Cindi's Chicken Chronicles

[cfonts]

Hi Everyone! My name is Cindi & I thought I'd start a thread to document the chickens in my backyard!

Where It All Began: The Little Brown Hen
On the afternoon of May 10, 2020, I could hear cheeping coming from outside of my house. I looked out of my kitchen window and saw that there was a little brown hen with 8 baby chicks. I live on the island of Kauai, and if you've ever been here, you know that chicken sightings aren't uncommon. Kauai is home to many wild chickens and they are literally everywhere. I decided that I'd try and feed the mama hen and her chicks, but wasn't expecting much because I figured she'd run away before I'd even get a chance to put out any food for them. When I opened my front door, the mama hen looked at me expectantly and didn't run away. She and her little ones happily accepted to food that I offered them and left as soon as they were done eating. To my surprise, the mama hen and her chicks returned the next day and the day after that. They became regular visitors of my yard and I ended up naming the mama hen Chickadee. Six of her eight chicks made it to adulthood and to my surprise they ended up all being hens. I decided to name them: Sam, Peep, Peapod, Daisy, Twinkie and Twinkle. They ended up leaving Chickadee when they were about 7 weeks old and went off on their own.

This is the first photo I took of Chickadee & her chicks. This was their third visit to the yard.


Chickadee's first batch of chicks all grown up! Twinkie still visits everyday, but the others stopped visiting at the end of last year.


In July, Chickadee moved into my backyard and had her second batch of chicks later in the month. I was happy that she considered my yard was a safe place for her and her little ones. Chickadee's second batch of chicks consisted of 6 chicks- 3 pullets & 3 cockerels. I ended up naming the pullets Poppy, Cinnamon & Lulu. The cockerels are named Roo, Pepper & Amos. It was with this batch of chicks that I realized what a feisty mama hen Chickadee is. One afternoon, I heard a commotion in my front yard. I looked out my kitchen window and saw Chickadee running back to her baby chicks. I wasn't sure what happened, so I decided to check why security camera footage. Turns out, Chickadee & her little ones were in my front yard foraging for food. One of the neighborhood cats tried creeping up on the chicks, but Chickadee caught wind of this and chased the cat out of the yard!

Chickadee with her second batch of chicks.


Chickadee's sons, Pepper & Roo!


On January 4, 2021, Chickadee had her third batch of chicks. This batch consisted of 10 chicks. One of the chicks sadly didn't make it, but the other 9 are currently 11 weeks old today!

Chickadee with her third batch of chicks.


This photo was taken several weeks ago of Batch #3. I know that two are pullets, I'm pretty sure the other seven are cockerels


I may not be a traditional chicken owner, but I do love Chickadee a lot. I feel honored that she came into my life when she did and that she decided to adopt me! Her daily visits are something that I look forward to and I feel so grateful that she shares so much of her life with me. Since Chickadee's move into backyard, I've had other neighborhood chickens move into my backyard as well.

Here's a list of the chickens that currently live in my backyard:
Chickadee
Tom Tom (Chickadee's boyfriend)
Pepper (Chickadee's son)
Poppy (Chickadee's daughter)
Cinnamon (Chickadee's daughter)
Batch #3
Sunny
Tawny

I'll be sure the share more stories soon, but for now I hope you've enjoyed reading the story of how a little brown hen adopted me!

 

[bellium]

I love your story, and adore your photos - such beautiful birds, and what a good mama hen!

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Such a special story. Thank you for sharing.

 

[cfonts]

I love your story, and adore your photos - such beautiful birds, and what a good mama hen!

Such a special story. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you both for reading my story about Chickadee There's so many stories that I want to share about the chickens in my backyard and even the wild chickens here on Kauai! I look forward to sharing them here in the thread!

 

[cfonts]

Meet The Residents Of My Backyard

Chickadee

This is Chickadee, the hen that started it all! Chickadee is a little brown hen and gets along really well with the other chickens in my backyard- in fact, she's the reason most of them are here. I have a feeling she's been posting signs around my neighborhood that all chickens are welcome in my yard Chickadee is such a good mama hen- very protective, loving and fierce! When she's an empty nester, she'll stop by daily and have lunch dates with me. I always know when she's here for her lunch date because she'll start clucking up a storm to let me know she's outside. If I don't come out quick enough, she'll fly up onto my porch railing and wait for me. Sometimes, Chickadee's boyfriend Tom Tom will accompany her during her visits to my front yard. Whenever he does accompany her, I'll put out the chicknic table for them so that they can enjoy a romantic meal together.

Tom Tom

This is Tom Tom, Chickadee's boyfriend. He's the alpha rooster in our yard and takes his job of protecting the hens very seriously. Whenever the hens are in the front or back yard eating, Tom Tom will stand guard and make sure that there are no intruders nearby. He is always on the lookout for any threats and keeps danger away.

Pepper

This is Pepper. He is actually Chickadee's son from her second batch of chicks. Last month, I thought that Pepper moved out of my backyard and relocated to somewhere else in the neighborhood, but it seems like he has moved back in. I'm glad he's back because I enjoy having him here. He is such a sweet cockerel and gets along well with the hens & younger chickens in the yard.

Cinnamon

This is Cinnamon. Cinnamon is one of Chickadee's daughters and from the same clutch as Pepper & Poppy. Cinnamon is a very sweet hen and the shy one out of her siblings. At the end of February, Cinnamon became a proud mama of three! I will be making a separate post about Cinnamon & her little ones.

Poppy

This is Chickadee's daughter Poppy, she is from the same clutch as Pepper and Cinnamon. Poppy's signature feature is her white stripe on her left wing. She is a little firecracker and always full of energy. During her visits, Poppy is always clucking up a storm- she has something to say about everything!

The Drumettes

These are the drumettes, Chickadee's third batch of chicks. They are currently 11 weeks old and in their teenage stage. As of right now, I do know that 2 of them are pullets. I am still unsure about the other 7, but I am leaning toward them being cockerels. They are at the fun age, where I am starting to get to know their different personalities.
* I call them the drumettes, because their mama Chickadee is shaped like a drumstick

Sunny

This is Sunny. I first noticed her in November of last year. She was maybe a few months old at the time and I'd see her roaming around the neighborhood by herself. I couldn't help but worry about her, she just seemed so little and I hated that she was alone. I tried feeding her, but she'd run away before I could even put any food out for her. Then in December, as I was feeding some of the other chickens in my front yard, Sunny slowly worked up the courage to come into my yard and join them. It was at that point that I had won her over! She started visiting my yard regularly and by January she had moved into my backyard with Tom Tom, Chickadee & her offspring. I am happy to report that Sunny is no longer a lone hen and she is now a member of my backyard flock!

Tawny & Co.

Tawny is a neighborhood hen that started visiting my yard with her baby chick in February. Tawny & her little chick got comfortable with being around me right away and they started visiting my front yard daily. By the end of the February, they decided to move into my backyard and join Chickadee's backyard flock.

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

It is fun looking at them and trying to guess what breed mixes made such cuties. I think I see a lot of game breeds in there. . . maybe some Welsummer as well? The alpha cockeral looks like the Kellogg's cornflakes rooster.

 

[cfonts]

It is fun looking at them and trying to guess what breed mixes made such cuties. I think I see a lot of game breeds in there. . . maybe some Welsummer as well? The alpha cockeral looks like the Kellogg's cornflakes rooster.

I agree that it IS fun trying to guess which breed mixes they are! I have a book of different chicken breeds and I also thought that their coloring looked similar to a Welsummer! I chuckled a little when I read what you wrote about Tom Tom, but I can totally see what you’re saying! I won’t tell him though, before he starts to think that he’s the mascot for corn flakes! I wouldn’t want that getting to his head!

 

[cfonts]

Cinnamon is a Proud Mama, which means Chickadee is now a Grandma-hen!

On February 24th, Chickadee's daughter Cinnamon became the proud mother of 3 baby chicks! It's so surreal watching Cinnamon enter this new chapter in her life as a mom, because when she first started visiting my yard she was just a baby chick herself. Cinnamon has really impressed me these last few weeks- she is such an attentive and loving mama hen to her little ones. Seeing her with her little ones, reminds me so much of how Chickadee was with Cinnamon & her siblings when they were younger!

Cinnamon's little ones are now a month old and I've really been enjoying watching them grow these last few weeks. I look forward to seeing them mature into roosters or hens and getting to know their individual personalities.

Cinnamon's Family Portrait

 

[cfonts]

April Fools' Surprise!

This afternoon Sunny stopped by the front yard with a little surprise - she had 5 baby chicks with her! When Sunny first started visiting my front yard last year, she was a lone pullet. I eventually won her over & she ended up moving into my backyard in January and she joined Chickadee's flock. It''s hard to believe that the lone pullet from last year is now the proud mama of five!

 

[kcan2]

What a great thread about Chickadee and the accompanying "drumettes!"
She has obviously awarded you with the medal of trust - and spread the word!
Will she eat out of your hand?