Just curious? Who names all their chickens and who doesn't?

[Sandi Beaches]

I have named all my chickens, One rooster "Buzz" and I have 11 hens -- Ethyl, Bonnie, Marcie, Suzie, Mary, Dottie, Margie, Lacreda, Patsy, Liz and Kung Pow, my layers. If they have names friends and family will know that we won't eat them. They love when I give them yogart and unsweetened applesauce, and are quite entertaining while enjoying their treats. To name or not to name ---- that is the question. Enjoy the day

 

[shelleyjen]

We have Adelaide, Abigail, Matilda, Madeline, Cloe, Delilah, Flo, Lidia, Gertie! We love them all so much!

 

[ChicksOnBikes]

My daughter (age 6) really wanted them all named, hubby and I tried to offer a theme, such as Famous Women Scientists (we're bio geeks), but that only worked partway. By the time they were polts, most of the names stuck, and here they are:
3 sussex: Ava, Marie, Rachel
3golden laced wyandottes: Copper, Penny, Uni (when little, Uni had only one high point on her comb, aka Unicorn)
6 easter eggers: Sally, Florence, Bridget, Emma, Kylie, Elliott the rooster (formerly was Ella till we found out she was a he!)
Bonus points if you can find the Famous Women Scientists on the list.

I think it's kind of cool for a kid to learn to pick out the subtle differences and tell the tricky ones apart.

 

[lizch]

I had a couple of names for the chicks when they were tiny (my favorite was Panda, because she had the black and white pattern of a panda on her face). Now the black australorps are almost full grown, they're all black and to be honest I can't tell them apart! My daughter has named them, but her names seem to change almost weekly and I'm not convinced she can really identify every chicken reliably.

I mentioned not naming them to an acquaintance the other day, who looked horrified. I felt the need to clarify that I *did* name my children....

 

[chookies]

i do--old-fashioned names, yet

 

[Slotred]

I'm a small-time chicken owner, and mine are as much pets as anything, so I gave them names. My four black Australorps are: Sister, Madelyn, Girlfriend, and Ms. Thang.

 

[littlemama]

We still don't have chickens because they are not allowed in Stillwater,MN . Our friend let us have a coup on her property in Houlton,WI but 9 poulets disappeared into thin air first day. I bet I would name them even after losing some.Sigh

 

[yorkchick]

When I was planning to get chicks for the first time two years ago, many people asked if I was planning to name them. In fact, mostly people strongly insisted I should *not* name them. Even when I said they'd be pets. And have a retirement plan. I understand people who have no interest in naming their chickens, but what it came down to for me is the honest reason I was getting chickens. The eggs are a nice bonus, but the joy I get out of them is almost completely due to enjoying their personalities and taking care of them and hanging out with them. Much like my other pets. So given this, I would enjoy them less as individuals if they did not have names.

Full disclosure: I also name our cars. So I am clearly somewhat delusional about the name thing. I would argue that the chickens have more personality and individuality than the cars. (OK, the cars have no personality, no matter how much we see it in them...) But if you are a non-namer, feel free to dismiss my arguments based on the fact that I also name inanimate objects. (Which I also enjoy more when they have names).

I have a theme for the chickens' names that adds a lot to my chicken-owning joy, although it would add to the heartache I'm sure if I have to cull... They are all named after female relatives from my side or DH's side. Only one of said relatives is still on this earthly plane, and she (my Aunt Edna) not only agreed to have a hen named for her but said, "If you need another name, my middle name is Lucinda." Done. (Eventually we lost Lucinda to a predator, and having to tell my aunt about this is possibly an argument against using living relatives.) But Edna the Silver Sebright has always been the sweetest and cutest of all the chickens, and my aunt enjoys hearing the Edna stories. (Lucinda was a Golden Sebright and also a sweetie).

Our other hens' names:
Maude, a Black Star, named for my maternal grandmother.
Bonita, EE, after another aunt of mine.
Clara, EE, for my paternal grandmother (Clara the chicken died this spring to a mysterious but fast-acting sickness).
Elnora, BO, for DH's great aunt.
Henrietta, GLW, for DH's mother.
Betty, NHR, for my mother.
Martha, unknown variety, for DH's maternal grandmother (Martha the chicken was lost this spring to an attack by stray beagles).

So I have had my losses, but this has not yet made me reconsider naming future chickens. I have plenty of relatives left on the family tree. (My mother would have been so proud that I am finally taking some interest in family genealogy!) Sometimes I consider raising some meaties, don't know if I will do it or not, but I would try to restrain my naming tendencies in that case..

 

[Chickenberry]

We have had our chickens for about six months now. Now, only in the last month have I really started to get attached to them. One particular dominique looks like her comb fits her head like a cap... not only that, but she's the one who is most personable.. and she will come up to you for treats~ she was named by my daughter who is in college a couple of weeks ago. Petunia she is!

I want to name the other five hens and our new roo too. I have also felt (as Chookie said above) that they should all be old-fashioned names like Gertrude, Millie, Beulah, June, Goldie and Prudence... for example.

 

[tgperg]

I name all mine. My breeding flock was named Pac, Ms. Pac, Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Sue. The various rescue chickens were Glory, Charlotte, and Buffy. I didn't name the guineas because I couldn't tell them apart, at least till we were down to one breeding pair. I named them Sarrasin (French for Buckwheat) and Dumas (so my son wouldn't go tell his Sunday school teacher that his mommy called the guinea "dumba$$"). Even the birds I plan to eat are named. They're all named Kenney. Yes, it's a Southpark reference. I don't watch Southpark, but I could just imagine all the chickens saying "OMG! They killed Kenney!" and it cracked me up.

Traci