Good morning from Chicken Paradise — it’s me and the chicks, under another blue sky.
The injured rooster
The rooster I picked up the other day, found lying battered after being used in fights, seems to have a little more energy now. His leg is still broken, so he can’t move well, but he’s started eating on his own. His tail, which had been hanging down all this time, has lifted a bit too, and he seems to be in a slightly better mood. I hope he keeps getting better.
In the garden: tiny cabbage white butterfly eggs on our one wilted broccoli. It’s a farmer’s worst enemy, but I’m thrilled. I’m going to watch them hatch and grow.
Whose egg is this?
Dolly was so hot today that she fell fast asleep, nose twitching. Meanwhile the nest boxes were packed: Mikan, Pumpkin, Namiko, Nuts, Kombu (who bit me!), Gin-chan, and tiny Flare waiting her turn.
So today’s topic is eggs. At first glance the eggs on our tray seem alike, yet each one is completely different. Even plain brown eggs come in all sizes, shapes and colors. The brown one with fine white speckles? One look and I know Balloon laid it.
The small eggs come from our wild chickens and our rescued hens — tiny and cute. On the other side are eggs from hens I bought at a store as proper laying hens. The blue eggs are from our Easter Eggers. All of our eggs are fertile, but the idea that fertile eggs are more nutritious is a myth — they’re all the same. Even a small egg is a small hen doing her best.
Going along the tray, I could name almost every layer, starting with Kiwi’s pale pink egg: Luna, Shi-chan, Brownie, Okki-chan, Lavender, Glico, glossy-shelled Lilac, and two Poppies who look so alike we call them Poppy 1 and Poppy 2. (The quail, I haven’t figured out yet!)
Meet Bonbori
Bonbori is a Silver Laced Wyandotte — the same breed as Kiwi, but with silver lacing. I especially love the pointed markings on her shoulders. She came in the very first group of proper laying hens I ever bought, and she’s the same age as Oreo, with the same birthday.
She’s very strong-willed and wins fights against pretty much anyone, young roosters included. When the young roosters get pushy, she runs over and silences them with a good kick — the big sister of the flock. As a chick her tail was all fluffed up like a little bonbori, which is where her name comes from. A cute name for a tough girl!
Thanks so much for watching Chicken Paradise. See you next time!