I try to sit out with my chickens every day to keep them social and friendly, and it gives me an opportunity to check everyone over and make sure no one is sick or acting oddly. I've been meaning to get some pictures of everyone for a while now, and I finally had a camera with me to get some.
A little background info: The youngest group will be 8 weeks old tomorrow. The younger French Black Copper Marans are around 9 weeks old (not sure when their birthday was), the darker Silkies are around 14 weeks old, the paint Silkie is around 10 weeks. The French Blue Copper Maran is approx 23 weeks old. Big Blue (the Blue Maran) should be giving me her first egg soon.
Left: Bandit was the mystery chick I got from Murray McMurray Hatchery. She is a little flighty, but will sit on anyone who will sit out in the coop with her.
Right: Elisabeth is the middle-sized Columbian Wyandotte. She and the other two are also flighty, but won't shy from a petting once she decides to jump on you.
Left: I think I only have one rooster in the Mottled Houdan bunch. I bought seven (2 roosters and 5 hens) originally, but one died in the first week. Domino is the only one showing any bright red anywhere, and he's the only one growing in his comb.
Right: I'm very popular when food and water are not on the forefront of their minds.
Left: Sometimes I'm very popular
Right: My two Polish. I purchased two hens, but polish are so difficult to sex at an early age, it's never a guarantee. A friend of mine helped me name the rooster. He said that the rooster looks like Patti Labelle. Well, his name is now Labelle. The hen is Lady Marmalade
The Houdan hens thought their time to shine has occured.
Left: Yin (left) and Yang (middle) became very curious
Right: Elisabeth is just roaming around
Left: Bandit decided to rejoin the party
Right: DOMINO!
Domino has just recently started perching, and I was happy to note he is very photogenic.
Left: Labelle is ready for his close-up
Right: ARE YOU READY TO ROCK!
Left: Sweet Feather of the Houdan Hens.
Right: Yang said hey.
Left: Feather
Right: Domino. He gets up close and personal. He has no sense of personal space.
Lady Marmalade, "You may look, but don't touch."
Left: Domino again
Right: Feather
Left: Feather is one of the two refined Houdan Hens. She is sweet, doesn't mind being touched, but she refuses to push anyone out of her way. She is more than happy to wait her turn.
Right: One of the French Black Copper Marans. I am trying to figure out if he is a rooster or a hen. I am leaning more rooster since the comb and waddle are a bit more on the red side than the other one that is the same age.
Black Maran (Roo?)
French Black Copper Maran hen, without a doubt. Her comb is a fleshy pink, and she has hen saddle back feathering.
Left: Black Maran hen
Right: Chicken Photo Bomb!
Left: Houdan Hens Clover (left), Yin (middle), and Feather (right)
Right: Half Pint, the fourth Houdan Hen, is staying out of the way. Because she isn't growing like the others, she tends to get picked on so she tries to stay away from the bigger ones during an active time.
Left: Top view of the Houdans
Right: Labelle showing off his plumage
Left: Elisabeth
Right: Angel (the most shy of the Wyandottes)
Left: Labelle
Right: I think that's Half Pint finally coming over for some inquisitive time.
They just don't give a cluck!
Left: Still no cluck given
Right: Big Blue decided to make her presence known, though she goes no where near me. One of the blue silkies is foraging for something to eat.
Feather. She's marvelous.
Left: Feather
Right: Guess what. Chicken Butt!
Yang and Domino were checking themselves out, so I snapped a couple of photos
Domino
Left: Domino loves the camera.
Right: Labelle (left) and Lady Marmalade (right)
Left: Lady Marmalade decided to join the party
Right: Black Maran (roo?)
Left: Well, I was trying to get pictures of the black Silkie, but I got chicken bombed by Yang
Right: Black Silkie
Left: Lady Marmalade and one of the blue Silkies
Right: Black Silkie
Left: Blue Silkie number 2 (maybe hen?)
Right: Blue Silkie number 1 (maybe roo?) I haven't been able to tell the difference between the two blue Silkies for a while, so it's just a guess right now as to which is which.
Left: Clover
Right: Top view of Clover's plume
Left: Black Maran (roo?)
Right: Half Pint measured against the others who are the same age
Two Blue Silkies. I wonder of the Blue on the right thinks she's part goose. LOL
More pictures of the black maran roo(?)
The paint Silkie was getting aggravated at me. It was getting too close to bed time, and she was tired of me sitting there.
Left: I know, it looks like Big Blue is hiking her leg. ;) Paint was getting nervous of the camera in her face.
Right: Dot one of the Speckled Sussex and (you guessed it) Domino
Left: The other Sussex Polka, Bandit was perched and happy, and Angel likes to look out.
Right: The black Silkie
Left: Black Silkie
Just taking pictures of chicken feet. Ask why. Go ahead, ask why.... CHICKEN THIGH!
On a more serious note, I wanted to show off the fifth toes of the Houdans, the feathered feet of the French Marans, and the skin pigmentations between the different breeds. I would have had pictures of Columbian Wyandotte feet, but NO, Elisabeth didn't want to cooperate...
Left: Big Blue
Right: Another shot of the Houdan Feet. Actually, this pair belongs to Half Pint. Since she isn't growing at the same rate as the others, you may note that she doesn't have a lot of freckling.
Left: Lady Marmalade's feet
Right: One of the blue Silkie legs. You can't see their feet because the feathering is so thick, but the skin is black and no fifth toe
The Paint decided to come back.
Left: Paint
Right: Lady Marmalade
The two blue Silkies posing
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