Our girls, the chickens

Of our original six Rhode Island Reds, only three remain. Our neighbor's dog killed two and injured a third that died two days later after appearing to be fine. I miss them, I'm really attached to our girls. They are all so sweet with distinct personalities. Some like to be held, some are nervous nellies, some think their proper place is inside our home and try to run inside each time they see the front door opening. One jumps on my arm when I'm carrying their dinner to the barn to get first dibs. They all greet us when we drive home.

Since our coop is on its way this month and this is the last chance to acquire more chickens before the end of the season, we got some more chickens from a local farmer. We now have four babies in the brooder, all Rhode Island Reds.


Here is cousin Emma holding one at four days old. The sweet little things think they're under their mommy's breast when you hold them this way and fall asleep within seconds. I think the curve of her wrist is pretty in this photo.


Here are two of the four Buff Orpingtons that we acquired greeting us on the front doorstep. They are almost 5 weeks old and like to stick together. They are also excellent egg layers and ideal for our climate. They have gorgeous golden breasts when mature.

We also have two 8 week old Silver Laced Wyandottes but it's hard to get a good photo of them - they run everywhere and are well camouflaged. They are not as easy to handle as our other girls but we didn't raise them. They seem to be the best bug eaters in the bunch when they're out free-ranging and they trust us enough to return to the barn each evening for dinner and water.