Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[Mother of Chaos]

A bit of chicken tax (still getting the run litter underway after all the recent weird weather):

Oh boy! Stuff for the run (not all today, I was working a sale):

 

[Mother of Chaos]

The Easter Egger has not yet shared pronouns with me, and I am… curious. (I’ll be posting this in the boy or girl thread too.) All were hatched on Jan 14, so all about 7 1/2 weeks. The EE is noticeably larger, neck (hackle feathers?) are pointy, tail is pointier, and just has a different expression and carriage. Often seems to be on alert with neck stretched out when the others are eating. Just seems “in charge” somehow. Since EEs can have varying parentages, I’ve no clue what a EE pullet is supposed to look like.

Thoughts?

 

[HiEverybirdy]

They are so lovely! Swedish Flower hens or something else?

They're Speckled Sussex, the large-fowl version of @fuzzi's bantams, and the speckled/porcelain variety of Henry, who is also a Sussex.

And they are lovely, enough to be the Miss Decembers on this year's BYC calendar! (Note that I'm absolutely not above bragging about our calendar chickens.)

 

[HiEverybirdy]

The Easter Egger has not yet shared pronouns with me, and I am… curious. (I’ll be posting this in the boy or girl thread too.) All were hatched on Jan 14, so all about 7 1/2 weeks. The EE is noticeably larger, neck (hackle feathers?) are pointy, tail is pointier, and just has a different expression and carriage. Often seems to be on alert with neck stretched out when the others are eating. Just seems “in charge” somehow. Since EEs can have varying parentages, I’ve no clue what a EE pullet is supposed to look like.

Thoughts?
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She's a lady, I do believe. By this age, you'd see more patchy, less symmetrical patterning. The hackle (neck) feathers have a pointy pattern but the actual feather is likely rounded if you look closely.

While Miss Raisin's coloring is different than your chicken's, here's Raisin around 9 weeks, with lots of pointy-looking neck feathers.

Vs. Easter Egger rooster Stilty at 8-ish weeks, future Mr. November 2023 (again, NOT above bragging):

But hey, pronouns don't have to be fixed. Pinkie laid eggs for 3 years, then grew out her comb and wattles and crowed for the last year of her life.

 

[Perris]

The Easter Egger has not yet shared pronouns with me, and I am… curious. (I’ll be posting this in the boy or girl thread too.) All were hatched on Jan 14, so all about 7 1/2 weeks. The EE is noticeably larger, neck (hackle feathers?) are pointy, tail is pointier, and just has a different expression and carriage. Often seems to be on alert with neck stretched out when the others are eating. Just seems “in charge” somehow. Since EEs can have varying parentages, I’ve no clue what a EE pullet is supposed to look like.

Thoughts?
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I'd expect to see more red if it was a boy, but Hensol kept me guessing for 5 months, so don't trust me on this

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Chicken tax: the Barred Rock has figured out that as I work up the compressed mounds of soil, Good Things happen. She has let herself be lifted up on the fork as I dig. The other two follow at a safer distance.

Barred Rock and her new bestie:

 

[MrsNorthie]

I'd expect to see more red if it was a boy, but Hensol kept me guessing for 5 months, so don't trust me on this

I have one of last summers hatch-lings that I am sure is a pullet, but sometimes, she really resembles a cockerel. Her brothers are all huge and obviously cockerels, the other girls are all the traditional very feminine fluffy buffs, I will have to see if I can get some good pictures of her today. She usually makes a bee-line for me, so it is hard to get clear profile pictures.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

She's a lady, I do believe. By this age, you'd see more patchy, less symmetrical patterning. The hackle (neck) feathers have a pointy pattern but the actual feather is likely rounded if you look closely.

While Miss Raisin's coloring is different than your chicken's, here's Raisin around 9 weeks, with lots of pointy-looking neck feathers.
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Vs. Easter Egger rooster Stilty at 8-ish weeks, future Mr. November 2023 (again, NOT above bragging):
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But hey, pronouns don't have to be fixed. Pinkie laid eggs for 3 years, then grew out her comb and wattles and crowed for the last year of her life.

ALL your hens and Stilty (and trans roo) deserve to be calendar birds!

I’m sitting by the coop, taking a break, and played Pinkie’s crows. The girls were transfixed, especially after that third crow.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Tax

Dust bath!

 

[MrsNorthie]

Today, GinGin reeeeally looks all He.. LOL He/She hatched the same time as Walnut and Tater, but is half the size and definitely loves being cuddled. Really late bloomer??

The weather is perfect, sunny, warm (71F/22C) so we also did snack time, cabbage kale and chopped cucumber. Morwenna is looking on with envy, but they have a whole bunch on their side too.

Alfie and Major Tom are also coveting the chickens snacks while ignoring their own..

I love just sitting with both, turkeys and chickens, but the turkey girls have made it clear that they feel a bit hostile to the chicken ladies..

Alfie showing off his masculinity

and Major Tom not wanting to be out done.