Windy hill chickens - first flock(s) of my own

[cavemanrich]

If I remember aright, velcro was based on burdock seed heads.

We have a persistent weed, not sure of the name. Leaves look like rhubarb plant. Develops sticky seed bulbs,, I call Velcro.

I looked it up,, and sure enough Looks like a Budrock plant. There are also more varieties than you can shake a stick at.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Are they called anything else where you are? Some other common names here are goosegrass, and the best - sticky willies.

I'll be pretty surprised if I'm wrong. His barring is darker than the other Barred Rock cockerel from that hatch but lighter than the pullet's. His wattles, comb and face are more red and wattles are more developed than the pullet's, although again not as much as the other cockerel (who's also bigger and took less time to grow all his feathers). The pullet has a dark wash down her legs while the other two's legs are almost completely yellow, and she also had darker down and a neater head spot when she hatched. Much more chest-bumping between the two I think are cockerels as well.

They're 8½ weeks old now. I'll try to get photos of all three of them for comparison tomorrow.

Ours is also called catchstraw, bedstraw. It’s in the same family as sweet woodruff and looks like a very raggedy version of it (we have both, but only the sweet woodruff was deliberately planted.)

It doesn’t seem to be the same as what you’re talking about. Hooray for botanical names - ours is Galium aparine.

 

[kattabelly]

Ours is also called catchstraw, bedstraw. It’s in the same family as sweet woodruff and looks like a very raggedy version of it (we have both, but only the sweet woodruff was deliberately planted.)

It doesn’t seem to be the same as what you’re talking about. Hooray for botanical names - ours is Galium aparine.

G. aparine is what I mean too. Agree about common names - so confusing when one plant can have lots of common names and at the same time, one common name can be used for several different plants! Although even scientific names can be confusing when things keep getting reclassified.


I know G. verum as Lady's Bedstraw but don't really associate the name with aparine.

 

[kattabelly]

@BDutch

My phone's camera makes the pullet look only slightly darker than the other two but there's a bit more of a difference IRL.

A:

B:

C (pullet):

Pullet and B:

Pullet and B again, taken three days ago. They're both less pink and wattley here but her especially:

I think they'd be from this cock and he's fairly dark too (sorry, rubbish blurry video screenshot)

 

[Shadrach]

Few more photos because they're looking bonnie now at 8 weeks old.
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Norfolk Grey closest to my foot here - the others are all just over three weeks younger but catching up in size. She's splitting her time between hanging out with her hatch-mates and the younger ones now.
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(They do have a big waterer but obviously the distraction water I put out to avoid any of us breaking our necks when I refill it tastes better)

Nice looking birds Norfolk Greys in my view.

 

[kattabelly]

Nice looking birds Norfolk Greys in my view.

I think so too.

That one hatched with a partially unabsorbed and ruptured yolk and spent the first week sleeping under my chin because night-time feeds were the only way I could get enough food into her to believe she might not die. She was a scruffy, scrawny thing for ages after that and I'm still amazed now every time I look at her and see a proper chicken, never mind a pretty one.

 

[thistlewick]

omg the faces on these chickens are just SO CUTE AHHHHH

 

[kattabelly]

omg the faces on these chickens are just SO CUTE AHHHHH

They know! The pullet on particular is beautiful and an absolute sweetheart (and my first ever shoulder chicken, whether I wanted one or not).

I've been enjoying watching 'B' develop more of a personality recently too, after starting out as more of a nondescript background character compared to the others.

 

[BDutch]

@BDutch

My phone's camera makes the pullet look only slightly darker than the other two but there's a bit more of a difference IRL.

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A:
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B:
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C (pullet):
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Pullet and B:
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Pullet and B again, taken three days ago. They're both less pink and wattley here but her especially:
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I think they'd be from this cock and he's fairly dark too (sorry, rubbish blurry video screenshot)
View attachment 4186940

Great photos and explanation!

Fyi I am on a vacation in France and don’t have free WiFi. Therefore Im sparse with uploading photos. Camping a la ferme with a view on the French Alps and free ranging chickens (plain commercial hybrids) .

 

[kattabelly]

Great photos and explanation!

Fyi I am on a vacation in France and don’t have free WiFi. Therefore Im sparse with uploading photos. Camping a la ferme with a view on the French Alps and free ranging chickens (plain commercial hybrids) .

Oh sorry, and there's me posting loads and loads of photos. Hope you enjoy your holiday!