Love them chickens!
I've always been the odd man (woman) out.....never did go with the flow. So growing up in a big city, it was natural that I'd dream of living in the country instead of hanging out at the mall. Can't say I always wanted chickens, but you know how one thing leads to another. Moved to the 'real' country late 08, and brought my first (?) batch of hens home in April of 2010. I wanted eggs. Didn't know I'd fall in love with the girls who laid them!
On the way home, this one hen kept up a constant chatter, kinda friendly but bossy like. She was gorgeous and I called her Glory Be for the first day. Just something about her personality (gosh, who knew hens had personalities!?!) put me in mind of Scarlett O'Hara so that's how she was named. One was a big red hen, brawny and brassy; and Belle Watling just seemed to fit her. Well after that, the names for the others just fell into place - the other silkie mix, pale buff and quiet was obviously Mellie Hamilton, and the Dominecker reminded me of the doctors wife, so she became Mrs Meade. My crew started out as Gone With the Wind ladies.
Here's Miz Sca'lett in all her glory!
There's Mrs. Meade, Mellie and Belle checking out the place their first morning here.
The first (and only) time I wasn't here to lock them in the pen before dark, something attacked Scarlett ~ removed all the feathers from her belly, rump, and most of the tail feathers. She had some large wounds on her back. Lived on my screened back porch or the bathtub for 2 weeks. Kept asking to come in so one day I opened the door and she toured the house! Notice the back half is missing?
Well, Mellie insisted on being broody so I 'borrowed' an egg from a neighbor with a roo. She hatched out Peek-a-boo, who is mostly RIR and was bigger than her momma at 8 weeks. Then Mellie climbed back on a nest and I said enough! Took her back to the lady I got her from, along with Belle who was quite the bully. Betsy Ross and Gypsy Rose Lee took their place and have been a real delight! Betsy immediately took a liking to me (and who doesn't enjoy somebody who comes running every time they see you?).
Gypsy got her name not because she's a dancer, but because that first week she managed to get out of her side of the pen and into the side with the other 3 girls regularly. Silly me, since they had come from the same farm I had thought that there would be this happy hen meet-n-greet thingie....."oh yeah, I remember you, how ya like it here?" Nope - they fought. Never did find out how that little girl got thru the chicken wire. Thankfully they're all good friends now. The eggs range in size from Gypsy's tiny one to Mrs M's x-large!
I like watching my girls antics ~ they're more fun than most sitcoms, and way more family friendly. And I've really enjoyed 'meeting' the other fowl folks on here.....y'all seem to understand why I plan my life around the care and feeding of my animals (5 cats, 3 horses, 2 dogs and 5 hens) instead of sitting at the Starbucks discussing the latest fashions & latte's.
I've always been the odd man (woman) out.....never did go with the flow. So growing up in a big city, it was natural that I'd dream of living in the country instead of hanging out at the mall. Can't say I always wanted chickens, but you know how one thing leads to another. Moved to the 'real' country late 08, and brought my first (?) batch of hens home in April of 2010. I wanted eggs. Didn't know I'd fall in love with the girls who laid them!
On the way home, this one hen kept up a constant chatter, kinda friendly but bossy like. She was gorgeous and I called her Glory Be for the first day. Just something about her personality (gosh, who knew hens had personalities!?!) put me in mind of Scarlett O'Hara so that's how she was named. One was a big red hen, brawny and brassy; and Belle Watling just seemed to fit her. Well after that, the names for the others just fell into place - the other silkie mix, pale buff and quiet was obviously Mellie Hamilton, and the Dominecker reminded me of the doctors wife, so she became Mrs Meade. My crew started out as Gone With the Wind ladies.
Here's Miz Sca'lett in all her glory!
There's Mrs. Meade, Mellie and Belle checking out the place their first morning here.
The first (and only) time I wasn't here to lock them in the pen before dark, something attacked Scarlett ~ removed all the feathers from her belly, rump, and most of the tail feathers. She had some large wounds on her back. Lived on my screened back porch or the bathtub for 2 weeks. Kept asking to come in so one day I opened the door and she toured the house! Notice the back half is missing?
Well, Mellie insisted on being broody so I 'borrowed' an egg from a neighbor with a roo. She hatched out Peek-a-boo, who is mostly RIR and was bigger than her momma at 8 weeks. Then Mellie climbed back on a nest and I said enough! Took her back to the lady I got her from, along with Belle who was quite the bully. Betsy Ross and Gypsy Rose Lee took their place and have been a real delight! Betsy immediately took a liking to me (and who doesn't enjoy somebody who comes running every time they see you?).
Gypsy got her name not because she's a dancer, but because that first week she managed to get out of her side of the pen and into the side with the other 3 girls regularly. Silly me, since they had come from the same farm I had thought that there would be this happy hen meet-n-greet thingie....."oh yeah, I remember you, how ya like it here?" Nope - they fought. Never did find out how that little girl got thru the chicken wire. Thankfully they're all good friends now. The eggs range in size from Gypsy's tiny one to Mrs M's x-large!
I like watching my girls antics ~ they're more fun than most sitcoms, and way more family friendly. And I've really enjoyed 'meeting' the other fowl folks on here.....y'all seem to understand why I plan my life around the care and feeding of my animals (5 cats, 3 horses, 2 dogs and 5 hens) instead of sitting at the Starbucks discussing the latest fashions & latte's.