Guess what! Brownie’s relatives have come to live with us: these two, plus one more who won’t let me catch her. There’s a small scab on one face.
A surprise family connection
Our next-door neighbors have to move out in a big hurry and couldn’t take all their hens, so they left four with us. They asked me, “Which ones do you want?” Want? Not really… but if I had to choose, these: the cute ones with fluffy cheeks.
Next door is a farm that raises chickens for cockfighting, but we get along. I knew that a fighting chicken with fluffy cheeks is a rare bonus. Fluffy ones often have gentle personalities, so I asked where the gene came from, since keeping the fighting ability while adding fluff must have been hard. And it started with Brownie! I got her four years ago, at the very, very beginning of our coop. She was a fighting chicken too, with fluffy cheeks, and the bird I happened to go and get was apparently where the fluffy trend began. So they’re blood relatives! No wonder their faces look alike.
Here’s Brownie, who has been with us for ages. As a fighting breed she has a slim body, but her face is fluffy, with her trademark puffs on the cheeks. And this is her relative. Look, the same face! Of course, being relatives doesn’t mean they’ll get along.
These two newcomers are sisters: the same shape in different colors. They were born this year, so they’re still very young. One is getting picked on because I put her in a bad spot (laughs). But they’re fitting in surprisingly well, and earlier one seemed to catch the eye of Oreo, the rooster. I think they’ll do fine in our coop.
Cats, tortoises and the garden
Sorry for the panic! In front is Ao, way too surprised, and looking a bit tired? In the back is Madara. Ao is searching for rats. Madara, that’s the tortoise playground! The storm bent the tortoise enclosure, and the tortoise escapes through the gap. See?
The butterfly caterpillars were back on the plants. The lavender and rosemary are growing really well. With the timer sprinkler, it has all grown into a jungle. The cherry tomatoes are out of control.
Cinnamon’s feathers are growing back again. How many times a year do you lose them and grow them back? You seem fine; we’ll keep up the protein boost. Natsu, sticking your nose into the rooster cage? You’ll get pecked. Flute is inside, spooked; after lots of fighting he got put in there. Nearly time to come out again?
Thanks for watching Chicken Paradise. See you next time!