Starbirds Chickens

[ozu]

Eeb is so pretty! Her feathers are so shiny and the patterns are so clear!

Thank you!! I feel like she's like a little princess. She's too quick for the boys usually (though last we checked, her eggs were fertilized now!) and a little wild. She's fun!

 

[ozu]

For some fun context for everyone- Eeby and Deeby's names come from this meme. Honestly, I am just now learning of the actual origins, lol. Partner and I just saw the elevator pic and thought the names were funny. We obviously like silly names!

For more fun, this is our flock's names:

• Wheaten (Easter Egger)
• Blue (Easter Egger)
• Deeby (Mille Fleur D'uccle)
• Eeby (Mille Fleur D'uccle)
• Mostaccioli (Mystic Maran)
• Bucatini (Mystic Maran)
• Long Ziti (Mystic Maran)
• Michaelina (Barred Rock)
• Tia (Australorp)
• Tamara (Australorp)
• Zeeb (Old English Bantam)
• Klim (Silkie)

and for the babies so far we have:

• Sour Cream (Silkie)
• Twisted Transistor "Twisty" (Silkie)
• Friendly (Silkie/Easter Egger)
• Concrete (Sebright)
• Butter (Sebright)
• Stella (Old English Bantam)
• Beez (Old English Bantam/Easter Egger)

Our roosters that we have eaten were named:

• Deano (Silkie)
• HalfNHalf (Silkie)
• Crossbeak (Easter Egger)
• Cheetah (Easter Egger)

Anybody is free to suggest names, even for specific babies. I would love it and would take all into account but they have to be kind of silly in a way! Not a typical name- we have a lot of animals so the livestock gets the fun ones haha.

Our old flock had mostly flower/plant names:

Lotus (EE), Berzillia (BR), Teasel (RSL), Olive (RSL), Mallow (RSL), Nettle (RSL), Laurel (AUS), Willow (SILKIE), Albedo (SILKIE), Cypress (SILKIE), Sunflower (SILKIE), Gracey (SILKIE), Ivy (CR), Iris (CR).

 

[ozu]

Anddddd one more- here are the candids I was talking about. Just as attachments because that's the easiest.

 

[fluffycrow]

Anddddd one more- here are the candids I was talking about. Just as attachments because that's the easiest.

Stunning little things

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Isn't she so cute? She has The Silkie Temperament too, almost more than Twisty who is from a breeder. Sour Cream is a little angel and I demand she be a pullet!!

That will be awesome if Stella is that color! I'm pleased that she's different than Zeeb- I love the variation. She is SO cute, and soooo small. But brave!

Fawn ORBs are beautiful too! Who am I kidding all the different verity of OEBs are cute!

 

[ozu]

Stunning little things

Thank you! That means a lot that someone else thinks they're turning out as pretty as I do!

 

[ozu]

Fawn ORBs are beautiful too! Who am I kidding all the different verity of OEBs are cute!

So true!! Fawns are gorgeous! Every OEB I look at is just too cute to handle.. the person I got my quail from has OEBs and they always tempt me- they're just such fun little birds!

 

[ozu]

Hello again, everyone!

☆

WEEK 4 UPDATE


Klim (Silkie) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Surbhi"

Unnamed

Unnamed

Unnamed

"Friendly"

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Blue (Easter Egger) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Mini Wheat"

Unnamed

Unnamed

Unnamed

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Zeeb (Old English Game Bantam) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Beez"

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Mostaccioli (Mystic Maran) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Gnocchi"

"Rigatoni"

"Ditalini"

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And the Extras!

"Twisted Transistor/Twisty"

"Groucho"

"Sour Cream"

"Stella"

"Concrete"

"Butter"


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I have been hand-feeding the babies every night (just their crumble) to encourage friendliness. They are weird and flighty sometimes but they always run over to eat out of my hand, still. They're terrible for the pics but man, I love watching them. The whole world stops and I just observe them and their behaviors. They're also absolutely terrified of my phone for some reason LOL.

Mini Wheat likes to roost on my hand/arm, and not even just to eat. Just for the warmth and comfort. Soooo sweet. Twisty and Sour Cream always come around for food too. Ditalini has never approached me once, I'm just now realizing! Beez likes to stand with one foot in my hand (and will jump on!). Friendly and the orange head/black easter egger x easter egger likes to hang around a lot too.

Gnocchi and Rigatoni are always jumping in my hands to eat and will sleep in my hand/not stand up when I put them down because they want to stay being held. They are kind of big bullies with the smaller chickens (because they are big and bold) and will probably be the first ones to "go" (not yet obviously).. but man, they are SO friendly. Why do the roosters have to be so full of personality and love?

Concrete is assuredly a cockerel. Groucho as you can see gets uglier and uglier somehow haha and is the roosterist rooster to rooster. Twisty's beak isn't much worse, so we will see if she will be hard cull or soft cull. I may have a friend who would probably love her if it doesn't disable her too much.

I'm constantly going "this MIGHT be a pullet... this one is DEFINITELY a rooster" and changing my mind on all of the silkie x easter eggers, easter egger x easter eggers, and Beez constantly. I feel like we have at least 12 cockerels and that is a bit disappointing, but leaves more room for more next year. ​

 

[ozu]

Annnndd I did something fun- first four week pics all together as a collage!

Week 1, Week 2
Week 3, Week 4

 

[ozu]

Hello again, everyone!

☆

WEEK 5 UPDATE


Klim (Silkie) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Surbhi" - cockerel
He will likely be the keeper boy, unless someone turns out prettier.

Unnamed - Unknown
I lean pullet towards this one, behaviorally. But the comb is a little more bulbous than the other silkie/easter eggers, so out of the darker ones, this one is probably the most likely to be a cockerel.

"Roadrunner" - pullet
Hen body shape, total hen behavior.

Unnamed - Unknown
This one is pretty friendly, and we thought this one was "Friendly" for a bit. Behaviorally, and comb-wise says pullet to me.. crossing fingers.

"Friendly" - Unknown
Not the most hen-stance (they hate their pics taken haha), but I do hope this one is a hen, and lean pullet. I hope it isn't hopeful thinking. This one sits in my hand often and is super sweet.

☆

Blue (Easter Egger) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Mini Wheat" - Unknown
We're thinking pullet now but still up in the air.. comb is staying small, and some of the EE x EEs are starting to get red now.. this one is not. I am feeling decently hopeful. This one is very friendly.

Unnamed - thought pullet, not sure now
This one I was so sure was a pullet, but I don't know now. Very friendly, comb is small and not red/pink.

Unnamed - Cockerel
I believe this is one of the ones that is starting to get red on the comb. And with that stance... haha.

Unnamed - Looks pullet but not sure
Triangle. Usually means hen. Crossing fingers! I think it's interesting how the EE x EE are a gradient. From white/gray, to gray, to darker gray, to black. Keeping that orange the whole way.

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Zeeb (Old English Game Bantam) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Beez" - Unknown
I was decently sure she was a pullet but now I feel up in the air about it. Comb is staying pretty small and not red at all. And OEBs are pretty easy to sex (to me?), so maybe I'm right with pullet?

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Mostaccioli (Mystic Maran) x Wheaten or Cheetah (Easter Egger)

"Gnocchi" - Cockerel
Very friendly, very over-bearing, and probably won't get to become full grown because of that. A bit of an unintentional "bully" to the smaller chickens, and hogs food. Very chill and sweet though.

"Rigatoni" - Cockerel
Same as Gnocchi, just a little more shy/less interested in human interaction.

"Ditalini" - pullet
Remember how I said she had never approached me or eaten out of my hand before? As of the other day, she has! She's opening up a bit more.

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And the Extras!

"Twisted Transistor/Twisty" - still thinking pullet.
Her face seems wry, and her beak doesn't seem to be crossing at all. It doesn't affect her peck/bite strength at all, she was trying to eat my finger the other day and I was surprised!

"Groucho" - cockerel
He gets less ugly by the day. But unfortunately, he is still not what I want/color and sex wise haha. He is the one who gets startled the easiest and makes that "!!!" noise. He is also decently brave. They have been being introduced to the big chickens through a pen next to the adult chickens' pen. He was pecking Mostaccioli's comb and face a bunch.. but then he got pecked back and learned his lesson.

"Sour Cream" - pullet
Sometimes I go "what if I'm wrong and she's a cockerel?"... but her behavior is so hen-like, she is so soft and meek and gentle and stands so low down. But I definitely don't think she's purebred. Look at that insanely long tail! Looking at Townline Hatchery's website, which is where I hear TSC's chickens come from, I'm going to guess she has some OEB or Sebright blood in her, which is kind of great!

"Stella" - pullet
Oh, Stella is SOOO small still. She is seriously so small I can't even express it. She can't be loose in the x-pen with the other babies because she can walk right through the bars. And do that, she did- right into the adult chicken pen... so scary! She is so small the adult chickens probably just thought she was a sparrow and ignored/didn't notice her. She was saved and is okay!

"Concrete" - cockerel
We are disappointed he is a boy and cannot stay. But he is quite friendly, sweet, personable, and quick to stand up for himself against the other cockerels!

"Butter" - pullet
Or so we're assuming. She's looking very girly and is very cute.

And here's some pics of meeting the adults!

Twisty observes, while Ditalini in the back meets her mom, Mostaccioli.

Roadrunner in the front, the adult chickens in the back checking everyone out.

Pretty babies.

Surbhi!​