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Remember that song from “Les Mis”?  Well, I guess it is nothing like that.

As I mentioned in my last post, I got new hens.  They are all on the young side, but I think this was the way to go rather than waiting to hatch my own or buy chicks in the spring.  Hatching my own was a lot of work and not super successful (remember Helmut?).  Starting with chicks just takes a long time.  They aren’t ready to lay until about 5 months old, so it would be mid summer before I saw more eggs.  These hens are all about 4-8 months old, so they will be laying right away.

It was quite the hilarious operation.  I drove out to Lloyd Center mid day to meet a guy in a very back parking lot.  He had a pick up full of cages and was doling out hens here and there.  While I visited, two other women drove up and collected their city chickens.  It was like a drug deal with no drugs!

Here are my new chickens!

Bella is on the left (she’s a Delaware) and Rita on the right (New Hampshire Red).  Francis named Bella after a song from Strega Nona by Tomi di Paola about the moon.  She pronounces it with a Spanish accent and I say it with an Italian one, but we both know who we are talking about.

This is Evelyn.  I don’t know what she is.  The farmer didn’t know what she was either.  He mumbled something about Macon cross blah blah blah… I had actually asked for an australorpe, but I saw her and was stunned at her green/black/red feathers.  She is so gorgeous.

Much to Francis’ chagrin, Brad has named this chicken Hasty.  Hasty was a sort of joke suggestion for Francis’ middle name.  In the running for Francis’s middle name was also “Bacon” and “Aufterheide”.  This is how we came up with baby names for our children: we suggested ridiculous names until we found something good.  Then again, this is also  how we got “Zephyr”.

The “old” girls are also looking quite good I’d say.  Their molt is done and they look shiny and fat.  Hildy especially looks great right now (golden laced wyandotte).  Her feathers finally grew in (after nasty Agnes pulled them out).

Frankie is maturing nicely.  She is still pretty high-strung.  I still can not catch her easily, and she is by no means my favorite chicken, but she is healthy and will most likely be a good layer.  She is either a barred rock or a dominique.  I can’t tell the difference.

This time around I was careful to get hens that are contrasting in patterns and colors.   Now I have a hen house full of jewels.  Aren’t they pretty?

In: Chickens Are Super Fabulous | | #