The younger birds are also fabulous. They are also, mostly, calm when carried Its great having such a spread of ages, as we can see the development across the flock.
The eldest of the bought-in chicks is the cuckoo maran. This one is really intelligent, does everything sooner than anyone else (including the older table birds), and learns a lot by watching Gloria. I've clung on to the faint hope that last year "Big Bird" was enormous, had a big comb very early on, but tuenred out to be a girl. However, Big Bird isn't a maran. I looked online, and it isn't looking hopeful.
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| Pugsley, 5 weeks old but as big (or bigger) than the dinner birds |
In the last couple of days, the colouring on his gfeathers has separated out from being a marled black to being a definite cuckoo. If he does turn out to be a boy, and if he carries on being a sweetie and doesn't turn nasty, then we may have to run two flocks at the allotment. Marans make good table bird crosses, and we have 3 hens at the allotment that we can't cross with Henry anyway, so it might work. It would certainly be a good way to keep the blood lines fresh.
The Appenzeller, already the cutest little thing, is getting cuter by the day. I wish I'd taken photos of himher a weeks or so ago, before the crest developed. It's getting bigger every day. Yesterday it seemed to be very fine, today it's like a "bog brush".
S/he is the tiniest thing. So small in comparison to the others that I wonder if s/he's a bantam version. S/he's not very good at being able to peck things. When offered worms, hisher beak lands in the wrong place, I suspect s/he has no depth perception.
I really hope this little poppet turns out to be a girl.
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| 3.5 weeks old? |
We have 2 araucana, one of each sex. I think the one with the longer tail is female and the other is male, but I'm not sure.
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| 3.5 weeks old - boy? |
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| Pugsley(R) and the f? araucana |
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| 3.5 weeks old - girl? |
And then last, but not least, is the Wyandotte. No idea.
They've been out free ranging (within a netted area) for the past four days. They seem very content.
Gloria, who has been allowed out wherever she wants while Poppy is broody, spends a lot of time next to the chicks netting. She chases them off when they get close.
