Our Backyard Animals - Meet the Chickens!

Our first pets weren't actually dogs - they were chickens (unless you count a few goldfish we had when I was little more than a toddler!). We are lucky to have a big garden and we liked the idea of having a few hens to give us fresh eggs each day. One Saturday, we went along to a local poultry farm, just to look. That morning, we came home with six chicks - they were so cute, we couldn't resist leaving them behind! We got a mix of breeds, three cuckoo marans (Jessie, Whitney, Lily), a White Leghorn (Flora), a Light Sussex (Hettie) and a Blue Jersey Giant (Maisy). They were around three/four weeks old so we set up a heat lamp in the garage, they were still too young to be outdoors. That evening, my Mom & Dad went out to check on them, and there were only five chicks in the pen - Lily was missing! After a little while of searching, and getting worried, they found her exploring the corner of the garage, enjoying her little adventure! We still have five of those original chickens, sadly Hettie died this Summer. There now around four years old, so don't lay as much but still love free-ranging during the day and eating leftovers.

Just this year, we decided to hatch some eggs. We had fallen in love with Lavender and Chocolate Orpingtons and as there are no breeders of this colouring in Ireland, the only way to get hold of them was to hatch eggs yourself. So we got an incubator and ordered a dozen eggs. We candled the eggs several times but only two hatched - both Lavenders - Peppa and Clover. When Peppa was six weeks old she got pneumonia and unfortunately died because of this. Clover was left by himself, and was missing his sister. 

We heard about a Poultry Sale locally, and went along. We had never been to one before, so didn't really know what to expect! That's were we found our five young pullets - all different breeds - Heather (Silkie), Nutmeg (Welsummer), Sparkles (Wyandotte hybrid),  Ebony (Australorp) and Victoria (Cream Legbar). Clover, who was renamed Captain, as we had now decided he was a rooster, loved his new friends. Victoria became sick one morning, we weren't quite sure what was wrong with her, but she died that day. Thankfully none of the others became ill, and they are all still doing well. There not laying yet and I don't think they will until Spring now. 

Between hatching the chicks and going to the Poultry Sale, we were looking for some more pullets to add to the flock, specifically Orpingtons. There was a breeder doing Lemon Cuckoo's, I was delighted as this is probably my favourite kind of chicken. He had a trio for sale, which meant we'd be getting another rooster, but we decided that we could cope with two, so we got Albert aka Bertie, Apricot and April. 

We've since decided Heather, is also a cockerel, bringing our rooster count up to three - certainly the limit! He's become Hiccup instead (after the How to Train your Dragon movie). We've got a broody sitting on a couple of eggs right now, who knows if they'll hatch, but we're hoping so!

So I think that's all fourteen of the chickens - nope, I've forgotten Mrs Weasley! Oops. Our friend had agreed to take on three red hens, from someone who was no longer able to take care of them. Just a few days before she got them, two of them were taken by the fox. Lucky Mrs Weasley was able to fly on top of the coop to safety. However, as our friend doesn't have any other chickens, she didn't want to have Mrs Weasley all by herself with no fellow poultry company. So, she asked if we'd take her, and we said yes, of course. Mrs Weasley has been with us ever since. She's the friendliest of the bunch and a real character! 

Anna xoxo

13 of the chooks having a drink of rainwater