Hello fellow Utahns! I have been silently reading this thread for a while now and decided that I should introduce myself. My hope is that I can make some friends here. We have eight chickens, one who is a sneaky rooster. They started off as a mothers day present of four chicks and have mysteriously doubled since May
I am mom and step-mom in a family of nine (a modern Brady Bunch plus one). We are in the Rose Park area. The chickens were bought in three different sets so we have the big girls, the medium girls (aka the psycho sisters), and the baby girls.
The Big Girls (15-17 weeks)
Henry the RIR rooster. He has started to crow this past week at 17 weeks old. I have not heard this as he stops if I show up. My husband assures me that it is loud and comical.
Ophelia the buff Orpington. She seems to be the boss. She started off super friendly but will no longer cuddle with me. However she is fast to notice if I have treats. She and Henry let the other big girls know if I have entered the yard and whether or not I have treats.
Peaber the Plymouth Barred Rock. She was the fifth "big girl" (the fourth big girl died and is the reason we got the baby girls). We bought her when the others were three(ish) weeks old. She was at least a week older and maybe two...one of the fully feathered ones that they sell for a dollar at IFA. She is really stupid. I am trying to be brief in these descriptions, or I would go into more detail there. She definitely entertains us.
Lacy the who knows what. Lacy was supposed to be a GLW, but is not. I posted about her and the consensus was Wellsummer/mix or a black sex link. She is standoffish and super smart. She leads the others to food around the yard (we have a little over a half acre lot and they have supervised free range time every day). She also knows how to sneak a treat from the humans without the others knowing and is the first to try new treats.
The Medium Girls (11 weeks)
Nox the blue Andalusian. I am fairly convinced she is the reason the two were named the psycho sisters. She runs around like a road runner and panics easily. She is weird I that she loves to be held if you can catch her. She will just totally pass out in your lap and is like a cat in letting you know where to pet. That is, if you can catch her. Most of the time we don't bother, she's so fast!!!
Ruby the RIR. She was purchased to replace Henry when we found out he was a boy. Nox was an impulse buy so that Ruby didn't have to be alone. She doesn't have much of a personality, kind of in Nox's shadow. She does have a mohawk where her saddle feathers are.
The Baby Girls (8.5 weeks both are EE's to replace the one that died)
Opal blue and rust colored. Really pretty girl she is a sweet heart. She goes limp when you hold her with her legs dangling.
Pearl white with black and rust feathers. The black feathers are really well hidden, you just notice them from time to time. She also has a blue patch on her head. The rust color is a lacing from breast to half way down her back. Quite a few EE's with her pattern but it is difficult to explain. She is the leader of these two and is quite assertive even with the big girls. She even chases off Henry from time to time (Henry is a bit of a whimp sometimes, though he does chase the cats off). When I first got the baby girls, they would peep all night if I didn't rock them to sleep (aka let them nestle under my shirt). They are still somewhat convinced that I am their mother.
So, here we are. No one is laying yet. The babies are still in the mini coop until they get a little bigger. None of the groups mingle together. They stick with their sisters and chase off the next youngest. Medium and big girls are in the coops together but still don't like each other. They don't fight though, so that is good. I suppose you can tell I am enjoying my girls...and Henry. Nice to meet you all!

The Big Girls (15-17 weeks)
Henry the RIR rooster. He has started to crow this past week at 17 weeks old. I have not heard this as he stops if I show up. My husband assures me that it is loud and comical.
Ophelia the buff Orpington. She seems to be the boss. She started off super friendly but will no longer cuddle with me. However she is fast to notice if I have treats. She and Henry let the other big girls know if I have entered the yard and whether or not I have treats.
Peaber the Plymouth Barred Rock. She was the fifth "big girl" (the fourth big girl died and is the reason we got the baby girls). We bought her when the others were three(ish) weeks old. She was at least a week older and maybe two...one of the fully feathered ones that they sell for a dollar at IFA. She is really stupid. I am trying to be brief in these descriptions, or I would go into more detail there. She definitely entertains us.
Lacy the who knows what. Lacy was supposed to be a GLW, but is not. I posted about her and the consensus was Wellsummer/mix or a black sex link. She is standoffish and super smart. She leads the others to food around the yard (we have a little over a half acre lot and they have supervised free range time every day). She also knows how to sneak a treat from the humans without the others knowing and is the first to try new treats.
The Medium Girls (11 weeks)
Nox the blue Andalusian. I am fairly convinced she is the reason the two were named the psycho sisters. She runs around like a road runner and panics easily. She is weird I that she loves to be held if you can catch her. She will just totally pass out in your lap and is like a cat in letting you know where to pet. That is, if you can catch her. Most of the time we don't bother, she's so fast!!!
Ruby the RIR. She was purchased to replace Henry when we found out he was a boy. Nox was an impulse buy so that Ruby didn't have to be alone. She doesn't have much of a personality, kind of in Nox's shadow. She does have a mohawk where her saddle feathers are.
The Baby Girls (8.5 weeks both are EE's to replace the one that died)
Opal blue and rust colored. Really pretty girl she is a sweet heart. She goes limp when you hold her with her legs dangling.
Pearl white with black and rust feathers. The black feathers are really well hidden, you just notice them from time to time. She also has a blue patch on her head. The rust color is a lacing from breast to half way down her back. Quite a few EE's with her pattern but it is difficult to explain. She is the leader of these two and is quite assertive even with the big girls. She even chases off Henry from time to time (Henry is a bit of a whimp sometimes, though he does chase the cats off). When I first got the baby girls, they would peep all night if I didn't rock them to sleep (aka let them nestle under my shirt). They are still somewhat convinced that I am their mother.
So, here we are. No one is laying yet. The babies are still in the mini coop until they get a little bigger. None of the groups mingle together. They stick with their sisters and chase off the next youngest. Medium and big girls are in the coops together but still don't like each other. They don't fight though, so that is good. I suppose you can tell I am enjoying my girls...and Henry. Nice to meet you all!