Kristin's Chickens: The Bantam Flock

Rosie is the last of my golden Sebrights left. I bought three of them from a swap meet way back in 2010, and they soon had captivated me and stolen my heart. These teeny tiny birdies, with their big eyes and fan tails, just beg to be doted on. Rosie, however, has always been more of a sassy, feisty bird. Even before we lost her sisters, Amy and Martha, she was more of a loner type, and she still outranks some birds that are easily 4 times her size!

And she has a cute face to boot!



Rosie is an occasional brooder, and when she broods, stand back! Even when she's not broody, she takes nesting very seriously.



One interesting thing about Rosie is that after she lays her egg, she doesn't sing the egg song. Oh, no, that would be too average! Instead, she crows!










The silver Sebrights, Vespa, Scooter, and Frannie, had a more unfortunate past. They were the last birds I purchased from the same swap meet I bought Rosie from, though from a different seller. When they arrived home, it was very clear to me that they had been kept in negligent conditions. Their feathers were tattered and their tails had been cut off completely. They were absolutely terrified of human contact, and worst of all, they had been very badly debeaked. It became obvious to me as I let them in with the flock that they had never touched the ground before. They really didn't know what to do with themselves once I let them free in the chicken yard!

Today, I am happy to say that, though they will never recover from their debeaking, these girls seem to have recovered from the other traumas they faced. They now allow me to reach out and gently pet them. They don't freak out and run when people walk past them. They free-range like pros, even though they have a very hard time picking up anything. They are happy, healthy, and probably most importantly, they are loved.



Scooter is a bit more laid back and calm than her sisters. She has the lightest coloration overall. Here she is, preening with Frannie. Scooter's on the left in these pictures:





Frannie, poor sweet Frannie, got the worst of the botched debeaking their previous owner performed on them. Frannie is a beautiful hen and I cherish her no matter how badly her previous owner mutilated her. She is a quiet, sweet little bird and still the most cautious about allowing people to pet her, and with good reason when you consider her past.





Sadly, we lost Vespa to a hawk on February 28, 2015, the first time I had ever lost a bird to a hawk. She lived her last years in comfort, and I hope that she was happy while she was here with me...









Margaret, named after Margaret Dumont, joined the flock in the summer of 2013. Someone on my state's thread offered her free to a good home as a pet quality Silkie. I had always kind of wanted a Silkie and thought that she was a pretty little pullet, and since it was close to my birthday, I decided to get myself a present. So Margie came home with me!



When Margaret was in quarantine, she got into a fight with the Easter-egger cockerel I had put into quarantine with her. I was sure that this meant my Margaret was a boy, so sure that her full name is Margaret Until Proven Otherwise! As time passed, Margaret was never proven otherwise, and soon she laid her first egg, confirming that she was, indeed, a girl! Not only that, but a lady who doesn't like younger men getting fresh with her, as it would seem!




Margie is super fluffy and soft. And, of course, she has a cute butt!



As a Silkie, though, she is sooooo, so broody, like no bird I've owned before! She has been so broody since her first time at about 7 months old that she has only laid 3 or 4 eggs a month! Luckily, I didn't get her for the eggs, but unfortunately for her, this means that she is often in the broody buster so she isn't taking up a nest box. Unhappy broody Margie face:






Reuben is another rehomed pet-quality Silkie. He came from another person on my state thread who decided not to keep him because she breeds high quality Silkies and he was clean faced. Sold!



Reub spent a lot of time outside of the flock looking in because he has been head-over-heels in love with Margaret from the get go and kept harassing her all the time. Now that he has settled down a bit, he follows her around like a lovesick puppy, and you can just see her roll her eyes as he dances around her, trying to impress her.

Jail bird!



Reuben has seriously stepped up in recent months. We lost a hen to a hawk in January 2016, and for the days following that event, he would stand outside, alone and in the cold, to keep an eye on the skies. He really is a manly ball of fluff.








In February 2016, Margaret went broody for about the millionth time, except this time I decided to give her a shot at it. Reuben had been really stepping up and I was mostly afraid that he would end up making the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the girls, so I wanted some sons from him before that could happen. Three weeks later, my first REAL 'grandchickens' were born! Four babies hatched between March 9 and 10, all four the offspring of Margaret and Reuben.



At the time of writing this, these babies are almost 8 weeks old, and it looks like there are 2 boys and 2 girls!

Marka, the first born, has always been the calmest and the quietest. She is named after her mother (Mar(g)aret).



Marky looks more and more like her mama every day.





Benjamin, the second born--He's been a stinker right from the start! He is named after his father (Reuben).



Yep, I'm pretty sure Bennie knows he's a stinker!




Indigo, the third born and the oddball of the lot. She is a bit more energetic, but also a bit more shy of me, than Marka.



Indi loved to perch on her mama's back when she was smaller. Margie doesn't like her doing so anymore, though... I wonder why?




Winter, the last born and the runt. He is very feisty and full of himself!



He may be cute and fluffy, but Winty is a man! And don't you forget it!!









name: Rose
sex: female
hatch date: Toward the end of 2009
breed: Golden Sebright
egg color: tinted white



names: Scooter and Frannie
sex: female
hatch date: Winter 2010/2011
breed: Silver Sebright
egg color: Scooter lays light brown eggs, and Frannie lays a tinted white egg, usually with light brown speckles.



name: Margaret Until Proven Otherwise, AKA Margaret, Margie, or Marge
sex: female
hatch date: April 2013
breed: Porcelain project Silkie
egg color: light brown



name: Reuben, AKA Reub (Pronounced ROOB)
sex: male
hatch date: October 2014
breed: Paint Silkie



names: Marka, Benjamin, Indigo, and Winter
sex: Marka and Indi are girls, Benjamin and Winter are boys
hatch date: March 9 and 10, 2016
breed: mixed-color Silkie
egg color: too young!