Ruby

This is Ruby...She was a good girl. 

• brown speckled egg
• lethargic, not producing eggs, poop was not solid/almost watery
• almost 3 years old
• top of pecking order
• Red Star

Since I knew the signs, I was calling imediately around at avian vets (there aren't very many here) and the only that could see me right away was someone in Sandy, just past Ikea.  The tech that examined her first thought..."yep she's eggbound" then the dr. came in and examined her and said...nope she's not eggbound...But he offered to keep her overnight and to do xrays to see if she had swallowed something foreign.  But being the practical girl I am (I was attached to her though) I opted to just take her home and see what happened.   She became better and less lethargic but still not producing any eggs and was just somehow less.  She was like that for about a year.  Then in the summer of 2011 she started being sedentary and only moving to eat or drink...(thankfully she was still doing those things).  I started to notice that when she pooped it would stick to her backside.  We cleaned her several times and one time I noticed a big mass to one side of her bum behind her leg.  All of the symtoms when googled indicated that she had cancer and then when I felt that mass I was pretty sure she had it too.  So I  just tried to keep her comfortable.  But at the end she wouldn't even get up to go to her normal bed in the garage at night time when all the other chickens would.. she stayed in a nesting box in the outdoor closet.  I was worried because a predator could come and she would probably just let them eat her.  I couldn't stand to see her like that anymore so I did the only humanely thing I could think of...I had my son put her out of her misery.  Sad day.  But she wasn't in pain anymore.

Henrietta

She is one of the oldies but very goodies. She's over 3 but still laying strong. Popo doesn't much fancy her. He often is chasing her away from the food, but she just says..."um hello, I was here first" It doesn't bother her one bit. She runs from his pecks and then is right back in his face.

Shirley is a b...girl

Forever we thought this silkie was a boy, mainly because he didn't like to be held and all the other ladies LOVE to be held but I guess that's not always true. Today since I would like to know more about who lays which egg, I spent a considerable amount of time outside just watching and being apart of their daily morning ritual. This is what I saw...I've seen the white silkie messing around in the nest boxes closet for a couple days now but I haven't actually seen her lay, but I've never seen the brown silkie in there at all. Today I saw her talking like she wanted to lay and then went in a nesting box for about 1/2 hour to do her business. Afterward she did the obligatory clucking..."I just layed an egg!!" And actually she was quite calm about it so one of the cuckoo marans helped her out..."now this is how you do it" I went right in to gather her egg and there it was all warm. One egg I now know is hers...it's light brown and of course the smallest. And that she's a lady now. BTW I named her Shirley (even when she was a boy)in a round about way to remind me that she is a partridge (the partridge family...shirley jones...is that a stretch?) silkie.

Three of a kind

I don't have a name for these guys and actually they aren't all the same. I have 2 cuckoo marans and 1 barred rock. And I can't seem to tell the difference.

Look what I found!!

The tiniest egg. Isn't it so cute! And I have no idea who layed it.

Michelle

Here is a picture of a Black Sex link chicken. When she is in the sunlight she has brilliant bright orange feathers on her belly. And all the black feathers are a green sheen. She is the only that as I bend down and fill the water dish or throw feed on the ground she hops on my back for a visit.

I guess we'll start with the boy... Po Po

My friend suggested that I highlight a chicken each week. So I've taken pictures of the majority of them and I'll post one every week (or try to).

Isn't he just lovely! He is the most skiddish one of the group. He won't let me pick him unless I corner him and grab him. This morning as I was feeding them, he charged me and pecked my foot...just a little blood spot. This is the same little chick who would cry and cry because he was cold and wanted someone to hold him and blow warm air on him or tuck him in your pocket. He was not even content under the heat lamp. He always wanted to be by a chicken or held. Funny little boy.