly BA is no more special than Lola LF Black Cochin. Simone Favorelle is on equal status with Rhoda RIR. They may have a pecking order, but I don't recognize it. All are equal. Nobody is more special than anybody else.

They might as well be identical. All fifty some hens, twenty some tweenaged chicks, the turkeys, geese and ducks. No special treatment. Nope, not any.

....oh, man, I can't keep THAT up!...

Sparkle the House Silkie and Alice the Silver Sebright are my special girls, with Simone and Molly right behind them in my affections.

 

[Dukeofhawg]

Here's a picture of Broody Judy... She's a grouchy Buff Orpington who's only goal in life seems to be mothering... She's cranky until she has a pile of eggs to sit on. She loves me. I can pick her up and hold her for hours. None of the other chickens like her and she doesn't like them... She's one cantankerous pain in the rhump, but I love that bird.

 

[MoodyBroody622]

This is Paris^^^^^ She is a Silver Duckwing Old English Game hen and she is by far my favorite! She is so sweet and never causes fights or problems between the other hens.She respects all the chickens and people she encounters.She LOVES kids and took a particular liking to me as I was picking out chicks the year I bought her.

She was the runt and was very weak. I thought she might die so I wanted to give her a good life even if she did, and I hoped and prayed that she would survive

. She's alive and well she LOVES mealworms and follows me everywhere. I can hold her for hours and she enjoys being held. She is three years old this year and is tied in third place for the oldest hen I own

These girls are (left to right) Midnight and Sophie (aka Sophia Mia.. the name I call her when I am babying her) Midnight is 5 years old and she is a Black Cochin Bantam hen. I used to take her alot of places like to petting zoos but shes getting crabbier in her old age.
Midnight is 7 years old and she is also a Black Cochin Bantam hen. Sophie is the sweetest chicken I have ever had.

She loves other animals. She randomly takes rides on our donkeys and enjoys there company. One animal that i have found that she dislikes are bunnies