Chickens

Last summer my husband and I got chickens. Who knew we would end up liking them so much? It is not just because we get wonderful fresh egg. The chickens have turned into true pets. I admit that they are a bit spoiled. They love vegetable scraps from the kitchen, the ends of homemade bread, and recently green clover that I find in the yard. Let me introduce you to our pets.

You might remember that had already taken in two homeless white cochin chickens. We named them Fred and Daphne.

First are the White Crested Black Polish. I fell in love with this breed after seeing them on an Easter episode of The Martha Stewart Show. When my husband was choosing, I begged for these to be mine.

Next are the Buff Polish, his choice. While mine will let you pet them, his will let you pick them up and hold them. The one that is just visible at the bottom of the photo always runs to the door and will walk right out if we are not careful. Fortunately she is easy to catch if she does get out.

Next are the Mille Fleur. They are the smallest of our chickens are full grown. Their coloring is beautiful. I took this picture from further away. The reason is below.

This is Butch. He is very protective of his hens. He will puff his feathers out and attack. When I need to change the water or fill the feeder, I toss cracked corn in the opposite direction to distract him. He is quite the bully.

Finally are the white leghorns. They lay extra large eggs and are still a bit shy. We got them only a few months ago. They are getting more tame but at least have calmed down. Fortunately Foghorn, the rooster, is not mean. If he were like Butch, I would be in big trouble.

Here is just a sample of the fresh eggs our backyard chickens provide us. The eggs are delicious with dark yellow yolks.