This introduction is for those that may not have seen the “Derperella, the (weird) Faverolles and Friends” thread; sadly a great number of the photos that were in that thread are now gone, so I’d like to post a little recap with some of the lost photos here. That thread was enormous, old, and admittedly somewhat neglected toward the end. I wanted to start a thread for all of my chickens, because they are all so unique and interesting! So here we go:
This is written in a story format for fun, because that was part of the charm of the old thread. In the end, this is just one person’s telling of some backyard chickens that won her heart (and, it seems, the hearts of others as well).
It all began with a dream and a little box.
Jennifer (that’s me) has been a bird lover since she first had the brainpower to rub two thoughts together. Those two thoughts were surely winged, with feather dander poofing out from between them, as some of her first memories were of birds. She was gifted with pet cockatiels and a budgie at a very young age, and grew up with bird friends indeed. One of the cockatiels spent 25 long years with Jennifer as a wonderful companion. So, it was not unnatural for her to want outdoor birds as well. The idea of chickens was firmly planted, and as Jennifer and her husband (we will later know them as the “Fud Lady” and “Fud Guy”) shopped for a small home, one requirement was that there be room and laws allowing for chickens. In 2011 the order for a little box of chicks was placed, and in May of 2011, it began with a little box.
“Ah,” Jennifer thought, “Outdoor birds! I love my parrots, but these are livestock. I will do my best to care for them but sometimes stuff happens.” Jennifer is a very practical person and is no stranger to processing an ethically sourced meal from an animal; in fact, as a hunter, she prefers to be directly responsible for her protein as factory farms really bum her out. “If any of the chickens don’t work out, we shall give them a good life then eat them!” Oh, how naïve, Fud Lady. How naïve.
So, the little box of peeping chicks arrived one chilly May morning.
All, however, was not well.
Derperella, 10 days old.
One little Faverolles chick in the box of eight was accidentally trampled by the others, and she lay there, cold and almost lifeless. Already Jennifer’s practicality started to become eroded as she spent many hours warming the seemingly doomed chick and spent days afterward helping it through crop impactions, wry neck, and general failure to thrive. Still, the chick survived, and as soon as it seemed like it would make it, a name was sought. “Derpella”, a friend suggested. Inspired, Jennifer changed it slightly to “Derperella”, as the little chick was treated as a princess (Cinderella), but seemed a bit goofy (derp). As Derperella grew, it became more obvious that she was indeed a strange one. Her colors were incorrect for her breed. Her entire skull was slightly twisted. There was the cotton swab Incident.
Oh no, baby Derperella... that's not where that belongs!
As she grew, she fell in love with a Grill, and a Chair (alas, fickle young love! Derp no longer has a fascination with either Grill or Chair.) She’d skirt around the rooster in her strange rolling gait; “Just goin’ round the rooster!”. Over the years she has had many strange adventures and quirky ways of life. In the stories of Derp, she was often imagined with a very silly and simple way of “thinking”, and it seemed likely that all the chickens saw Jennifer as a “Food Lady”. In Derp’s case, that became “Fud Lady”, and the nickname just stuck!
Derp, goin 'round the rooster.
In early 2016, she suddenly developed chronic wry neck, and after several veterinary checks, it was determined that she probably sustained an injury to her head or neck that caused the problem. Wry neck causes her relaxed position to place her head “Down” and almost reversed, which makes getting around… well… tricky! Derp’s quality of life outdoors with the rest of the flock crashed immediately, and as the other flock members could tell something was awry, they were unkind to her. Derperella became a house chicken in 2016, and she seems to love it! She has since decided that she is a People, and other chickens are enemies. She has become Derperella: The Warrior Princess. The Fud Lady must use great care, for Derp will attack any other chicken on sight, and with great violence! Derperella will first posture, with every single feather on her body roused to be as large as possible. A sideways dance, then suddenly Derp is off! She springs into the air to kick-box her opponent, but as she has wry neck and this flips her head upside-down, instead of connecting, Derp simply rolls across the yard like a tumbleweed, legs and wings kicking furiously! This infuriates her. How dare her enemies cause her to roll across the lawn! And just like that, Derperella will growl and yell and carry on for hours, in her rage. Yes indeed, the Fud Lady takes great care now to prevent Chicken War (it’s a bit one sided…).
Derp, visiting Chair.
Derperella, despite being the star of the show, is not the Fud Lady’s only hen. In that box were seven other little chicks, and as they grew, Jennifer quickly realized that they were not just livestock, so easily put onto a plate. They had unique personalities, quirks, and some were downright cuddly and made for better pets than some dogs or cats! The other personalities included:
Little Loaf, a cochin chick, who sadly died suddenly at only a few days old.
Coho, a Salmon Faverolles, and Derp’s “Sister”. RIP, as she passed away in 2015. She was very sweet and very cuddly, but had a poor immune system from the start and was always sickly. Despite veterinary intervention on several occasions, she did not make it.
Chickadee, one of the smartest barred rocks in the world. Current boss hen, and wildly clever.
Chickadee can undo latches, comes when called, will follow basic commands, loves a good cuddle, and overall is fascinating and wonderful to behold.
Moa, Chickadee’s barred rock sister. Moa passed away last week at 6.5 years old, and was the matronly former boss hen. She is dearly missed by all.
Lorp, the uncreatively named black Australorp. Aloof, beautiful, and wicked, she is the least friendly flock member.
Gullincombe, the accidental partridge rock rooster. Too powerful of a personality for the flock, Gullin was rehomed after an eight hour car ride to a new home in CT.
Kua, the gold/red sex link. Kua sadly passed away in 2014 after succumbing to aggressive reproductive cancer, as sadly is not unusual for her breed.
As the years have come and gone, there have been other players, as well:
Willow, the beautiful golden easter egger. Willow is shy and thoughtful, but friendly and lovely.
Panic Pants, the accidental easter egger rooster. Panic Pants became overly aggressive with the hens, trying to kill them. He was rehomed with a sassy older flock of Rhode Island Red hens that put him in his place and lives peacefully on a large farm to this day.
Trousers, the cochin rooster. The best rooster one could ask for; gentle, quiet, but protective. He was robbed from this earth all too young by Marek’s disease, and began Jennifer’s quest for Marek’s disease research and led to the writing of the Marek’s FAQ.
Baron Rufflerump (“Bubbles” or “Puddle”), a blue cochin rooster. A nice rooster that developed a severe handicap in his leg tendons at a young age, possibly due to Marek’s (unconfirmed). Despite his handicap, he gets around and lives a pampered existence, and will be supported as long as he has a good quality of life.
Mildred, the black cochin hen. Mildred is best described as “enormous and vacant”. She doesn’t seem to possess much mental prowess, and indeed sometimes needs help with simple tasks, such as finding the coop at night. She is, however, quite sweet and doesn’t seem to have any idea that she’s last in the pecking order. She allows her friend Willow to hide in her enormous pantaloons, if Willow desires.
So here we are, now. As the flock and the Fud Lady mourn the passing of dear sweet Moa, they also look to the future. The Fud Lady, after losing two hens to reproductive complications, and knowing that the aging flock might see more problems in the future, began doing some research. She knew now that her chickens were truly beloved pets, and that she wanted to make their lives as excellent as possible. After all, the chickens have been genuine therapy, and have caused so much joy in her life, that she felt obligated to return the favor. There are many excellent breeders out there, but due to the confirmed Marek’s disease on the property, and going through its cruel impacts (seeing a loved bird suffer through it was extremely heartbreaking), she knew she would only dare bring home properly vaccinated chicks. In the end, she sought out a farm/small scale hatchery that seems to focus on quality over quantity, and in April of 2018 the next players in the story should arrive: six little Bielefelder chicks.
Stay tuned, if you’d like, for a new thread updating the lives, and antics, of this small flock!
So named the Featherdust Flock; Featherdust is the name of my art business, as my whole life I have been surrounded by fluffy bird spores. It seems an apt name for my little personable flock!
I won’t always post in third person, don’t worry… just the story parts. J I’m hoping by starting a new thread, I can start this new chapter in chicken keeping, and share it with those that are interested. Thanks for reading, more soon!
This is written in a story format for fun, because that was part of the charm of the old thread. In the end, this is just one person’s telling of some backyard chickens that won her heart (and, it seems, the hearts of others as well).
It all began with a dream and a little box.
Jennifer (that’s me) has been a bird lover since she first had the brainpower to rub two thoughts together. Those two thoughts were surely winged, with feather dander poofing out from between them, as some of her first memories were of birds. She was gifted with pet cockatiels and a budgie at a very young age, and grew up with bird friends indeed. One of the cockatiels spent 25 long years with Jennifer as a wonderful companion. So, it was not unnatural for her to want outdoor birds as well. The idea of chickens was firmly planted, and as Jennifer and her husband (we will later know them as the “Fud Lady” and “Fud Guy”) shopped for a small home, one requirement was that there be room and laws allowing for chickens. In 2011 the order for a little box of chicks was placed, and in May of 2011, it began with a little box.
“Ah,” Jennifer thought, “Outdoor birds! I love my parrots, but these are livestock. I will do my best to care for them but sometimes stuff happens.” Jennifer is a very practical person and is no stranger to processing an ethically sourced meal from an animal; in fact, as a hunter, she prefers to be directly responsible for her protein as factory farms really bum her out. “If any of the chickens don’t work out, we shall give them a good life then eat them!” Oh, how naïve, Fud Lady. How naïve.
So, the little box of peeping chicks arrived one chilly May morning.
All, however, was not well.
Derperella, 10 days old.
One little Faverolles chick in the box of eight was accidentally trampled by the others, and she lay there, cold and almost lifeless. Already Jennifer’s practicality started to become eroded as she spent many hours warming the seemingly doomed chick and spent days afterward helping it through crop impactions, wry neck, and general failure to thrive. Still, the chick survived, and as soon as it seemed like it would make it, a name was sought. “Derpella”, a friend suggested. Inspired, Jennifer changed it slightly to “Derperella”, as the little chick was treated as a princess (Cinderella), but seemed a bit goofy (derp). As Derperella grew, it became more obvious that she was indeed a strange one. Her colors were incorrect for her breed. Her entire skull was slightly twisted. There was the cotton swab Incident.
Oh no, baby Derperella... that's not where that belongs!
As she grew, she fell in love with a Grill, and a Chair (alas, fickle young love! Derp no longer has a fascination with either Grill or Chair.) She’d skirt around the rooster in her strange rolling gait; “Just goin’ round the rooster!”. Over the years she has had many strange adventures and quirky ways of life. In the stories of Derp, she was often imagined with a very silly and simple way of “thinking”, and it seemed likely that all the chickens saw Jennifer as a “Food Lady”. In Derp’s case, that became “Fud Lady”, and the nickname just stuck!
Derp, goin 'round the rooster.
In early 2016, she suddenly developed chronic wry neck, and after several veterinary checks, it was determined that she probably sustained an injury to her head or neck that caused the problem. Wry neck causes her relaxed position to place her head “Down” and almost reversed, which makes getting around… well… tricky! Derp’s quality of life outdoors with the rest of the flock crashed immediately, and as the other flock members could tell something was awry, they were unkind to her. Derperella became a house chicken in 2016, and she seems to love it! She has since decided that she is a People, and other chickens are enemies. She has become Derperella: The Warrior Princess. The Fud Lady must use great care, for Derp will attack any other chicken on sight, and with great violence! Derperella will first posture, with every single feather on her body roused to be as large as possible. A sideways dance, then suddenly Derp is off! She springs into the air to kick-box her opponent, but as she has wry neck and this flips her head upside-down, instead of connecting, Derp simply rolls across the yard like a tumbleweed, legs and wings kicking furiously! This infuriates her. How dare her enemies cause her to roll across the lawn! And just like that, Derperella will growl and yell and carry on for hours, in her rage. Yes indeed, the Fud Lady takes great care now to prevent Chicken War (it’s a bit one sided…).
Derp, visiting Chair.
Derperella, despite being the star of the show, is not the Fud Lady’s only hen. In that box were seven other little chicks, and as they grew, Jennifer quickly realized that they were not just livestock, so easily put onto a plate. They had unique personalities, quirks, and some were downright cuddly and made for better pets than some dogs or cats! The other personalities included:
Little Loaf, a cochin chick, who sadly died suddenly at only a few days old.
Coho, a Salmon Faverolles, and Derp’s “Sister”. RIP, as she passed away in 2015. She was very sweet and very cuddly, but had a poor immune system from the start and was always sickly. Despite veterinary intervention on several occasions, she did not make it.
Chickadee, one of the smartest barred rocks in the world. Current boss hen, and wildly clever.
Chickadee can undo latches, comes when called, will follow basic commands, loves a good cuddle, and overall is fascinating and wonderful to behold.
Moa, Chickadee’s barred rock sister. Moa passed away last week at 6.5 years old, and was the matronly former boss hen. She is dearly missed by all.
Lorp, the uncreatively named black Australorp. Aloof, beautiful, and wicked, she is the least friendly flock member.
Gullincombe, the accidental partridge rock rooster. Too powerful of a personality for the flock, Gullin was rehomed after an eight hour car ride to a new home in CT.
Kua, the gold/red sex link. Kua sadly passed away in 2014 after succumbing to aggressive reproductive cancer, as sadly is not unusual for her breed.
As the years have come and gone, there have been other players, as well:
Willow, the beautiful golden easter egger. Willow is shy and thoughtful, but friendly and lovely.
Panic Pants, the accidental easter egger rooster. Panic Pants became overly aggressive with the hens, trying to kill them. He was rehomed with a sassy older flock of Rhode Island Red hens that put him in his place and lives peacefully on a large farm to this day.
Trousers, the cochin rooster. The best rooster one could ask for; gentle, quiet, but protective. He was robbed from this earth all too young by Marek’s disease, and began Jennifer’s quest for Marek’s disease research and led to the writing of the Marek’s FAQ.
Baron Rufflerump (“Bubbles” or “Puddle”), a blue cochin rooster. A nice rooster that developed a severe handicap in his leg tendons at a young age, possibly due to Marek’s (unconfirmed). Despite his handicap, he gets around and lives a pampered existence, and will be supported as long as he has a good quality of life.
Mildred, the black cochin hen. Mildred is best described as “enormous and vacant”. She doesn’t seem to possess much mental prowess, and indeed sometimes needs help with simple tasks, such as finding the coop at night. She is, however, quite sweet and doesn’t seem to have any idea that she’s last in the pecking order. She allows her friend Willow to hide in her enormous pantaloons, if Willow desires.
So here we are, now. As the flock and the Fud Lady mourn the passing of dear sweet Moa, they also look to the future. The Fud Lady, after losing two hens to reproductive complications, and knowing that the aging flock might see more problems in the future, began doing some research. She knew now that her chickens were truly beloved pets, and that she wanted to make their lives as excellent as possible. After all, the chickens have been genuine therapy, and have caused so much joy in her life, that she felt obligated to return the favor. There are many excellent breeders out there, but due to the confirmed Marek’s disease on the property, and going through its cruel impacts (seeing a loved bird suffer through it was extremely heartbreaking), she knew she would only dare bring home properly vaccinated chicks. In the end, she sought out a farm/small scale hatchery that seems to focus on quality over quantity, and in April of 2018 the next players in the story should arrive: six little Bielefelder chicks.
Stay tuned, if you’d like, for a new thread updating the lives, and antics, of this small flock!
So named the Featherdust Flock; Featherdust is the name of my art business, as my whole life I have been surrounded by fluffy bird spores. It seems an apt name for my little personable flock!
I won’t always post in third person, don’t worry… just the story parts. J I’m hoping by starting a new thread, I can start this new chapter in chicken keeping, and share it with those that are interested. Thanks for reading, more soon!
Your birds are beautiful as always! Great to see the amazing "Going 'Round the Rooster" strip again, too! 
)Your coop is beautiful! 
Knowing what a wonderful fud lady (and fud guy) you are, I know that your new birds will be handled, loved and have the best lives ever!
