Chickens Coming of Age

The chickens are of the age where they are leaving their adolescence and entering adulthood. The major sign will be the day we either discover an egg in the nesting box or hear a crow from the coop. Just to update you, neither has taken place with the three younger chickens. It has been five months though now, so any day I expect to find a new egg.

Pearl seems to be adjusting to the younger chickens in a generally good way. She is somewhere around 3-4 years old and will always be at the top of the pecking order. When I bring in scratch, she tries to hoard the treat for herself, but I think she is finding that ineffective when the odds are one against three. Of the people who came through for the coop tour, majority said she was the most stunning. It kind of surprised me, but let’s not tell her that.

Florence is the Rhode Island Red and seems to be the sneakiest of the chickens. When Pearl chases the others away from treats, Flo is usually the first to sneak back when Pearl’s back is turned. She is also the hardest one to get a picture of. With some more human interaction, I think Flo will open up more to be friendlier and show her personality.

Did I just talk about a chicken having a personality? Yes, indeed. Raising them from chicks has shown me that they do all have their own little funny traits.

Maude, our Brahma, is still, in my opinion, the most beautiful of the bunch. Her lovely feathered feet remind me of those old lady slippers with the fuzzy ball thing on the toes. Or perhaps a Hollywood starlet from the 40’s or something, walking the red carpet in some fluffy attire. She is most graceful and the friendliest of the flock. She doesn’t mind being petted while I distract her with treats. And for ever one picture of the other chickens, I have about five of Maude. She is just a huge ham for the camera.

Stella is still our wild card Barred Plymouth Rock that we are not too confident with the gender on. I heard so many people on the coop tour say such confident answers on her gender, but it was honestly half and half – some are sure she is a he and others are sure she is a she. No crow nor egg yet.

I think Stella has a natural curiosity of people and a spunky personality. Although she still keeps her distance from me, I feel like she is studying my every move to figure out exactly what my intention are by entering the coop. Over time, she will figure out that I am only there to help and feed them.

Over the past couple weeks, I have been racing out to the coop every evening as I return from work. It’s always a little disappointing to not see a new egg in there. But I know that right when I stop expecting to see a new egg, it will be there waiting for me. Patience will always win in the end.