TheYLWFlock
Crowing
We didn’t want chickens. Not at all. Sure, we wanted their eggs and meat, but not chickens. Why would we want them? They had to be smelly and noisy, and aren’t they mean? No, we did not want chickens, not one bit. But then I read a book.
A book with a character that had chickens. I wanted to be that character, that person with the fresh basket of eggs each day, the meat once the hens were older, the person with the beautiful flock of fancy feathered friends. Suddenly I wanted chickens, I wanted them every little bit.
When the rest of the family was asked, they were in on it too! We were on our journey to raising chickens, and preparations lasted a long time! We (well, I) spent months reading about the different breeds, finding local breeders that we could pick them up from, designing a coop, researching and researching, research, research, RESEARCH. Finally we had everything settled and by early January were placing our order on 7 little babies and picking up coop supplies!
Months turned into weeks, weeks into days and soon enough we were counting down the hours until departure to the breeder! We were especially excited for the Silkie we had ordered. It would be so fuzzy and docile and cute and we couldn’t wait until we could get it! But when we got to them farm to pick up our chicks, there was an upsetting surprise waiting for us...
See, we had wanted a Silkie, we had wanted one BAD. But when we got to the farm, the wonderful breeder told us that our special little splash Silkie hadn’t hatched. None of the eggs in the Silkie batch had. This was really upsetting news. That had been THE bird we wanted and we weren’t getting it. How dare this happen! We then had two choices, either wait another 2-3 weeks and come and pick up our Silkie after that batch hatched, or take this wild looking brown thing with crazy leg feathers.
“What is it?” We asked her, staring at the peeping fuzz ball with humongous boots. (Can you guess the breed?)
Apparently it was a Mille Fleur Belgian D'uccle. It was such a fancy name for a, well, CHICKEN, that we were taken aback. What could this strangely named, crazy looking thing turn into, we wondered. I don’t think we were prepared for the sheer beauty of an adult D’uccle. It’s dad had been a show winning Porcelain, and it’s mom, a Mille Fleur. The breeder said that if we didn’t take it she would keep it to show, because it was a very good quality bird. Those words had us sold.
Now this little bird was different than the rest. She didn’t run as if a giant was coming to eat her when a hand reached inside the brooder, didn’t squirm or peep loudly when picked up or pet and would even eat out of your hand! She was docile, confident and oh-so pretty and she soon found out what it’s like to be a favorite.
We struggled to think of a name for the dear thing, for what name could be so fitting for the little beauty she was? As many people do, we tried to find names out of her name... Mille? No. Fleur? No. Belgian? Yeah... no. D’uccle? Hmmm, sounds kind of like ducal, a royal title for a duke or duchess. Duchess. DUCHESS! That was it, a perfect name for a perfect little princess. Yes, Dutchy was the one, the ONE!
She is a great little girl and looking beautiful, if not a little awkward...! We couldn’t imagine life without her!
Just wanted to share this story to show that things often work out even if it’s not exactly how you had planned for it to happen!
Happy chicken keeping everyone!
(Sorry, I have a lot of photos of her, but it’s hard not to!)
A book with a character that had chickens. I wanted to be that character, that person with the fresh basket of eggs each day, the meat once the hens were older, the person with the beautiful flock of fancy feathered friends. Suddenly I wanted chickens, I wanted them every little bit.
When the rest of the family was asked, they were in on it too! We were on our journey to raising chickens, and preparations lasted a long time! We (well, I) spent months reading about the different breeds, finding local breeders that we could pick them up from, designing a coop, researching and researching, research, research, RESEARCH. Finally we had everything settled and by early January were placing our order on 7 little babies and picking up coop supplies!
Months turned into weeks, weeks into days and soon enough we were counting down the hours until departure to the breeder! We were especially excited for the Silkie we had ordered. It would be so fuzzy and docile and cute and we couldn’t wait until we could get it! But when we got to them farm to pick up our chicks, there was an upsetting surprise waiting for us...
See, we had wanted a Silkie, we had wanted one BAD. But when we got to the farm, the wonderful breeder told us that our special little splash Silkie hadn’t hatched. None of the eggs in the Silkie batch had. This was really upsetting news. That had been THE bird we wanted and we weren’t getting it. How dare this happen! We then had two choices, either wait another 2-3 weeks and come and pick up our Silkie after that batch hatched, or take this wild looking brown thing with crazy leg feathers.
“What is it?” We asked her, staring at the peeping fuzz ball with humongous boots. (Can you guess the breed?)
Apparently it was a Mille Fleur Belgian D'uccle. It was such a fancy name for a, well, CHICKEN, that we were taken aback. What could this strangely named, crazy looking thing turn into, we wondered. I don’t think we were prepared for the sheer beauty of an adult D’uccle. It’s dad had been a show winning Porcelain, and it’s mom, a Mille Fleur. The breeder said that if we didn’t take it she would keep it to show, because it was a very good quality bird. Those words had us sold.
Now this little bird was different than the rest. She didn’t run as if a giant was coming to eat her when a hand reached inside the brooder, didn’t squirm or peep loudly when picked up or pet and would even eat out of your hand! She was docile, confident and oh-so pretty and she soon found out what it’s like to be a favorite.
We struggled to think of a name for the dear thing, for what name could be so fitting for the little beauty she was? As many people do, we tried to find names out of her name... Mille? No. Fleur? No. Belgian? Yeah... no. D’uccle? Hmmm, sounds kind of like ducal, a royal title for a duke or duchess. Duchess. DUCHESS! That was it, a perfect name for a perfect little princess. Yes, Dutchy was the one, the ONE!
She is a great little girl and looking beautiful, if not a little awkward...! We couldn’t imagine life without her!
Just wanted to share this story to show that things often work out even if it’s not exactly how you had planned for it to happen!
Happy chicken keeping everyone!
(Sorry, I have a lot of photos of her, but it’s hard not to!)
