Since one of our adult chicken coops only has three chickens left (Pepper, Patty, and Tokena; RIP Aeris, Smoke, Sharona, and Niche CK), we decided to beef up that coop with more occupants (especially for the winter, it will be safer for them to have the heat of more chickens in that coop; it was built for about 6 chickens, so 3 just isn't going to be enough), so I went to Agway in Danvers and picked up 4 new baby chicks! Two are Chocolate Orpingtons and two are Blue Laced Red Wyandottes (more on chicken breeds later). I spent several delightful hours spending time with them yesterday (the goal is to spend several hours a day with them so that they will warm up to us and be incredibly personable chickens). I already have a long list of amazingly delightful things I love about these little babes.
- They are SO cute, with their adorable little faces, specked feathers (wyandottes) and yellow butts (orpingtons)
- They stretch out their little legs and wings after they wake up from a nap
- They stumble around and fall asleep randomly (which is why we have to give them a really shallow water dish, otherwise they are known to fall asleep in their water and drown!)
- They sip water with their itty bitty beaks and swallow so cutely
- They are so small they fit comfortably in the palm of my hand
- They are super docile and calm
- And of course, I love their peep peep peep sounds
I've done a lot of research about different chicken breeds, so I might as well record all that information here (along with some specific information about our particular chickens).
Black Australorps
6 born on March 25, 2015: Pepper, Patty, Sharona, Smoke, Niche CK, Aeris
4 born March 28, 2018: Saturn, Neptune, Ouranos, Terra
- Lifespan: 8+ years
- Weight: ~8 lbs
- Eggs: 5+ eggs per week (they hold the world record for egg production)
- Egg Color: light brown
- Personality: docile, gentle, calm, curious, intelligent, people-friendly, cold hardy
- Appearance: black feathers that shine with an iridescent green in the sun, bright red combs, wattles, and earlobes
- History: Bred from Orpingtons in Australia (thus Austral-orp) in the early 1900s
Easter Eggers
4 born March 28, 2018: Jupiter, Mars, Mercury Venus
- Lifespan: 5-8 years.
- Weight: 4-5lb (though one ours is more like 8 lbs)
- Eggs: 4 per week
- Egg Color: Variable colors, thus their "Easter Egger" name. (Ours produce blue, green, and olive.)
- Personality: Friendly, sweet, calm, non-aggressive, curious, tolerate a wide variety of climates
- Appearance: They come in a variety of colors. It is uncommon for two Easter Eggers to have exactly the same plumage. They have pea combs, small and wrinkly. (Ours are: red/orange, black/white, and white/gold.)
- History: The Easter Egger is a product of either the Araucana or Ameraucana, and started to make an appearance in the late 1970s. They have become one of the most popular backyard chickens in the US.
Chocolate Orpingtons
2 born April 7, 2021: names TBD
- Lifespan: 8+ years
- Weight: ~8lbs
- Eggs: 3-5 per week
- Egg Color: Light brown
- Personality: Quiet, mellow, and docile, winter hardy, love to be held
- Appearance: Chocolately brown plumage, red wattles and ear lobes with a short deep amber colored beak.
- Breed History/Facts: Chocolates are a recent addition to the Orpington breed and are very rare. Named after the town of Orpington in Kent, England where they were bred in 1800s.
Blue Laced Red Wyandottes
2 born April 7, 2021: names TBD
- Lifespan: 5+ years.
- Weight: 6-7 lb
- Eggs: 4 per week
- Egg Color: Brown
- Personality: Unshakeable calmness and rarely get upset about anything, friendly with humans, gentle, docile, quiet, reserved, peaceful, very cold hardy
- Appearance: Stunning blue lacing with red feathers, rose comb.
- History: Developed in the United States in the late 1800s, bred to withstand the harsh northern winters.
We also have Tokena, a big beautiful white chicken that we adopted from someone we knew. We guess that she was born in 2016/2017, and is probably a Rhode Island White or White Rock or maybe even a White Australorp. She's super sweet, lays brown eggs, and gets along well with her new family of Black Australorps.
I love our chickens, and I especially delight in baby chicks!
With delight,
♥ Jamie
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