Meet some of the Family - Feathered Friends

A few years back we decided to get a few chickens for eggs, little did we know how much we would enjoy having them and the eggs were just a bonus.

Of the original chickens we only have one left, our rooster. We love him to bits, to me he is what a rooster should look like, you know the sort you see in pictures.

He is great with the hens calling them to let them know when he finds something yummy in the yard to share. As I said we don't know alot about chickens and are learning as we go. We recently asked how long chickens usually live for and although we got alot of answers eight years seemed to be a common answer and someone else said they have never heard of any over ten years. We our rooster is now 13yrs old!! He was six when we got him with a group of hens for free, if they weren't rehoused they were to meet their maker :(

About 18mths ago we bought some Isa Browns, they are great layers. We have six and most days they give us six eggs. They are very placid and have been found in the kitchen a few times when the kids haven't shut the back door.

We then on free cycle saw someone giving away some Old English Game Bantams, we had no idea what they were but had been wanting some bantams because they make such good mums. We have six of these girls. When love our bantam eggs and love that in the past few months they have started going clucky and we now have 3 chicks to two mothers and another currently sitting.

Our latest additions are just a few months old and too young to mix with the rest yet. We bought 4 Australorp chicks. Problem is we seem to have a ring in.

This little chicky seems to be not like the others. She has feathers on her legs and darker eyes. So the question is what is she??

                                      You might remember this little chick from my earlier blog?

  Well look how its grown....
 You can see the first feathers coming through. I'm not to good at the boy/girl thing with chickens so will have to wait and see. As for breed thats a mystery as well as the eggs were given to us by a friend so it will be a surprise!

 These little guys are still super cute and mums taking very good care of them.

 Our hen thats sitting is due on the 28th December, we are all hoping to see some new chicks :)



We have 2 white hens as well but they were a little shy when I had the camera out, although you can see one in the background of the Isa Brown photo above. I'm not sure what breed they are, they were freebies needing a home so we took them in. They are good layers and very quiet.

 

   We love seeing them just wandering around the yard, as I said last night our animals all get along so well.

aus.keeys