Flock from 2020 to 2022
The Originals:
The Originals are what I refer to as the six new layers I got after I rehomed all the poultry I had before. This flock was restart to my chicken keeping. When I got all of these six hens they were around 4 months old. I got them in September 2020 and retired (rehomed) them in June 2022.
(Some things in this section are copied from my Flock Thread, Life With The Flock: Lacy Duckwing's Flock Thread.)
Aundria; Queen of the Flock:
Aundria is a Blue Rock hen. She was one of the first hens I picked and she quickly became queen of the Originals. When I got her, she had some of the prettiest blue feathers, but her face was too long. Thankfully, she grew a huge comb, thus disguising that long face, and became my 'Show Bird'. (A Showbird is a bird that is very photogenetic, very pretty, and one that I like to show off to everyone.) Aundria ended up being one of the best queens I've ever had. She cared about her flock very much and would try to help them whenever they needed it. (That is including trying to help get a bra off of my crop-problem hen.)
Aundria shortly after I got her. She didn't have a pretty face at first but was already showing her 'Show Bird' qualities.
Aundria; Queen of my flock, and my 'Showbird'.
BYC link to Aundria's egg-bound problem:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-egg-bound-hen.1445334/
Princess; Everyone's Favorite:
Princess is a Buff Brahma hen. Even though she was the best-looking Buff Brahma that I could choose from, she wasn't as perfect as Feathers, the Buff Brahma I got by mistake once. Princess quickly rose to second in the pecking order with Queen Aundria's help. She was Aundria's best friend, and Aundria did her best to protect her from the other hens. As a Buff, feather-footed hen, Princess was often the hen everyone (who saw my flock) said they liked the best. Despite the fact Princess was very good-looking, she didn't like having pictures taken of her, so she tried her best to look her worst in them.
Young Princess shortly after I got her. She is wearing a saddle because she lost a lot of feathers shortly after I had gotten her.
Though Princess hated having her picture taken, I did manage to get some good pictures of her. And with some of these pictures, she did place in a couple of photo contests.
Penny II; The Bully:
Penny II is a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen. She was named after Penny I, who was also a Silver-Laced Wyandotte and was a hen from my first year of chicken keeping. Penny II was instantly the queen of my flock the day I got her. Due to Aundria quickly growing taller than everyone, she took the spot of queenship from Penny. Taking it a step further and using her new position to her advantage, Aundria went on to move Penny to third in the pecking order by helping her best friend, Princess, take second place. As a result of Aundria's actions, Penny became a bitter hen and bullied everyone below her, including Princess if she could get a chance without Aundria around. (There were also suspicions that Penny had left a friend behind at the place I got her, thus causing her to be a sad hen at first.)
Penny II shortly after I got her. She was immediately Queen of the flock, even though she didn't appear happy.
Penny II was known as the Bully. She did have to go to jail for her bad behavior where she improved.
BYC link to Penny's jail sentence:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pennys-in-jail.1464642/
Maisy; An Interesting Bird:
Maisy is a Cuckoo Maran, and I've often wondered if she's a mix, due to the wrong-colored legs. Maisy, an ugly-looking hen, I got six days after I got the other five Originals. She was a small, intelligent hen who used her brain to get higher in the pecking order than she should have been. The summer after I got her, Maisy went broody and was the broodiest hen I had ever owned. She successfully hatched three chicks from eggs that came from another farm. (Her offspring were Shiloh II, Nightfall, and Timin II.)
Maisy, shortly after I got her. An ugly-looking chicken, Maisy enjoyed photo-bombing pictures of Aundria, thus ruining some of Aundria's pictures.
In July 2021, Maisy hatched three chicks. She was my broodiest hen ever, though she left her chicks earlier than my usual broodies.
Rocky II; Special, No Doubt:
Rocky II is a Golden Comet hen. She was named after another Golden Comet hen I had for a short time. Rocky II was instantly my favorite after I got her. She had a cool personality and was playful. She loved having friends and was best friends with Jewels, my crop-problem hen. She later became friends with Maisy, after she rescued Maisy from a deep snowbank. Though she loved having friends, she became a bully to Beth II, a rescued Isa Brown, due to being very jealous of the rescue. Rocky became known as 'The Bald Butt Society' bird due to the fact of her rear end getting terribly plucked by the feather pluckers of the flock.
Rocky II shortly after I got her. She learned to come to her own name and she taught the flock to come to the treat call.
With a hard choice between Rocky II and a BSL, the BSL sealed the deal by sneezing. After coming home with me, Rocky quickly became my favorite for her friendliness and cool personality.
Jewels; My Problem Chicken:
Jewels is a Speckled Sussex hen. Within the first few months after getting Jewels, I discovered she had a crop problem (which is apparently common for Speckled Sussexes). After months of a crop bra with a Sour Crop, later an impacted crop, Jewels finally got the right treatment for her crop. Unfortunately, she did redevelop the crop problem months after treatment and had to get treated again. For a long time, Jewels was at the bottom of the pecking order. She was best friends with Rocky II and became friends with Beth II while Rocky was separated for a molt. She loved to wander and was very independent in that.
Jewels shortly after I got her. It was discovered that she had an ongoing crop problem which caused her to drink lots of water.
Though a problem chicken, Jewels was a beautiful hen with an impressive tail.
BYC links to Jewels crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sour-crop.1442922/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-long-can-i-safely-fast-my-hen.1485896/
Maisy's Hatch:
In July 2021, Maisy hatched three chicks from a local farm's flock.
Shiloh II; Much Different From the First:
Shiloh II was the first to hatch. Her mother was a Rhode Island Blue and her father was an Easter Egger. She was named after Shiloh I, a Douglas White who had been a queen of a previous flock. Like Shiloh I, Shiloh II became queen after the retirement of the Originals. She was very good friends with Aundria, the queen before her, and was heartbroken after Aundria was rehomed. She later forced herself to become friends with Beth II, because she had nobody else. As queen of the flock, Shiloh is sometimes mean to those below her and is terrible when disturbed at night.
Shiloh II as a chick. Just like Shiloh I, Shiloh II was thought to be a cockerel as a chick.
Shiloh II (left) became best friends with the Queen of the Originals, Aundria (right). She later took Aundria's place after Aundria was rehomed and was heartbroken without the old Queen.
Timin II; Second to Hatch:
Timin II, an Easter Egger mix, was the second to hatch. He hatched the day after his big half-sister, Shiloh II. He was named Timin after a Douglas White cockerel who hatched under a bantam. Timin II was originally named AnnaBella, because he was thought to be a pullet. At about 2 months old, he began to grow rooster feathers and behave like a rooster. Though he was very delayed in showing that he was a rooster, Timin became a very dominant cockerel. He was later rehomed for his younger brother, Nightfall, was chosen as the rooster of the flock before it was discovered that Timin was a cockerel.
Timin II as a chick. He was thought to be a pullet and was originally named AnnaBella.
Timin II stands on a wood pile having his picture taken for Craigslist, where he was later rehomed.
Nightfall, Rooster of the Year:
Nightfall was the last to hatch out of all his siblings. His father was an Easter Egger and his mother was a Rhode Island Blue. Straight at hatch, something was wrong with Nightfall, though he did improve. He did, however, develop a hairline crossbeak (which was only noticeable if you were looking for it). Nightfall ended up getting bullied by the Originals and was never liked by any of his hens. Though Nightfall was supposed to be the rooster of the year, he was rehomed just before the breeding season. Nightfall had learned to crow back to me, and he continues to do so even after being rehomed to one of my neighbors.
Nightfall as a chick, was chosen as the rooster of the flock.
Nightfall was supposed to be the rooster of the year, but ended up being rehomed before the breeding season.
BYC link to Nightfall's health problem:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/unhealthy-cockerel-bad-hatch-whats-wrong.1485474/
Other Chicken:
Beth II; The Amazing Rescue:
In August 2021, my Mom came home with a stinky, dirty, Isa Brown hen that she had rescued on the side of the road. That hen I named Beth II after Beth I, a Tinta Tint (Amber Star) hen from my first year of chicken keeping. Beth's age is not known, though it was assumed that she hatched in the winter of 2020/2021. It was obvious that Beth II had been living in terrible living conditions and somehow escaped. Her feathers were stained, and her terrible smell remained even after a bath. She had never been on a perch and she tried to sleep in whatever spot she could find dirty. After a long quarantine, Beth II moved in with the Originals and eventually learned to use the perch. Beth II quickly took a deep liking to me and loves to follow me everywhere. She has learned to come to her own name. Beth II was bullied badly by Rocky II because of her always being around me. Beth has become second in the pecking order now that the Originals have been rehomed. She does try to sleep in the nesting boxes, though she does sleep on the perches on her own occasionally. Beth II is going to stay on my farm for life, instead of being retired and rehomed.
Beth II the day she was rescued after her bath. She was the stinkiest, dirtiest hen I have ever had. She was worst than a meatbird.
Beth being so friendly and always so close, it is very hard to get a good picture of her.
BYC link to Beth's quarantine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rescued-hen-questions.1486524/
BYC link to her memorial thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rip-beth-ii.1656070/
Author: Lacy Duckwing
Originally Typed Out: October 24, 2022
The Originals are what I refer to as the six new layers I got after I rehomed all the poultry I had before. This flock was restart to my chicken keeping. When I got all of these six hens they were around 4 months old. I got them in September 2020 and retired (rehomed) them in June 2022.
(Some things in this section are copied from my Flock Thread, Life With The Flock: Lacy Duckwing's Flock Thread.)
Aundria; Queen of the Flock:
Aundria is a Blue Rock hen. She was one of the first hens I picked and she quickly became queen of the Originals. When I got her, she had some of the prettiest blue feathers, but her face was too long. Thankfully, she grew a huge comb, thus disguising that long face, and became my 'Show Bird'. (A Showbird is a bird that is very photogenetic, very pretty, and one that I like to show off to everyone.) Aundria ended up being one of the best queens I've ever had. She cared about her flock very much and would try to help them whenever they needed it. (That is including trying to help get a bra off of my crop-problem hen.)
Aundria shortly after I got her. She didn't have a pretty face at first but was already showing her 'Show Bird' qualities.
Aundria; Queen of my flock, and my 'Showbird'.
BYC link to Aundria's egg-bound problem:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-egg-bound-hen.1445334/
Princess; Everyone's Favorite:
Princess is a Buff Brahma hen. Even though she was the best-looking Buff Brahma that I could choose from, she wasn't as perfect as Feathers, the Buff Brahma I got by mistake once. Princess quickly rose to second in the pecking order with Queen Aundria's help. She was Aundria's best friend, and Aundria did her best to protect her from the other hens. As a Buff, feather-footed hen, Princess was often the hen everyone (who saw my flock) said they liked the best. Despite the fact Princess was very good-looking, she didn't like having pictures taken of her, so she tried her best to look her worst in them.
Young Princess shortly after I got her. She is wearing a saddle because she lost a lot of feathers shortly after I had gotten her.
Though Princess hated having her picture taken, I did manage to get some good pictures of her. And with some of these pictures, she did place in a couple of photo contests.
Penny II; The Bully:
Penny II is a Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen. She was named after Penny I, who was also a Silver-Laced Wyandotte and was a hen from my first year of chicken keeping. Penny II was instantly the queen of my flock the day I got her. Due to Aundria quickly growing taller than everyone, she took the spot of queenship from Penny. Taking it a step further and using her new position to her advantage, Aundria went on to move Penny to third in the pecking order by helping her best friend, Princess, take second place. As a result of Aundria's actions, Penny became a bitter hen and bullied everyone below her, including Princess if she could get a chance without Aundria around. (There were also suspicions that Penny had left a friend behind at the place I got her, thus causing her to be a sad hen at first.)
Penny II shortly after I got her. She was immediately Queen of the flock, even though she didn't appear happy.
Penny II was known as the Bully. She did have to go to jail for her bad behavior where she improved.
BYC link to Penny's jail sentence:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/pennys-in-jail.1464642/
Maisy; An Interesting Bird:
Maisy is a Cuckoo Maran, and I've often wondered if she's a mix, due to the wrong-colored legs. Maisy, an ugly-looking hen, I got six days after I got the other five Originals. She was a small, intelligent hen who used her brain to get higher in the pecking order than she should have been. The summer after I got her, Maisy went broody and was the broodiest hen I had ever owned. She successfully hatched three chicks from eggs that came from another farm. (Her offspring were Shiloh II, Nightfall, and Timin II.)
Maisy, shortly after I got her. An ugly-looking chicken, Maisy enjoyed photo-bombing pictures of Aundria, thus ruining some of Aundria's pictures.
In July 2021, Maisy hatched three chicks. She was my broodiest hen ever, though she left her chicks earlier than my usual broodies.
Rocky II; Special, No Doubt:
Rocky II is a Golden Comet hen. She was named after another Golden Comet hen I had for a short time. Rocky II was instantly my favorite after I got her. She had a cool personality and was playful. She loved having friends and was best friends with Jewels, my crop-problem hen. She later became friends with Maisy, after she rescued Maisy from a deep snowbank. Though she loved having friends, she became a bully to Beth II, a rescued Isa Brown, due to being very jealous of the rescue. Rocky became known as 'The Bald Butt Society' bird due to the fact of her rear end getting terribly plucked by the feather pluckers of the flock.
Rocky II shortly after I got her. She learned to come to her own name and she taught the flock to come to the treat call.
With a hard choice between Rocky II and a BSL, the BSL sealed the deal by sneezing. After coming home with me, Rocky quickly became my favorite for her friendliness and cool personality.
Jewels; My Problem Chicken:
Jewels is a Speckled Sussex hen. Within the first few months after getting Jewels, I discovered she had a crop problem (which is apparently common for Speckled Sussexes). After months of a crop bra with a Sour Crop, later an impacted crop, Jewels finally got the right treatment for her crop. Unfortunately, she did redevelop the crop problem months after treatment and had to get treated again. For a long time, Jewels was at the bottom of the pecking order. She was best friends with Rocky II and became friends with Beth II while Rocky was separated for a molt. She loved to wander and was very independent in that.
Jewels shortly after I got her. It was discovered that she had an ongoing crop problem which caused her to drink lots of water.
Though a problem chicken, Jewels was a beautiful hen with an impressive tail.
BYC links to Jewels crop problems:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/sour-crop.1442922/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-long-can-i-safely-fast-my-hen.1485896/
Maisy's Hatch:
In July 2021, Maisy hatched three chicks from a local farm's flock.
Shiloh II; Much Different From the First:
Shiloh II was the first to hatch. Her mother was a Rhode Island Blue and her father was an Easter Egger. She was named after Shiloh I, a Douglas White who had been a queen of a previous flock. Like Shiloh I, Shiloh II became queen after the retirement of the Originals. She was very good friends with Aundria, the queen before her, and was heartbroken after Aundria was rehomed. She later forced herself to become friends with Beth II, because she had nobody else. As queen of the flock, Shiloh is sometimes mean to those below her and is terrible when disturbed at night.
Shiloh II as a chick. Just like Shiloh I, Shiloh II was thought to be a cockerel as a chick.
Shiloh II (left) became best friends with the Queen of the Originals, Aundria (right). She later took Aundria's place after Aundria was rehomed and was heartbroken without the old Queen.
Timin II; Second to Hatch:
Timin II, an Easter Egger mix, was the second to hatch. He hatched the day after his big half-sister, Shiloh II. He was named Timin after a Douglas White cockerel who hatched under a bantam. Timin II was originally named AnnaBella, because he was thought to be a pullet. At about 2 months old, he began to grow rooster feathers and behave like a rooster. Though he was very delayed in showing that he was a rooster, Timin became a very dominant cockerel. He was later rehomed for his younger brother, Nightfall, was chosen as the rooster of the flock before it was discovered that Timin was a cockerel.
Timin II as a chick. He was thought to be a pullet and was originally named AnnaBella.
Timin II stands on a wood pile having his picture taken for Craigslist, where he was later rehomed.
Nightfall, Rooster of the Year:
Nightfall was the last to hatch out of all his siblings. His father was an Easter Egger and his mother was a Rhode Island Blue. Straight at hatch, something was wrong with Nightfall, though he did improve. He did, however, develop a hairline crossbeak (which was only noticeable if you were looking for it). Nightfall ended up getting bullied by the Originals and was never liked by any of his hens. Though Nightfall was supposed to be the rooster of the year, he was rehomed just before the breeding season. Nightfall had learned to crow back to me, and he continues to do so even after being rehomed to one of my neighbors.
Nightfall as a chick, was chosen as the rooster of the flock.
Nightfall was supposed to be the rooster of the year, but ended up being rehomed before the breeding season.
BYC link to Nightfall's health problem:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/unhealthy-cockerel-bad-hatch-whats-wrong.1485474/
Other Chicken:
Beth II; The Amazing Rescue:
In August 2021, my Mom came home with a stinky, dirty, Isa Brown hen that she had rescued on the side of the road. That hen I named Beth II after Beth I, a Tinta Tint (Amber Star) hen from my first year of chicken keeping. Beth's age is not known, though it was assumed that she hatched in the winter of 2020/2021. It was obvious that Beth II had been living in terrible living conditions and somehow escaped. Her feathers were stained, and her terrible smell remained even after a bath. She had never been on a perch and she tried to sleep in whatever spot she could find dirty. After a long quarantine, Beth II moved in with the Originals and eventually learned to use the perch. Beth II quickly took a deep liking to me and loves to follow me everywhere. She has learned to come to her own name. Beth II was bullied badly by Rocky II because of her always being around me. Beth has become second in the pecking order now that the Originals have been rehomed. She does try to sleep in the nesting boxes, though she does sleep on the perches on her own occasionally. Beth II is going to stay on my farm for life, instead of being retired and rehomed.
Beth II the day she was rescued after her bath. She was the stinkiest, dirtiest hen I have ever had. She was worst than a meatbird.
Beth being so friendly and always so close, it is very hard to get a good picture of her.
BYC link to Beth's quarantine:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rescued-hen-questions.1486524/
BYC link to her memorial thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/rip-beth-ii.1656070/
Author: Lacy Duckwing
Originally Typed Out: October 24, 2022
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Thanks for sharing!