Chicken Spotlight

[Lady Red]

Meatbird (part 2)

Meatbird is also from the same newborn chick order as Whip. She is just over 13 weeks old.

She was the tiniest of the group and easily identifiable from the others with her brown fluff and little white face.

The kids thought it was funny to name her Meatbird as all the babies were labeled dual purpose. Our purpose is for eggs...but mostly as pets. I tried to get them to shorten it so we could just call her MB (and then I could pretend her name was MaryBeth), but Meatbird stuck.

She learned early on how to pose for the camera.

I thought Meatbird was a Cinnamon Queen, but really have no idea at this point. Her feathers have interesting marks unlike any of our other birds. She has a variety of feather colors and outlines that makes her easy to admire.
Meatbird is on the left here:

She has the best tail feathers of our flock!

As mentioned earlier, she is the most vocal of all our girls. Rwwwwak! RWWWWWAK! She found her voice earlier than the others and hasn't stopped since. She sounds like a creaky old door in a horror film sometimes.

Meatbird's social status is like that kid in school that everyone likes, but no one is besties with. She does her own thing, and no one really challenges her....except the dog with staring contests as posted earlier.

Please say hello to my son's favorite chicken, Meatbird!

 

[Lady Red]

Love this thread so far! Hope more folks join in.

BTW, Lady Red, your Whip looks amazingly like my Dottie, a Hoover "mystery chick" leftover from the local feed store. My hatchery employee friend said Dots looked like she had leghorn in her, and sure enough, once laying began, her eggs showed that she was a Prairie Bluebell Egger, and leghorn is -- I'm told -- one of the breeds used to produce those.

Wonderful photos! I have few to no technological skills, but I promise I will try to post photos of my girl.

So exciting! I am anxious for when our girls start laying. I expect mostly brown eggs (no complaints), but would be thrilled if we got blues and/or greens.

 

[Lady Red]

Skinny girl Whip next to her thicc sister Nae Nae

 

[Lady Red]

Chicken Spotlight - Whip

Whip was part of a dual purpose mail order from HH via TS. She was born in late January 2021.

In the first pic, she is the yellowish one with a black spot, so apparently an easily identifiable sex link!
View attachment 2626857
Her name is derived from a song lyric (along with one of her sisters)...watch me Whip, watch me Nae nae

She is about 12 weeks old in the pictures #2, 3 and 4.
View attachment 2626859
Whip doesn't walk. She RUNS.
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She runs like a road runner.

She can out run human hands with ease that none of her sisters can.

Just when you think you've got she pivots and ducks and jumps.

She may have even said "meep meep" to me on more than one occasion.
View attachment 2626874
She is by far the most challenging chicken to catch in our little group.

But once you do nab her, she loves having her ear tufts stroked and she closes her eyes and makes happy noises.

Then as you lower her back to the ground to release her, she squaks like you've mortally offended her and runs away. I think she just doesn't want her sisters to think she's soft and likes attention.

Whip is in the middle of the pecking order. She doesn't mind being alone, and also doesn't mind cuddling with her sisters.

She is the most svelte looking of our group. I do wonder if she has some leghorn in her.

Because Whip is so fast, it is hard to get a good photo of her....but I'll keep trying! Picture #5 is from today...13 wks almost to the day.
View attachment 2626860
Please say hello to Whip!

A little update on Whip:

After watching more carefully, I have to report she is NOT in the middle of the pecking order. She is one of the bottom two.

 

[Lady Red]

Very nice!
My favorite chick would have to be this lovely looking silkie roo:
View attachment 2628818View attachment 2628819
I'm amazed at how much this pretty boi remindes me of a snowy owl, and he has that dominant but sweet personality which I love!

Any chance for updated pics?

 

[Lady Red]

Love this thread so far! Hope more folks join in.

BTW, Lady Red, your Whip looks amazingly like my Dottie, a Hoover "mystery chick" leftover from the local feed store. My hatchery employee friend said Dots looked like she had leghorn in her, and sure enough, once laying began, her eggs showed that she was a Prairie Bluebell Egger, and leghorn is -- I'm told -- one of the breeds used to produce those.

Wonderful photos! I have few to no technological skills, but I promise I will try to post photos of my girl.

Good morning! Hoping to have a little read about Dottie soon...what is her personality like?

 

[Callender Girl]

Dottie is a prima donna! And, rightly so! She has a giant dog crate in the dining room where she has a human who serves her meals, brings fresh water and tosses in grapes -- especially to reward her for laying a lovely blue egg.

When she's out of her crate in the house, she runs to the cat's dish and the dog's crate to devour any leftover pet food. And, she will peck at anyone who challenges her right to her thievery.

When she wants out of the crate, Dottie is not above yelling louder and louder until it's impossible to ignore her -- or hear the television.

Dots likes oatmeal, and if I'm too slow getting it out of the cupboard, she will run into the kitchen and peck my legs until I hand it over.

I had to throw a cover over an antique rocking chair to keep it clean because she likes to roost on the high back of the chair. Actually, most of my furniture is covered to protect it from one pet or another.

But, when it's time for all of us to relax, it's sometimes me on the sofa, covered with a dog, a cat and a sleeping chicken.

Outdoors, my confident house queen transforms. She was the only layer chick in a store brooder full of bigger broilers, and I think she believes every other chicken in the world wants to bully her. When any of the other hens approaches her, she takes off like a white streak.

Most of the other hens are heavier bodied birds who don't know how or can't fly up over the deck railing. So, when Dots is tired of being chased around, she uses her "superpower" and flies over to the other side of the yard -- where chickens are not supposed to go, but where she feels safe.

I'm really not sure anymore that I will ever get her moved outdoors -- or that I really want to.

 

[Lady Red]

Dottie is a prima donna! And, rightly so! She has a giant dog crate in the dining room where she has a human who serves her meals, brings fresh water and tosses in grapes -- especially to reward her for laying a lovely blue egg.

When she's out of her crate in the house, she runs to the cat's dish and the dog's crate to devour any leftover pet food. And, she will peck at anyone who challenges her right to her thievery.

When she wants out of the crate, Dottie is not above yelling louder and louder until it's impossible to ignore her -- or hear the television.

Dots likes oatmeal, and if I'm too slow getting it out of the cupboard, she will run into the kitchen and peck my legs until I hand it over.

I had to throw a cover over an antique rocking chair to keep it clean because she likes to roost on the high back of the chair. Actually, most of my furniture is covered to protect it from one pet or another.

But, when it's time for all of us to relax, it's sometimes me on the sofa, covered with a dog, a cat and a sleeping chicken.

Outdoors, my confident house queen transforms. She was the only layer chick in a store brooder full of bigger broilers, and I think she believes every other chicken in the world wants to bully her. When any of the other hens approaches her, she takes off like a white streak.

Most of the other hens are heavier bodied birds who don't know how or can't fly up over the deck railing. So, when Dots is tired of being chased around, she uses her "superpower" and flies over to the other side of the yard -- where chickens are not supposed to go, but where she feels safe.

I'm really not sure anymore that I will ever get her moved outdoors -- or that I really want to.

Oh my goodness! Dottie has a lot of personality! I love that she is the queen AND has a superpower too.
Thank you for sharing!

 

[Lady Red]

Love this thread so far! Hope more folks join in.

BTW, Lady Red, your Whip looks amazingly like my Dottie, a Hoover "mystery chick" leftover from the local feed store. My hatchery employee friend said Dots looked like she had leghorn in her, and sure enough, once laying began, her eggs showed that she was a Prairie Bluebell Egger, and leghorn is -- I'm told -- one of the breeds used to produce those.

Wonderful photos! I have few to no technological skills, but I promise I will try to post photos of my girl.

Whip update! She indeed lays blue eggs!
And has a comb that I'm in love with

 

[Callender Girl]

Congratulations on the blue eggs! Whip and Dottie certainly look a lot alike -- except that Whip has a much grander comb. Thanks for the update!