In the coming weeks and months I’ll probably be writing a lot about chickens – why I love them, why they’re awesome additions to any [veg*n] backyard farm, and why I could never imagine eating them, ever again.
But before all that, I wanted to take a moment and introduce you all to my two little beauties: Miss Petunia Blue, and Miss Princess SweetPea.
Petunia Blue was our first little darling. I got her during a feverish fit of ‘nesting-mode’ madness – an unexpected side affect of quitting smoking. Something had to be done, and it was either getting my hands on a chick, or it was time to consider getting pregnant. Luckily, I chose the former, and we brought home baby Petunia. Although I know better now, and would never again support the poultry industry, she sure was a fun little wee one. She was 1 week old:
Petunia (or ‘tunes, as we call her) is a Leghorn, that classic and quintessential American chicken. She is small and white, slender with good wingspan and proud tail feathers, with a mighty scarlet-colored crown and waddle. Of course, she didn’t look like that when she was just few weeks old. This is her trademark bugeye glare:
Leghorns are also a particularly chatty breed (her nickname is very appropriate), so we were quite relieved when it was time to move Camp Chicken out of the bathroom and into the backyard. ‘Tunes was a few months old in this picture, and having a blast exploring the new world of the great big outdoors:
That was in late spring, and it was right around that time that we brought home Princess SweetPea. Princess is a furry-footed Light Brahma, an Asiatic breed that is closely related to Indian Jungle Fowl. We rescued her off Craigslist from a family that was paring down its flock. Apparently, the father had decided that he would become a producer of the perfect fancy chicken, and was on a quest to manipulate the ideal breed. Poor Sweet Pea was one of the many byproducts of his experimentations. She was half of Petunia’s age and weighed nearly twice as much:
These days the girls rule the backyard, where they reside in their little red henhouse. At night they roost in ‘trees’ made of old lumbar, safe in their enclosed run. By day, they free range the backyard, much to the dismay of neighborhood cats (who are equal their size and can’t do anything but stare) and pesky garden slugs. They fertilize our plants, they mow our lawn, but most of all, they are just plain fabulous friends.
Chickens are delightful, independent, unique, and sassy creatures, and I look forward to sharing my adoration and understanding of them, as this project unfolds.
Co
1 July, 2009
They’re beautiful! I’ve been really excited about chickens for a while. Do they grow and socialize ok without having a mother around to show them how?
Sayward
3 July, 2009
@ Co – In my experience they’re fine without ‘older chicken’ guidance. However, I would never keep a single hen – they are social creatures and need at least one friend to ‘flock’ with. Also, I’d look into adoption as a great way to acquire hens. The poultry industry in general is really, really terrible, and buying a chick is playing right into that (I wish I’d known before I bought Petunia). It’s just like buying a puppy from a pet store – bad news! So yeah, in my [never humble] opinion, adoption from a sanctuary, shelter, or Craigslist, is the best way to go about starting a backyard flock.
Good luck! They really are the most delightful creatures. =)
Sayward
30 September, 2009
@ Crystal – Yes, Peaceful Prairie is awesome, as are all the farm animal rescues. I’ve been meaning to make a trip to the Oregon one to do some volunteer work. Thanks for the reminder!
Angela
29 October, 2009
A friend shared your blog with me today and I’ll definitely be back. I am now an addict. I love your girls! I got my own four ladies from a local farmer at a makeshift farm and garden show which was more like a swapmeet with chickens, ducks, goats, bunnies and such. They are the best addition to my yard and soon to be Victory Garden. You can see my lovelies here: http://hippieingeeksclothing.wordpress.com/tag/chicken/
Sayward
30 October, 2009
@ Angela – Welcome! And congrats on the additions to your family. =) Chickens are absolutely amazing creatures, each one so unique and spunky and full of quirks. You’ll have so much fun with them. Your girls are beautiful.
Hope to see you around the site!
Angela S-S
9 February, 2010
Oh I love chickens! One day I plan to care for rescued hens, some goats, and a couple of llamas! I have to wait until we have property in the country though. I would love to meet your girls sometime.
Sayward
10 February, 2010
@ Angela S-S – I love goats! And llamas are amazing. One of my dreams is to open a farm sanctuary – I’d love to be surrounded by, and care for, those beautiful beasts, all the time. It’s funny to me that most people are into ‘exotic’ animals, but I just have such an affinity for ‘farm’ animals! Well, and capybaras . . . =)
Perhaps you will meet the girls!
Leah
19 February, 2010
I know this is super late, but what kind of coop do you have for them for winter?
With an ex, I had three backyard chickens for a couple of years. We built our coop from lumber, along with a “run” (because we had trouble with raccoons) but it was a massive amount of work to do, and an even more massive amount of work to dismantle when (yes, unfortunately) we broke up and moved out of the house.
I’d love to have chickens again in the future, though, and would love to hear about your chicken housing. Where did you get the idea for your tree roosts? How do you keep them warm in winter?
Urban chickens are the best!
Leah
19 February, 2010
Oh, and we gave the chickens to another farmer when we moved away, so no worries.
Sayward
22 February, 2010
@ Leah – Damina built an extra small coop that we call ‘the Winter Box’, althoug it will probably remain their primary nesting box year round. We have a whole fenced in run along the side of the house which keeps predators out, so our girls prefer to roost under the stars whenever the weather permits. =)
The idea for the ‘trees’ just came from reading that wild chickens roost in trees and that’s what makes them feel safest. We had hacked apart a giant bush in out front yard so we just used the trunk of that to build a series of roosts at the far end of the chicken run. They love it!
The Winter Box is a small box, maybe 2 ft by 2 ft, on stilts. It has a hinged roof for our access, which is sloped for rain run-off. It has a hinged door for chicken access with a small ‘front porch’. Inside the box is a raised area for feed and their water. And lots of hay!
They like it okay but prefer to 1) roost in their ‘trees’ and 2) lay eggs in the nook underneath (created by the stilts base). It’s pretty funny how they make their own plans, ya know? =D
I’ll post pictures and a write-up this spring. It’s on the list!
Ingrid
3 March, 2010
Love your blog! Came upon it by way of your unclog-the-sink post. I’ve had the joy of working with a variety of birds, both wild and domestic (rescue and rehab). And even though we don’t yet have space for chickens, I couldn’t agree more about the disposition of these wonderful feathered characters. So glad these two have an incredible family.
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