Cluckingham Palace “Scrapbook”

[tviss711]

It has been a while since I updated. I’m excited. My roo Hawkeye is crowing this week!! It’s adorable. He’s also clumsily learning the art of gentlemanly procreation with the help of my mature hens. They give him sass when he approaches them less gracefully and refuse to participate. He’s been attempting to breed this week and yesterday he successfully “wooed” our top hen, Tilly! She walked away from him after and he looked so sad, he started clucking trying to get her to return and roost with him poor guy. He’s been a gentleman with the pullets and has not attempted to breed with them, they’re still too young and small, so I’m really glad he isn’t the type that’s just trying to mount everything in sight! He seems to be discerning for his young age. We just feel really blessed to have accidentally acquired a cockerel with such an even temperament and good disposition. Today was the first time I personally heard him crow, but my husband heard him crow in the morning earlier this week for the first time. Here he is today roosting with his little ladies!

 

[N F C]

It has been a while since I updated. I’m excited. My roo Hawkeye is crowing this week!! It’s adorable. He’s also clumsily learning the art of gentlemanly procreation with the help of my mature hens. They give him sass when he approaches them less gracefully and refuse to participate. He’s been attempting to breed this week and yesterday he successfully “wooed” our top hen, Tilly! She walked away from him after and he looked so sad, he started clucking trying to get her to return and roost with him poor guy. He’s been a gentleman with the pullets and has not attempted to breed with them, they’re still too young and small, so I’m really glad he isn’t the type that’s just trying to mount everything in sight! He seems to be discerning for his young age. We just feel really blessed to have accidentally acquired a cockerel with such an even temperament and good disposition. Today was the first time I personally heard him crow, but my husband heard him crow in the morning earlier this week for the first time. Here he is today roosting with his little ladies!

Hawkeye sounds like a real little gentleman

 

[tviss711]

Another update! We’ve moved cities which was a whole ordeal, but everyone has settled in nicely! Our buff Orpington pullet, Houlihan, has started laying and her eggs are SO tiny and adorable, I love them! Her first one was itty bitty and ended being a double yolker! They were about the size of a penny each. her shells are nice and strong and a deeper brown color than I expected which is kind of fun.

Our cockerel Hawkeye is still persistently trying to win the hearts of my mature hens. Very few successes, but still he persists! What’s fun about our new place is 3 surrounding neighbors have chickens and all the Roos will get to crowing at each other and it’s pretty funny to me.

Today, Hawkeye actually danced for one of our hens, which startled me at first as I thought he had stepped on something sharp the way his feet were tip-tapping. I realized it was purposeful, and then I felt bad for the guy when Penny (the hen he was trying to woo) took it as an invitation to brawl rather than breed. We’re rooting for him to win their affections eventually!

Here’s an update on Hawkeye, he’s bigger every day it seems, and those wattles are growing even faster!

Pepper and Baby Blue haven’t laid yet either, but that’s alright by us. I’m surprised Houlihan already is. They’re both sweet as can be. Always want to be near me in the chicken yard and want to see what I’m up to. I really do love these two!! Pepper is on the right. If you made it this far on my post, congratulations!

Blue was ready for her closeup

 

[Evadig]

Congratulations on Houlihan's cute little egg! Are Pepper and Baby Blue Speckled Sussex? They are beautiful!

 

[tviss711]

Congratulations on Houlihan's cute little egg! Are Pepper and Baby Blue Speckled Sussex? They are beautiful!

Yes they are! they were the last two in the brooder at TSC, they are so cute. They were my “impulse buy” but I think it was meant to be.

 

[N F C]

Terrific update, love the pictures!

 

[tviss711]

So much has been going on in our household! I am excited to share that both Pepper and Baby Blue laid their first eggs on the same day (they really are inseparable). We have a carton full of adorable fairy eggs now!

Yesterday my sister came over and we were out there admiring how big and pretty Hawkeye has become. I was holding Tilly (Wyandotte) while talking to my sister when Pepper began pecking at my skirt. We chuckled because she seemed to be very insistent that I quit paying attention to Tilly and start paying attention to her. After circling me a few times, she full on attempted to perch on my shoulder but her flight plan was thwarted by her proximity to the fencing. It was hilarious; Pepper is definitely very social and particularly so towards me (she is the one that used to climb up my arm when she was little, and perch upon my head). I then set Tilly down and picked Pepper up and she settled into my arms while I walked around the pen and cleaned up. I knew she was fond of me, but dare I say I’ve never experienced a chicken exhibit a sense of envy! of course I could just be personifying erratic chicken behavior, but it sure seemed that way to my sister and I!

The other update I have is more of a question if anyone might know- we recently moved and my husband and I visited the local Tractor Supply location for more oyster shell and to just check it out. Well, he had told me before there was a flock of roosters that just lived at and around the store in the field nearby- I thought maybe it was fluke to his one time visit and someone’s chickens had escaped. Nay- lo and behold I step out of the car and there were 3 beautiful roos (cockerels I think, as none had grown their spurs yet!) perched upon the bags of soil! I feel a little sad for them as they have no hens, but I’m also wondering where they came from? Is it possible that Tractor Supply “set them free” since they may have been part of the batches of pullets that were misidentified? I’m also curious if anyone could identify the breeds by their plumage; I’m not really good at that unless it’s one of the breeds I own personally. They of course might just be Easter eggers- but they all looked so beautiful to me! If we didn’t have Hawkeye, I considered catching one to take home! the second picture shows the roo in the back a little bit better- he was stunning to me!

 

[N F C]

They are some pretty boys!

 

[tviss711]

I teach 4th grade and we start each year learning the scientific method. The observation step is always fun to practice, this year I am planning a short day activity where they will guess which animal tracks they are looking at. Our small zoo at home works perfectly for diy. Of course that required the help of a chicken or two; Pepper was my obvious choice since she is always willing whenever I come in to grab her for something. She was so cooperative when I painted her feet (nontoxic and washable) and encouraged her to walk across the page. Of course I paid her with some freshly picked blackberries as a thank you! She did not complain. she is a very fun bird.

I may even bring her and Baby Blue to class with me when we study birds this year, they are so laid back and easy going I think they would be fine for a day! Here she is in all her painted glory. The dog was not as thrilled but she was compliant and did her job well! We will be recruiting the hamster this evening, and I included my own “tracks” as well.

 

[tviss711]

Since we moved we’ve had the chickens enclosed in a covered run. It’s decently sized but our new backyard needs some serious TLC, so before we settle the flock into a more permanent yard with more square footage they are temporarily in their run. They don’t seem to mind.

Today the power went out and we had some yard work we were putting off. We decided to let them out to explore since we would be out to supervise (not a fully fenced yard, but mostly so).

Anyway, it was a funny sight to watch- all the birds out foraging and hunting for grubblies, and then our dog out there among them foraging for chicken poo! so gross. But that’s dogs. We called the chickens her personal pez dispensers. We will brush her teeth later!

Bonus picture of our golden boy