Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[Amberjem]

whats the diff between spangled and splash? I love how she looks like she splattered herself with white paint

 

[catface]

In the sunlight she looks almost green with the irridescence on her black feathers. I also have Ayam Cemani which are the "blackest" chickens ever and her black is just as nice as theirs.
I also have a Chocolate Orp hen the same age as her who is the biggest comedian ever. She's learned how to pick huckleberries off the trees. I spent all last summer/fall wondering why my huckleberry bushes were empty until I saw her jumping 5 feet in the air and grabbing berries off the trees.

 

[Amberjem]

In the sunlight she looks almost green with the irridescence on her black feathers. I also have Ayam Cemani which are the "blackest" chickens ever and her black is just as nice as theirs.
I also have a Chocolate Orp hen the same age as her who is the biggest comedian ever. She's learned how to pick huckleberries off the trees. I spent all last summer/fall wondering why my huckleberry bushes were empty until I saw her jumping 5 feet in the air and grabbing berries off the trees.

hahah that cracks me up when I made the waterering bucket and put it in the henhouse run the baby chicks were so small still they had to jump up to tap the chicken nipples was hilarious to watch

 

[Ashley Stroud]

In the sunlight she looks almost green with the irridescence on her black feathers. I also have Ayam Cemani which are the "blackest" chickens ever and her black is just as nice as theirs.
I also have a Chocolate Orp hen the same age as her who is the biggest comedian ever. She's learned how to pick huckleberries off the trees. I spent all last summer/fall wondering why my huckleberry bushes were empty until I saw her jumping 5 feet in the air and grabbing berries off the trees.

Oh my gosh! When I saw my hens jumping for blackberries this past summer, I about peed my pants I laughed so hard! They look ridiculous jumping like that! It looked like they were doing jumping jacks!

 

[catface]

Yes! I saw her out the window and didn't know what the heck she was doing. I went out and saw her picking berries. When she was a chick I used to pick huckleberries (there's about a dozen bushes here) and she'd follow me around to all the bushes and pick up any berries I'd drop. Of course I dropped a lot on purpose because I couldn't help it she was so cute. And a few months later she was picking her own and I got no more jam. Honestly, I'm such a sucker I'd rather give them the berries than make jam anyhow.
I live in the woods and have huckleberries, blackberries. wild strawberries, wild raspberries, salal berries, wild blue berries, 2 types of mustard greens, wild plantain, and chanterelle mushrooms that all grow naturally in my yard. I used to harvest them all for myself but now that I have chickens I never see any of it.
At least I know that they're foraging is great!

 

[Aliciahess]

In the sunlight she looks almost green with the irridescence on her black feathers. I also have Ayam Cemani which are the "blackest" chickens ever and her black is just as nice as theirs.
I also have a Chocolate Orp hen the same age as her who is the biggest comedian ever. She's learned how to pick huckleberries off the trees. I spent all last summer/fall wondering why my huckleberry bushes were empty until I saw her jumping 5 feet in the air and grabbing berries off the trees.

Will you have Ayam Cemani eggs for sale...how much? They r so neat looking!
My roo learned to pick berries this summer, then he would make this clucky/chirpy noise and the great else would come running...he always shares his treats.

 

[Amberjem]

 

[catface]

My rooster does that too. I try to sneak him treats and he tell the girls about it and they take it from him. Then he looks at me with a pitiful look on his face because he didn't get any. I love that he's such a good rooster but he's such a pushover for the girls. I know it's a good thing that he's willing to give up food for the hens and chicks, it's the chicken version of providing for the family but there's no famine here
The only thing he keeps for himself is salmon skin. My family has a commercial salmon boat and when I cook salmon I cut the skin into tiny pieces for the chickens. He won't share that!

As far as the Cemani eggs, I will be selling but not for a while. I had Smithsonian lines to start with and they have way too many culls. About 3/4 of the chicks had white on them and even white skin. They were great for a small meat bird since they are a game fowl but not good for breeding quality Cemanis. They were small but tasted great when I butchered the roosters. They have a "gamey" taste like wild fowl which I like.

I now have chicks from Greenfire that are looking much better but not nearly ready to lay yet.

I still have 1 Smithsonian rooster that I breed to my American Orpington hens for meat birds but the nice Cemani's won't be available for about 5-6 months. Though I can't say enough good things about my hybrids.

The chicks almost never make a sound. I brood them in the house and forget they're here. They are always friendly. If you stick your hand into the brooder cage they don't run away, they come to you and try to climb your arm. You have to shake them off to get the food and water dishes out. They mature very quickly. My roosters start crowing at 8-10 weeks of age. The best part: the roosters are almost totally quiet! They crow when they first learn how but after that, almost never. I have not heard my Cemani hybrid rooster crow in weeks.

Maybe because they're a wild bird they don't want to draw the attention of predators? I'm not sure but you could definitely get away with these in city limits.

 

[Ashley Stroud]

Anyone up for guessing Cockeral or Pullet?
My English Orp chicks are almost 9wks old and my Lavenders and Blacks are clearly distinguishable, but my Jubilees are giving me some trouble. Or maybe I'm just in denial and don't want to admit I have any cockerals!
These are from Papa's Poultry, Gisbrechts line.

Gemma:
pullet?


Philippa:
cockeral?








Georgiana:
cockeral?

 

[catface]

I drooled too when I first saw them! I'm a sucker for spotted chickens and English Orps are so big and fluffy when you hold one it's like a pillow! I cant help but rub my cheeks on them when I hold them! If a chicken could be a cloud, English Orps would be it!