Exploring the view during her first day:

After a day or two, they were VERY active, very busy exploring every single aspect of their brooder box with their inquisitive beaks. They didn't like getting picked up at all, as a matter of fact, they screamed bloody murder every time.

A photo shoot outdoors (for a penpal in New Zealand), with NZ Hawera Narcissus blooming:

At one week old (with genuine beginner wing feathers!):

We were surprised how fast they grew and how active they were. After about three weeks in their first brooder, we had to find a bigger box for them to run around in. Then they discovered flying, and they kept flying up to perch on the edges of the bigger box, where they tottered precariously.

Here they are playing with my rubber art stamps.

Here they are exploring the snow peas in a temporary garden pen during that famous dinosaur chick phase:

At five weeks, they were feathered out enough to spend their days and nights in the just-finished coop. They spent a few weeks cooped up there until the wire enclosure was built, but that taught them where "home" was, and they go into the coop by themselves when dusk falls now.

As adult birds, they still don't like being picked up. But if I sit down in the run with them, they will jump up on my knees and allow gentle pets on the back.

They all get along very well with each other. They don't squabble or peck at each other. Their coop is just big enough for five large birds. We definitely can't get more unless we build another coop and wire enclosure.

As you can see, they have very fluffy chicken butts, and they love their morning snacks!! They get fluffier looking as they get older, past the slender pullet stage. If chickens could be matched to celebraties, Buff Orpington hens would all be Scarlett Johansson.

EGGS:

The first girl started laying at 24 weeks old. It was a small egg, but perfect. It came exactly one week after one of the pullets did the "egg squat" in front of me when I went to give them treats, so I assume it was that girl who was maturing earliest and starting to lay. The following photo is of the VERY FIRST EGG, laid in the wrong place - right in the doorway of the coop!

I put some golf balls in the nestbox to give the girls the idea about the CORRECT place to lay their eggs, and they figured it out, those brilliant girls! We got about 2 or 3 eggs a day.   Now, at two years old, between the four hens, we get about one egg a day. 

Busy laying ("Can I get some privacy here please??)

The photo below is of sweet "Pumpkin" appearing as her alternate ego "Miss Grumpy Pants". She went broody four times in two years! Overachieving in the broody department, if you ask me! Note the feathers fluffed up high - trying to convince us that she is a giant fierce chicken (albeit a little camera shy).

 Here she is taking a quick dustbath after I tossed her out of the nestbox:

Which one of you did THIS?"

A few months after they started laying, our fridge was full of fresh eggs, and my DH wrote this:

One day, they only laid one egg and I came home to this note:

A rare visit inside the house (on this occasion for a butt scrub because SOMEbody fell behind on her personal hygiene!) (Yes, you Miss Floppy.)

Here is a pullet NOT AMUSED by her new fancy red bandana !

Meeting a winter entertainment device called "hay" for the first time.

Take a bow, girls.